A red grape grown throughout the western Mediterranean, especially Languedoc, where it is blended with other workhorse grapes like Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre to give deep colour and bolster acidity. Carignan has been dismissed by Jancis Robinson as being high in everything (colour, tannin, acid) but charm, but Carignan grown on very old vines (more than 50 years old) can yield delicious black fruit and floral characteristics in addition to deep colour. Sadly, Carignan is at risk because of EU subsidies to pull up vines, which threatens to eliminate some of these great old vineyards.