Utiel Requena is a Spanish

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...

 Denominación de Origen

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 province of Valencia

Valencia (province)

Valencia or València is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Community.It is bordered by the provinces of Alicante, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Castellón, and the Mediterranean Sea...

 (Valencian Community

Valencian Community

The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...

). It takes its name from the two neighbouring towns of Utiel

Utiel

Utiel is a municipality in the comarca of Requena-Utiel in the Valencian Community, Spain.The Shrine of El Remedio is located on top of the Sierra de Utiel range, near Utiel.-External links:*...

 and Requena

Requena

Requena may refer to:*Peru** Requena, Loreto, a town and capital of the Requena Province in the Loreto Region*Spain** Requena, Valencia, a town in the Valencian Community** Utiel-Requena wine producing region in the Valencian Community...

. It is renowned for the predominant use of the Bobal

Bobal

Bobal is a variety of Vitis Vinifera, a red grape used in winemaking. It is native to the Utiel-Requena region in Valencia, Spain. The name derives from the Latin bovale, in reference to the shape of a bull’s head....

 grape variety.

History

Archaeological finds in ancient Iberian

Iberians

The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...

 settlements such as the one at Villares show that grape growing and wine production in the area dates from at least the 7th century BC.

In the 1st century BC, the ancient Romans, after defeating the Carthaginians, settled the area and introduced new wine making techniques.

During the Moorish dominion of the Iberian Peninsula

Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...

, wine production was tolerated, even though it was forbidden by the Koran.

The first written references to vineyards and wine date from the 15th century. During the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, population and the areas under vineyards increased, and some distilleries are known to have operated.

The 19th century was the golden age for the Utiel-Requena area as the number of vineyards increased even more. In 1847, communications with the port of Valencia were improved and in 1887 a railway line connected Utiel with Valencia. The renowned Bodega Redonda (Redonda Winery) dates from this time, strategically located next to the railway station in Utiel, and today is the seat of the Utiel-Requena DO Regulatory Council (Consejo Regulador).

Exports were significant as the French vineyards were affected by oidium

Oidium

This article is about a type of fungal spore. For the ascomycete genus, see Oidium . For the fungus that causes powdery mildew on grapes, see Uncinula necator....

 during the decade 1852 to 1862, and then were struck by the phylloxera

Phylloxera

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...

 virus from 1868 onwards along with the rest of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. The vineyards of Utiel-Requena escaped the devastating effects of the phylloxera virus because they were planted with the Bobal grape variety, which is more resistant to it than other varieties. This gave producers the chance to replace their vines by grafting varietals onto New World

World

World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....

 rootstock

Rootstock

A rootstock is a plant, and sometimes just the stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant. The tree part being grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion...

.

In 1965 the first cooperative was founded with the purpose of bottling and aging wines. There are currently over 100 wineries registered with the DO, which was created in 1957.

Geography

The DO is located in the transition zone between the Mediterranean coast and high plateau (La Mancha

La 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...

) of Central Spain. The whole area slopes down slightly from northwest to southeast. The vineyards are located between two rivers: the Turia

Turia

Turia can refer to:*Turia , a river in southeastern Spain*Turía , a small river in northern Spain*Turía , a small Web development company in india*Turia Valley, a valley in northern Spain...

 and the Cabriel

Cabriel

Cabriel or Cabriol is a tributary of Júcar River.It has its source in the Montes Universales.- External links :...

.

Soils

The soils are dark in colour with a high lime content, permeable and poor in organic matter.

Climate

The climate is not only continental (long hot, dry summers and cold winters) but one of the most severe of all the Spanish grape growing regions. Frosts and hailstones are frequent in winter and drought common in summer. Temperatures can reach a maximum of 40°C in summer and drop to a minimum of -10°C in winter. Nevertheless, the vines are well adapted to such a climate and there is a Mediterranean influence due to the closeness of the sea (only 70 km as the crow flies) and the cool wind, known as the Solano, helps to keep temperatures down.

Rainfall is sparse, about 450 mm per year and the vines receive about 2,800 hours of sunlight per year.

Grapes

The Bobal

Bobal

Bobal is a variety of Vitis Vinifera, a red grape used in winemaking. It is native to the Utiel-Requena region in Valencia, Spain. The name derives from the Latin bovale, in reference to the shape of a bull’s head....

 grape variety occupies over 75% of the vineyards. Planting density is between 1,600 vines/ha and the maximum of 4,00 vines/ha.

The authorized red varieties are: Bobal, 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...

, 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...

, 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...

, 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 Syrah, while the authorized white varieties are: Planta Nova (or Tardana), 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...

, 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...

, 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...

 and Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...

.

External links

• http://www.winesfromspain.com
• http://www.utielrequena.org