Yecla (DO)
Encyclopedia
Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...
(DO) for wines located around the town of Yecla
Yecla
Yecla is a town and municipality in eastern Spain, in the extreme north of the autonomous community of Murcia, located 96 km from the capital of the region, Murcia....
in the northernmost corner of the region of Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) and is completely surrounded by other DOs: Jumilla DO
Jumilla (DO)
Jumilla is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines that extends over the north of the region of Murcia, including the municipality of Jumilla —from which it takes its name— and the contiguous southeast of the Albacete province in the Castile-La Mancha region.There are currently 32,000...
to the south and west, Almansa DO
Almansa (DO)
Almansa is a Spanish Denominación de Origen , known for its red wines, located in the southeast of the province of Albacete , in the transition zone between the high central plateau and the Mediterranean Sea...
to the north and Alicante DO
Alicante (DO)
Alicante is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the province of Alicante ....
to the east. The area is notable for its extensive use of the red Monastrell grape variety.
History
Findings from archaeological excavations in the area have confirmed that grape growing and wine production has been practiced in this area for over two thousand years and was probably introduced by the ancient Romans. There was a period of expansion at the end of the 19th century when French wine merchants became involved in the region due to the effects of the phylloxeraPhylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
plague in France. Official DO status was acquired in 1975.
Geography
The vineyards covered by Yecla DO are located in a transition zone between the Mediterranean and the central upland plateaux known as La ManchaLa Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...
, at altitudes ranging from 400 m to 800 m above sea level. The soil is lime bearing, and the subsoil is thick with a high carbonate content. The topsoil is sandy, poor in organic matter, deep with good permeability.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean-continental, with long, hot dry summers and mild winters. Maximum temperature in summer can reach 39ºC and minimum temperature in winter can be as low as -5ºC. Rainfall is sparse, only 300 mm per year, occurs mainly in autumn and spring, sometimes in the form of violent storms. Sunlight hours high, about 3,000 hours per year.Grapes
The authorised white varieties are: AirenAirén
Airén is a variety of Vitis vinifera, a white grape commonly used in winemaking. This grape is native to Spain where it represents about 30% of all grapes grown. As of 2004, Airén was estimated to be the world's most grown grape variety in terms of planted surface, at , although it is almost...
, Merseguera
Merseguera
Merseguera is a white Spanish wine grape variety planted primarily in the Alicante, Jumilla and Valencia regions.- Synonyms :Merseguera is also known under the synonyms Blanqueta, Blanquilla, Escanavella, Escanyagos, Escanyavella, Exquitsagos, Exquitxagos, Gayata, Gayata Blanca, Lanjaron, Lanjaron...
, Macabeo
Macabeo
Viura, also called Macabeo or Macabeu is a white variety of wine grape.It is widely grown in the Rioja region of northeastern Spain, the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona, and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France...
, Malvasia
Malvasia
Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world...
and Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
The authorised red varieties are: Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Tintorera, Tempranillo
Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano , a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks...
, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and Syrah.
External links
- http://www.winesfromspain.com
- http://www.yeclavino.com