Bullas (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 in 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 covers the territories of eight different municipalities, including Caravaca de la Cruz
Caravaca de la Cruz
Caravaca de la Cruz is a town and municipality of southeastern Spain in the province of Murcia, near the left bank of the River Argos, a tributary of the Segura. This city is the capital of the northwest Region of Murcia. It has a population of 26,449 as of 2010...
, Moratalla and Bullas
Bullas
Bullas is a municipality and town in the Region of Murcia, southeast Spain, located 53 km from the provincial capital, Murcia. it is the highest municipality in the Region of Murcia after Moratalla.The surrounding area is noted for the production of wine....
itself. The region is renowned for its young reds and rosés made form the Monastrell grape variety.
History
The town of BullasBullas
Bullas is a municipality and town in the Region of Murcia, southeast Spain, located 53 km from the provincial capital, Murcia. it is the highest municipality in the Region of Murcia after Moratalla.The surrounding area is noted for the production of wine....
has existed since the times of the ancient Romans and grew during the centuries of Moorish dominion of the Iberian Peninsula. After its reconquest by Christian forces in the 13th century its prosperity increased due to agriculture and wine production.
The region used to produce wine in bulk until the 1980s when private wineries began to invest in the equipment and technology required for the production of bottled and labelled quality wine. It acquired official DO status in 1994.
Geography
Bullas is located halfway between the city of MurciaMurcia
-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...
, the regional capital, and the mountains in the west that form the frontier with Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
. The landscape is rugged and slopes upwards from south to north. It comprises numerous small valleys with individual microclimates.
The soils on the slopes are brown and so hard that they have to be broken mechanically before vines can be planted. They are lime bearing and have a top crust, poor in organic matter, and have good drainage.
The DO is divided into 3 sub-zones, each one of which has a distinct identity and produces characteristic wines.
Northwest
The Northwest sub-zone is the most important one in terms of area (52%), number of wineries and quality of the wine. It is located in the foothills of the mountains at altitudes between 500m and 800m above sea level. It includes the municipalities of Caravaca de la Cruz, Moratalla and part of LorcaLorca
Lorca is a municipality and town in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain, 36 miles southwest of the city of Murcia. It had a population of 92,694 in 2010, up from the 2001 census total of 77,477. Lorca is the municipality with the second-largest surface area in Spain with...
. The main grape varieties used in this sub-zone are Monastrell and 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...
.
Central
The Central sub-zone covers 40% of the DO, is at an altitude of between 500 m and 600 m above sea level and includes the municipalities of MulaMula, Spain
Mula is a municipality in the center of the autonomous community of Region of Murcia in southeastern Spain, with nearly 17,076 inhabitants . It is best-known for the tamboradas held during the Holy Week...
, Bullas
Bullas
Bullas is a municipality and town in the Region of Murcia, southeast Spain, located 53 km from the provincial capital, Murcia. it is the highest municipality in the Region of Murcia after Moratalla.The surrounding area is noted for the production of wine....
and Cehegín
Cehegín
Cehegín is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Murcia, Spain, situated some 66 km from the city of Murcia. It has a population of approximately 16,200 . It is crossed by the rivers Argos and Quipar....
.
Northeast
The Northeast sub-zone, the smallest of the three, covering only 8% of the DO includes the municipalities of CalasparraCalasparra
Calasparra is a municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain.- Geography :Calasparra has an area of 193 km² and a population of 9,700 . Between 2004 and 2006 more than 2,000 British immigrants bought new homes off-plan, built on 3 new urbanisations sateliting the town, with more...
, Ricote
Ricote
Ricote is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 1,509 and an area of 87.7 km² .-References:This article contains information from the Spanish Wikipedia article Ricote, accessed on January 10, 2008....
, Bullas and Mula.
Climate
The climate in Bullas DO is characterised by its very hot summers, though not as hot as the other DOs in Murcia. There are occasional freezing winds from the mountains and frosts are common between the moths of October and April. The average temperature is 16ºC with maximums of 39ºC in summer and minimums of -4ºC in winter. There are also occasional violent storms in September and October.Grapes
The main grape variety planted is Monastrell which represents over 80% of all grapes planted.The only authorised red variety is Monastrell, but 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...
, 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...
, Syrah, 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...
and Garnacha
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
are also permitted.
The only authorised white variety is 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...
, but Airén
Airén
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...
is also permitted.