Life Style / Wine Grapes / Carignan: Has the synonym names Cari?ena (ie: Carinyena), Mazuela or Mazuelo in Spain, Gragnano in Italy, Carignane (or occasionally) Kerrigan in California. Normally ripens in late season around the end of September. In Spain it is a late budding variety, always in danger from frost. Prone to attack from mildew diseases. Commonly used for making red wines in Southern France and Spain. It is also successfully grown in California's Central Valley, often ending up in generic blends and 'jug' wines, although some old plantings allow small lots of premium extract wine to be made. Blended with other varieties such as Cinsaut, Grenache, Mourv?dre and Syrah, it has been used to create red wines in California similar to the famed Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend of the southern Rhone region of France. In Australia it has the occasional alias name Black Portugal.
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Life Style / Wine / Cépage Améliorateur (France): An "improving variety", as this translates, is one encouraged for viticulture in order to improve the quality of a region's wines. In the Languedoc the term refers to varieties such as Mourv?dre, Syra MORE