Alicante is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) () for wines located in the province of

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

(

Autonomous Community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

). There are two separate and distinct sub-zones:

Vinalopó The Vinalopó is a small river flowing through the Province of Alicante, Alicante province, of Spain. It flows from north to south and, with a length of 81 km., it is the longest of the rivers which flows for its entire length within the l ...

, which extends along the banks of the River Vinalopó in the southern area of the province, where the Monastrell grape variety and red wine production are predominant; and the smaller and newer sub-zone known as La Marina, along the coast in the northern area of the province, where the

Moscatel Muscatel ( ) may refer to any type of wine made from muscat grapes. In the United States, however, “muscatel” normally refers only to fortified wine made from these grapes. Fortified muscatel became popular in the United States at the end o ...

grape variety and white wine production are predominant. Alicante is most renowned for producing a traditional sweet dessert wine known as Fondillón, made from overripe grapes.

History

Alicante has a long history of grape growing and wine production, which was probably introduced by the

ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...

. The Golden Age of Alicante wines was during the 16th and 17th centuries, when they were imported to northern Europe by English, Swedish and Flemish merchants. In 1510 a royal decree prohibited the importation of wine into the province of Alicante while local wine was produced there. The town of Monòver was internationally renowned in the 16th century for its Fondillón wine.

Soils

The soils are mainly dark lime bearing soils on subsoils of sedimentary rock. By the Vinalopó banks, they are quite loose and sandy with almost no organic material present.

Climate

The climate in the coastal Marina sub-zone is

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, while the climate in the Vinalopó subzone starts off Mediterranean becoming progressively more

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

further inland. In La Marina maximum temperatures in summer are around 30°C and the average minimum in winter is around 13°C, with occasional frost. In the Vinalopó, highs in summer are around 35°C and lows in winter around 5°C, with frequent frost. Rainfall is slightly above 500 mm/year in La Marina but scarce in the Vinalopó, only at around 300 mm/year.

Grapes

As in other grape growing regions in Valencia region, Monastrell is the predominant variety, though Garnacha and Merseguera are also present. Due to the heat in summer the vines are planted as low bushes (''en vaso''). The authorized grape varieties are: * Red: Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera / Alicante Bouschet, Garnacha Tinta / Gironet, Bobal,

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 Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

Pinot Noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del País in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in it ...

. * White: Moscatel de Alejandría, Airén, Subirat Parent / Malvasía,

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

, Macabeo, Merseguera, Planta Fina de Pedralba,

Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

, Verdil.

References

External links

D.O.P. Alicante official website
{{coord, 38, 44, 13, N, 0, 16, 28.76, W, source:cawiki_region:ES-VC_type:landmark, display=title Wine regions of Spain