The fate of Navarra, a bucolic Spanish countryside expanse nestled between the far more famous regions — wine and otherwise — of Rioja, Basque Country, and Catalonia farther to the east, is at a crossroads. With broader recognition for the region still frustratingly elusive, a rebranding is on the table.
Within the context of its lauded neighbors, Navarra is largely anonymous internationally. It’s not a unique dilemma. Quiet corners of wine country globally, no matter how high the quality or how historically well known they once were, often tread water in the wake of their powerful local peers: Umbria with Tuscany, Gascony with Bordeaux, Dão with Douro, or the Sierra Foothills just across the way from market behemoths Napa and Sonoma.
So, how to compete with those neighbors and potentially rebrand without the accidental self-sabotage of placing all eggs into one precariously trendy basket?
Historically for Navarra, that basket has been rosado (rosé). And within the confines of Spain, it’s earned a good reputation. But despite continued growth in the category overall, France dominates the style in the minds of wine drinkers around the world. The numbers bear it out, with over one-third of global pink production now boasting Gallic roots. What’s more, a full one-third of those with a French A.O.C. designation come from that dreamy little sliver of Mediterranean coast, Provence.
Like it or not, Provence is rosé in the current cultural zeitgeist.
Given those circumstances, a push toward red wines is in the works for Navarra, with the category’s prestige and premium pricing the ultimate trophy. But depending on how the makeover is executed, the story could either end up a roadmap for success or a cautionary tale for other global regions looking to level up.
The Red Wine Narrative for Garnacha Country
For most of Navarra’s modern history, it has deferred to its famed neighbor when it comes to top-quality red wine production. “When the Navarra appellation was born, they thought we couldn’t compete with the fine wines of Rioja, so they specialized in rosado,” says Xabier Sanz Larrea, co-founder of Viña Zorzal Wines in the southern reaches of Navarra. “That was good in order to bottle the wine and not sell it as bulk.”
In fairness, the region still pumped out solid reds — and quaffable whites — in significant volume, but decided the hook for regional identity, pride, and qualitative excellence should lie elsewhere, away from the spotlight of Rioja’s reds.
But the attitude among some in Navarra has now flipped. “I don’t believe so much in the marketing for rosado right now,” Larrea says. “I think we should use the marketing for Garnacha and terroir. Everyone should know Navarra because of Garnacha, like Barolo because of Nebbiolo.” And while Garnacha is by no means the only game in town when it comes to the region’s grapes, it’s most assuredly the marquee variety.
“Provence should be recognized and appreciated for having made rosé wine fashionable all over the world. [But] they are totally different styles.”
Richi Arambarri, general manager of Vintae, which counts Navarra brands Aroa Bodegas and Le Naturel among its prized properties, agrees with the rosado sentiment laid down by his colleague. “I think Navarra has been too obsessed with competing in the rosado category,” he says. “Navarra is much more than rosado. It was once [in the] top three most prestigious wine regions in Spain,” he adds, “and the focus needs to be on recovering the place we deserve.” Like Larrea, his Navarra projects have also been emphasizing their reds.
So if crowning the local red rendition of Garnacha is indeed the answer, a major issue looms large: Spain produces oceans of Garnacha.
European and American supermarkets are frequently stocked with rich, inexpensive, hotter-climate crowd pleasers from Navarra’s southern neighbors, like Campo de Borja and Calatayud. These are good wines in their own right. “[But] there are two very different styles for Garnacha,” Larrea of Viña Zorzal counters. “The ‘Jorge Ordoñez’ one and the ‘Pinot Noir’ one,” he says, referring to the pioneering importer. “The ripe [Ordoñez] one has more years in the market than the ‘Pinot’ [Navarra] one, but little by little, we have to show the finesse of this variety to consumers.”
Navarra Garnacha is a far more Burgundian departure from the typically jammy and higher-alcohol Spanish Garnacha consumers are currently accustomed to. And for high-quality wines enjoyed by more discerning palates, that kind of freshness and poise are back in style.
So in an era of nearly unattainable pricing for red Burgundy, it just may be an ideal time to trumpet that message of Navarran elegance and comparative affordability toward the global market.
Still Room for Rosé?
While regional tides are slowly shifting to reds, some still feel a passionate deference toward Navarra’s rosado roots, seeing an abandonment of that point of pride as a cultural betrayal. “The Navarran rosado style is part of their identity going back many decades,” says April Cullom, Spain-based president of international wine and food marketing outfit Global Bridges.
And when evaluating rosado’s role in the international market, it’s crucial to note that Navarra rosado and Provence rosé aren’t quite the same creatures. “Provence should be recognized and appreciated for having made rosé wine fashionable all over the world,” says David Palacios Algarra, president of the regulatory board for D.O. Navarra. “[But] they are totally different styles.” The region’s Garnacha-based pink pour tends to be somewhat darker and richer than its popular French competitor.
“Following the crowd can only get you so far.”
The argument has its merits. New Zealand has pulled a similar move with Sauvignon Blanc, and rather successfully. Savvy B drinkers globally understand the style — its attractively punchy fruit and assertive grassy tones worlds away from the understated polish of Sancerre — and request it by name. So theoretically, the richer Navarran rosado and lighter Provencal rosé styles should be able to coexist and share the market to some degree.
But this tack would still leave the region squaring off against France. And if there’s one skill the French have historically been able to capitalize on, it’s building an overpowering brand culture around their wines. “Provence rosé wines have had some effect on the [Navarra rosado] exports,” Cullom says, and adds that they defend this domain well.
Then there’s the inherent pricing danger to a rosado emphasis.
It’s tremendously advantageous if your “thing” is Cabernet in Napa or Nebbiolo in Piedmont. Those prestigious pair-ups can instantly command a prestige price in the market. That’s relatively easy money. But if your “thing” is overwhelmingly viewed as a value category like rosé — regardless of Navarra rosado’s stylistically grander attitude — it could spell trouble if that results in a race to the bottom. “Following the crowd can only get you so far,” Cullom says.
Wines like Cava and Vinho Verde have learned this lesson the hard way, succumbing to the temptation to chase down the likes of fleet-footed, mass-market Prosecco. With that strategy, those two styles have been successful to a degree in disseminating awareness of their existence globally and keeping the economic engine from stalling. But in doing so, they’ve pigeonholed their regional reputations into a bargain bin of cheap and cheerful — a victim of their own success, besmirching the good name and weighing on the typical price of the truly excellent examples produced in those regions.
“The historical production of Garnacha rosés is what has safeguarded the Garnacha [old-vine] heritage that we now have, and with which we make our marvelous red wines. It’s not a question of changing the focus, but rather of promoting the value of [all] our wines made with our Garnacha.”
Similarly, in spite of New Zealand’s obvious Sauvignon Blanc success, when is the last time your average wine consumer bought or ordered anything but that varietal from the epicenter of Marlborough?
Admittedly, that’s not to say the rosado narrative doesn’t have value. The category is booming relative to the stagnating wine market, and offering consumers a break from the ubiquitous style of Provence rosé could prove an advantageous tactic under the circumstances.
But should that maneuver result in a downward pricing spiral against French exports, it’ll be heavy lifting to haul the regional reputation out of that bargain bin, no matter what’s to blame for arrival at that nadir.
Building Red Wine Prestige While Honoring Rosado Roots?
Despite its rosado heritage, there’s already a similar proof of concept illustrating that a red wine-focused rebrand might do wonders for Navarra.
To the west in Portugal, the historically overlooked region of Bairrada — where its previously disregarded Nebbiolo-like Baga variety was typically used for mass market rosé, nondescript bulk wine, and cheap sparkling production — has struck a vein of gold with its serious red wine campaign from producers like Luis Pato. The result has been a dramatic turnaround in the region’s reputation and pricing, and it’s become a fashionable choice for international sommeliers.
Additionally, just a few hours eastward in Catalonia towers the imposing presence of Priorat, Spain’s Garnacha-led answer to the powerful wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Though it presents a stylistically burly beast relative to understated and graceful Navarra, it’s nonetheless an example writ large that Spanish Garnacha-based reds can at least command a reverential and prestige-priced position on the international stage.
But Algarra at the Navarra D.O. defends the prominent messaging of rosado. “The historical production of Garnacha rosés is what has safeguarded the Garnacha [old-vine] heritage that we now have, and with which we make our marvelous red wines,” he says. “It’s not a question of changing the focus, but rather of promoting the value of [all] our wines made with our Garnacha: unique and different from those of any other region or appellation.”
Time will tell if the decisions made and the narrative chosen will lead Navarra’s storyline toward a happy ending. But if they pan out well, it may offer a detailed marketing template for other forgotten regions in the midst of a qualitative renaissance.
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