Bruñal

Synonyms: albarín negro, albarín tinto (Vino de la Tierra de Cangas, Asturias), alfrocheiro, alfrocheiro preto (Dao, Portugal), baboso negro, bastardo negro, caiño gordo, tinta bastardinha, tinta francesa de viseu.

Its origin is believed to be in Portugal, in the Dao or Alentejo wine-growing regions (Jancis Robinson, Wine Grapes, 2012). In Spain, this variety is mainly found in the provinces of Salamanca and Zamora, in Arribes appellation, and in Asturias and the Canary Islands (Tenerife).

It is of medium-early budding and early ripening, and therefore grows well in cool climates or in climates with large thermal extremes (difference between daytime and night-time temperatures). As a single varietal it is at its best in Arribes, where we find it in wines with a lot of colour, with a large presence of black fruit or very ripe red fruit, accompanied by a fresh acidity and medium tannin.

Generally, it offers full-bodied and structured wines in continental climates, and fresher, subtler and wilder in Atlantic climates, so it is capable of showing a certain stylistic diversity depending on the origin of the grape and the way it is processed. Its fruit is almost always characterised by that point of very ripe black and red fruit (cherry) that we were talking about, regardless of the climate where it has grown.