According to professors Boubal and Galet of the INRA of Montpellier, it is one of the oldest varieties they have seen, due to the peculiar shape of the shoots, which display great evenness in the distance between knots.

Historical reports of this variety reveal that it has been planted in Aragon since the 12th century. The same documentation includes “the gengibera” (tempranillo), and the crucillón (the old name for the cariñena);  paradoxically, there is no mention of the garnacha. And the vidadillo appears with the name of crespiello, which in later documents started to be called “vidadico” and later on, vidadillo. (1,2)

In the variety collection of the Finca El Encín of the INIA, there are four vidadillo plantations, with four different names: “garnacha de grano gordo”, “garnacha basta”, vitadillo, and vidadillo.

The plant called vitadillo was sent to the collection from Huelva. The rest were sent from different parts of Aragon, except for Cariñena.

When the lists of varieties with their synonyms and their classification as quality varieties and improving varieties were published in the 1980s, the vidadillo was left off the list, even of the varieties suitable for table wine.

In Almonacid de La Sierra, it was said that the Vidadillo “was a companion”, because it is a variety with very regular production, and also grows in the most arid lands.

From the 18th century to the end of the 19th century it was widespread throughout the whole of Aragon. When phylloxera arrived, there was a great demand for wines with high alcohol content, and its cultivation decreased, giving way to the garnacha.

In Almonacid de La Sierra it has always been presented in a residual way, and the wines from Almonacid always had a fresh and fruity tone, different from the rest of the area; I thought this touch was provided by the garnacha planted in the Sierra; but when I went to work at Covinca (Almonacid and Longares), I was surprised to find that the Sierra was planted with white grapes, and that the garnacha was at an altitude of 400 m, so there was something that communicated that slight touch, and when I asked about the existence of another red variety, I was told that they had 25% of a variety called vidadillo, which was very bad, and that they were gradually removing it. And I asked them if we could separate it. And when it began to ferment, the characteristic but concentrated scent of Almonacid wines emerged. And that’s when the road to its recovery began.

In 2002, faced with the inconvenience of producing grapes from old vines, I bought a vidadillo vineyard of 4000 vines planted in 1900, possible the first grafted vineyard in the Cariñena DO after the phylloxera. I started to sell the Pulchrum, as “garnacha de grano gordo”, and it began to get rated, and its authorisation process was speeded up.

In November 2008 the use of Vidadillo was finally authorised as a variety suitable for table wine, and in July 2009, the Government of Aragon and the Regulatory Council of the Cariñena Designation of Origin authorised its inclusion in the list of varieties suitable for wine with Designation of Origin.

In the Viticulture books by Pacottet(1), in the History of the Political economy of Aragon by Ignacio Jordán de Assó (2), and in the Archives of La Seo, it is stated that in the 12th century it was called Crespiello, then later it changed to Vidadico, and finally Vidadillo.

It is a very late variety, its cycle is out of line with the rest of the varieties planted in Aragon, its harvest date is is in the middle or at the end of October. It its full ripening stage it has sunshine during the day and cold temperatures at night, the optimal conditions. It is the variety with most malic, around 3 gr/L, and it is very rich in tannins. It is also one of the varieties with the lowest degree, around 12.5 to 13.0. Therefore produced using the methods of years ago, with turbo-crushers that break the pips, without cold and with temperatures of over 35ºC, which are optimal for extracting bitter tannins, and with a good dose of sulphur, because they are low grade grapes, then a bitter, hard wine would emerge, that was green due to the excess of sulphur, the malolactic fermentation would not take place, and if it was done in summer without proper control, in most cases the wine would end up with high volatile acidity. It is therefore understandable that it had a bad reputation among the winemakers of the region.

However, produced with the current knowledge, aimed at harvesting grapes with ripe tannins and trying to handle the grapes as gently as possible, we can produce wines that although very tannic, become more rounded in the ageing process, and can surprise us with their original perfumes and tastes that this variety provides.

It is a rustic “wild” variety, and is very resistant to diseases such as mildew, and oidium. There is only the risk of rotting because the berries are tight and there is the risk of breaking, thereby releasing must which is a culture medium for fungi. But if the berries are loose, the skin is hard and that is the best way to combat diseases.

This variety, which is very resistant to drought, grows in the driest soils. That is why its cultivation has been maintained, because in the terrain where the garnacha or the macabeo are unable to produce, the vidadillo, guarantees a production of 3 kg per vine, and also without any treatment costs. But if this variety is planted in fresh soil, and with water, there is an explosion of large clusters with big berries.

However, in chalky soil, and with proper winter and summer pruning, we can reduce the size of the berry, and guarantee its health. In other words, it can be cultivated by treating it with copper and sulphur, and tilling. But the production is reduced to 1 kg, and these yields are only profitable by selling the bottled wine and with clear ideas.