Wine By Grape Variety | Bobal

Bobal is a thick-skinned, dark coloured grape. It is resistant to mildew and to drought so it is unsurprising that it is Spain’s 3rd most widely grown wine grape. Traditionally Bobal was used in bulk wines or as a blending grape to give structure and colour to wines. But it’s increasingly being used for single varietal wines.

Bobal is most commonly found in the Valencia area – particularly Utiel Requena but also in other regions like Extremadura, in the Denominación de Origen Ribera del Jucar, or DO Manchuela in Castilla La Mancha. It can be found at altitudes of up to 1,000 metres above sea level, where temperature variations between day and night help add structure to the wine. Those temperature variations mean that Bobal can produce lovely medium-bodied wines with fresh acidity, soft tannins, and rich dark colour.

In terms of flavours, you can expect lots of fruit flavours like raspberry and cherry, but you might also pick up some floral elements like violets, or perhaps sometimes even a touch of chocolate. Bobal grapes produce beautiful, rounded red wines with plenty of flavour, but not too heavy. They tend to go well with lighter meat dishes like game and poultry.