Illes Balears is a Spanish geographical indication for Vino de la Tierra wines located in the autonomous region of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. ''Vino de la Tierra'' is one step below the mainstream Denominación de Origen indication on the Spanish wine quality ladder. The area covered by this geographical indication comprises all the municipalities of the Balearic Islands. There are currently about 300 hectares of vineyards and 37 wineries (''bodegas'') registered with the Regulatory Council. It acquired its ''Vino de la Tierra'' status in 2003.

History

The Romans were the first to import the vineyard and develop its cultivation in the Balearic Islands. As early as the 1st century BC, Pliny the Elder spoke of Balearic wines by comparing them with the best wines in Italy. During the Arab domination, and in spite of the Koranic prohibitions, the cultivation of the vine that continued to be cultivated did not disappear, even with the sophisticated irrigation systems invented by the Arabs. Proof of this was that the Arab Beni Abet offered King James I, when he conquered the island in 1229, grapes of excellent quality. In the fourteenth century, the king and the chapter of the cathedral had their own wineries in Inca, and during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the cultivation of the vineyard employed almost all the inhabitants of Inca and its surroundings. During the eighteenth century the vineyard enjoyed a period of prosperity, going from a production of 88,000 hl in 1777 to 335,331 hl in 1802. Between 1830 and 1834 there was a sharp decline due to the difficult economic conditions and the aphid plague.

Grape varieties

* White:

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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 French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

Giró blanc Giró blanc is a pink-skinned Spanish wine grape variety grown in the Balearic islands where it used in white wines produced under the Illes Balears appellation. Ampelographers believe that the grape is indigenous to Majorca with DNA profiling show ...

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. Spanish ...

Malvasía Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world ...

Moscatel de Alejandria Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of ''Vitis vinifera''. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines still in existence.J. Robi ...

Moscatel de Grano Menudo Muscatel ( ) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became popu ...

, Parellada, Riesling and

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

* Red:

Callet Callet is a surname of French origin. Notable persons with the surname include: * Antoine-François Callet (1741–1823), French artist * Félix-Emmanuel Callet (1791–1854), French architect * Jean-François Callet (1744–1798), French mathem ...

Manto negro Manto negro is a red Spanish wine grape variety grown on the Balearic islands. It is used in wines produced under the Binissalem-Mallorca and Plà i Llevant (DO) '' Denominación de Origen'' (DO)s, as well as the Illes Balears appellations. T ...

, Fogoneu, Monastrell,

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 Lebanon' ...

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 ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

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 B ...

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais 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 its ...

and

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

References

External links

Vino de la tierra de Formentera
Página del Institut de Qualitat Agroalimentaria de las Islas Baleares {{Spanish wine regions Wine regions of Spain Appellations Balearic cuisine