Graciano

[grah-see-YAH-noh (Sp. Grah-THYAH-noh)] A high-quality red-wine grape grown in the rioja and navarra regions of Spain. Graciano wines are capable of rich color, a lovely fragrant bouquet, a hint of spice in the flavor, and long aging. The high acidity of the Graciano grape makes it a good candidate for blending with low-acid varieties like tempranillo. Graciano's sparse yield is prompting many Spanish growers to replace this quality variety with more productive vines. A similar situation exists in France's languedoc-roussillon region where Graciano (known there as Morrastel) is also being replaced.