Manchuela
Manchuela or La Manchuela ("lesser La Mancha") is a ''comarca'' located in Castile-La Mancha and Valencian Community, Spain.
Historical comarca
The historical Manchuela comarca included the municipalities of Tarazona de la Mancha and Villa ...
comarca, in the east of the provinces of
Albacete
Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete.
Lying in the south-ea ...
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 ...
) between the valleys of the Rivers
Júcar
left
The Júcar () or Xúquer () is a river on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. The river runs for approximately 509 km from its source at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, on the eastern flank of the Montes Universales, Sistema Ibérico. Its most i ...
and
Cabriel
Cabriel () or Cabriol () is a tributary of the Júcar River in the province of Albacete, Spain. It has its source in the Montes Universales.
See also
* List of rivers of Spain
This is an incomplete list of rivers that are at least partially i ...
. It was originally part of a much larger La Mancha DOP and became a separate DOP in 2004. It is surrounded on three sides by other DOPs: La Mancha to the west,
Utiel-Requena
Utiel Requena is a Spanish Denominación de Origen, Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the province of Valencia (province), Valencia (Valencian Community). It takes its name from the two neighbouring towns of Utiel and Re ...
to the east and
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 municip ...
to the south.
History
La Manchuela DOP is the seventh DOP to be created in the region of Castile-La Mancha. It includes over seventy municipalities, including Albacete itself and
Motilla del Palancar
Motilla del Palancar is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Province of Cuenca, Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 5,224.
Notable people
* José Luis Olivas, Spanish politician of the People's Party. He was named ...
in Cuenca.
Climate
The climate is continental (long hot dry summers, cold winters) influenced by the nocturnal moisture bearing winds from the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
, which help keep the mean annual temperature down to 25°C. Temperatures in winter rarely fall low enough to cause frost. Humidity is very low and virtually no rainfall between the months of May and September.
Soil
The soil is lime-bearing clay and the vineyards are at an altitude of 600 – 700 m above sea level. There are two large reservoirs just to the north of the area which are used for irrigation of the vines.
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 ...
,
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, ...
Frasco
Frasco is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of Vogorno, Sonogno, Corippo, Brione (Verzasca) and Frasco merged to form the new municipality of ...
,
Graciano
Graciano is a Spanish red wine grape that is grown primarily in Rioja. The vine produces a low yield that are normally harvested in late October. The wine produced is characterized by its deep red color, strong aroma and ability to age wel ...
,
Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
,
Mazuelo
Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterra ...
Albillo
Albillo or Albillo Real is a white Spanish wine grape varietyAlbillo Real ,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 pop ...
,
Pardillo
Pardillo is a white Spanish wine grape planted primarily in western Spain. Varietal
A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The Amer ...
,
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 ...
,
Verdejo
Verdejo is a variety of wine grape that has long been grown in the Rueda region of Spain. The grape originated in North Africa, and was spread to Rueda in about the 11th Century, possibly by Mozarabs. Verdejo was generally used to make a strongl ...