Yecla is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located around the town of

Yecla Yecla () is a town and municipality in eastern Spain with 35243 people registered, in the extreme north of the autonomous community of Murcia, located 96 km from the capital of the region, Murcia. Toponymy The origin of the term Yecla comes fr ...

in the northernmost corner of the region of

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

(

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) and is surrounded by other DOPs:

Jumilla Jumilla () is a town and a municipality in southeastern Spain. It is located in the north east of the Region of Murcia, close to the towns of Cieza and Yecla. According to the 2018 census, the town population was 25,547. Geography The munic ...

to the south and west,

Almansa Almansa () is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Albacete, part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The name "Almansa" stems from the Arabic (al-manṣaf), "half way of the road". The municipality borders with Al ...

to the north and

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 ...

to the east. The area is notable for its extensive use of the red Monastrell grape variety, and it is traditionally known as the home of Monastrell in Spain. Monastrell is the fourth most planted red grape variety in Spain. The international market makes up 92% of the DOP's wine sales, making it the Spanish wine DOP with the highest proportion of international exports.

History

Findings from archaeological excavations in the area have confirmed that grape growing and wine production has been practiced in this area for over 2000 years and 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 ...

. 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

Great French Wine Blight The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an insect that originated in North America and was carried across the At ...

. Official DO status was acquired in 1975.

Geography

The vineyards covered by Yecla DOP are located in a transition zone between the Mediterranean and the central upland plateaux known as

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...

, at altitudes ranging from above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The soil is

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

bearing, and the

subsoil Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus. The su ...

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 cold winters. Maximum temperature in summer can reach 39 °C and minimum temperature in winter can be as low as -10 °C. Rainfall is sparse, 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 varieties are: * Red: Monastrell,

Garnacha tinta Grenache (; ) or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry condit ...

, Garnacha Tintorera,

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. * White:

Airén Airén is a variety of ''Vitis vinifera'', a white grape commonly used in winemaking. This grape is native to Spain where it represents almost a quarter of all grapes grown. As of 2017, Airén was estimated to be the world's fourth most grown wi ...

Merseguera Merseguera is a white Spanish wine grape variety planted primarily in the Alicante, Jumilla and Valencia regions. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 113 Abbeville Press 2003 Synonyms Merseguera is also known unde ...

Macabeo Macabeo, also called Viura 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. Spanis ...

, Moscatel de Grano Menudo,

Malvasía Malvasia (), also known as Malvazia, is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. In the past, the names Malvasia, Malvazia, ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

References

External links

D.O. Utiel Requena official website
{{portal bar, Drink Wine regions of Spain