Wine growing in Mallorca

Varieties such as Amina Negra are so top-class that they win international awards. Mallorca has established itself as a wine-growing country. This was not always the case. Although wine has been grown here for centuries, for a long time the wines were not of particular importance. King Jaume finally succeeded in boosting Mallorca’s viticulture under his rule in the early 13th century. By the 15th century, the island’s wines also achieved international recognition. When phylloxera destroyed the famous French vineyards in the 19th century, Mallorca’s great hour struck: for some time its wines were in demand as never before. Then, in 1891, the phylloxera plague reached Mallorca and the vineyards were destroyed.

Instead of vines, almond and olive trees were planted and viticulture in Mallorca was largely forgotten – except for a few bodegas that pressed mainly for their own needs. It was only with the increase in tourism in the 1960s that viticulture on the Balearic island gradually grew again, although no longer to such a historic extent as in its heyday in the 19th century.

Class instead of mass – according to this motto, Mallorca’s wines achieved a new reputation. Ambitious winemakers set themselves the goal of creating quality wines. And until today you can find these excellent and internationally demanded wines in Mallorca. As the first recognized wine region Binissalem received a quality predicate and since then is considered the center of viticulture. But not only wines from Binissalem may be labeled D.O. (Denominación de Origen) be distinguished. Other recognized wine regions with protected designation of origin and quality are Pla i Llevant and Serra de Tramuntana – Costa Nord. The wines of Menorca and Ibiza includes the quality designation “Rural Wines Illes Balears”.

Today, on a total cultivated area of about 2300 hectares, 45000 hectoliters of Mallorcan wine are produced annually. The main part is made up of red wines with 80%. A well-known Mallorcan grape variety is for example the Malvasiertraube. Local grape varieties such as the Mantonegro are usually mixed with international top varieties. In this way, Mallorcan winemakers increase the quality of their wines and ensure demand outside the country’s borders.

Wineries in Mallorca

There are numerous events around Mallorca’s wines in Mallorca

From wine tasting directly at the winery to driving along the wine route to Binissalem – stopping at selected wineries, of course – you can taste the local wines practically everywhere on the island. Restaurants usually also serve a good, inexpensive wine of the house as a table wine. If you are on the island in September, just in time for the wine harvest, you should pay a visit to Binissalem. At the peak season of the grape harvest are celebrated in many places exuberant wine festivals and until late at night is drunk, sung and danced.