Pla i Llevant is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) (''Denominació d'Origen Protegida'' in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...

) for wines located on the island of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, Balearic Islands, Spain. The name in the Catalan or Majorcan language means "plain and east coast."

History

Grape growing and wine production was introduced to the island by the ancient Romans in the year 121 BC when Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius took possession of the island for Rome. Pliny the Elder mentioned the wines of Majorca in his writings in the 1st century AD. During the centuries of

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

dominion, grape growing and wine production did not disappear despite the prohibitions of the Koran, as when King

Jaume I James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 127 ...

conquered the island in 1230, he was offered top quality wine as a peace offering. Before the arrival of the

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...

plague at the end of the 19th century, there were about under vines in Majorca and exports were 300,000 hl (8,000,000 gallons) of wine per year. After the devastation of the virus however, most of the vineyards were replaced by

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

trees. In the late 20th century, there was a revival of the wine industry due to the demand for quality wine by tourists. In 1991 the area was classified as ''Vinos de la Tierra'', and, in 2001, were upgraded to DO status.

Geography

The vineyards are located in the areas known as

Felanitx Felanitx or Felanich is a municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, located in the southeast of Majorca, 48 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital Palma de Mallorca. The town, dating back to the 13th century, l ...

and Manacor which cover the central and eastern part of the island. They are at a rather low altitude, around above sea level.

Soils

The soils are quite fertile, have a high clay and limestone content and are on lime-bearing rocks (

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

and dolomite). The drainage is good and allows deep penetration of the roots. The soils are generally either red in colour due to the presence of

iron oxide Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. All are black magnetic solids. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of whic ...

, or white due to the clays, calcium carbonate and magnesium.

Climate

The climate is maritime Mediterranean, with long dry hot summers and short mild winters. In winter a strong wind is characteristic, especially on the plains, while there is not much risk of frosts or fog. The average annual rainfall is , falling mainly in autumn is the form of violent storms.

Authorised Grape Varieties

The authorised grape varieties are: * Red:

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' ...

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 ...

, Fogoneu,

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. Tod ...

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 ...

, Monastrell,

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.' ...

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, and Gorgollassa * White:

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, Moscatel de Alejandría, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Parellada, Prensal Blanc, Riesling,

Giró Ros Giro or GIRO may refer to: Banking and Investments * Giro (banking), a direct payment from one bank account to another instigated by the payer * Girobank, a state owned and later privatised financial institution in the UK * GiroBank, a Danish ...

, and

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...

The older vines are usually planted as low bushes (''en vaso'') whereas the newly planted vines are usually on trellises (''en espaldera''). The planting density is between 2,500 and 5,000 vines/ha (1,000 to 2,000 vines/acre).

References

External links

D.O.P. Binissalem official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pla I Llevant (Do) Wine regions of Spain Appellations Wine classification Culture of Mallorca Balearic cuisine