Bullas is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the region of

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

(

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 ...

) and covers the territories of eight different municipalities, including Caravaca de la Cruz,

Moratalla Moratalla is a small town and the center of a large municipality of the same name in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia in southeastern Spain. In 2018, the population of Moratalla was 7,944: some 5,600 in the town of Moratalla itsel ...

and

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 ...

itself. The region is renowned for its young reds and rosés made from the Monastrell grape variety.

History

The town of

has existed since the times of the

ancient Romans In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 ...

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

, the regional capital, and the mountains in the west that form the frontier with

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

. The landscape is rugged and slopes upwards from south to north. It comprises numerous small valleys with individual

microclimates A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squa ...

. 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 DOP 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 above sea level. It includes the municipalities of Caravaca de la Cruz, Moratalla and part of Lorca. The main grape varieties used in this sub-zone are Monastrell and

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 ...

Central

The Central sub-zone covers 40% of the DOP, is at an altitude of between above sea level and includes the municipalities of Mula,

and

Cehegín Cehegín () is a town and municipality in the Comarca del Noroeste of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, Spain, situated some 66 km from the city of Murcia. It has a population of approximately 16,248 with 8227 males and 8021 ...

Northeast

The Northeast sub-zone, the smallest of the three, covering only 8% of the DOP includes the municipalities of

Calasparra Calasparra () is a municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain. It shares borders with Cieza, Mula, Cehegín, Moratalla and province of Albacete. History There were people living in Calasparra during the Bronze and Iron Ages. T ...

Ricote Ricote is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 1,509 (2004) and an area of 87.7 km2. Ricote had a community of Moriscos until their expulsion from Spain in 1609. Govert Westerveld Westerveld ...

, Bullas and Mula.

Climate

The climate in Bullas DOP is characterised by its very hot summers, though not as hot as the other DOPs in Murcia. There are occasional freezing winds from the mountains and frosts are common between the months of October and April. The average temperature is 16 °C with maximums of 39 °C in summer and minimums of -4 °C 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. * Red grape varieties: Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon,

Garnacha Tinta Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditio ...

, Syrah,

, Merlot,

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, ...

. * White grape varieties:

Airén Airén is a variety of ''Vitis vinifera'', a white grape commonly used in winemaking. This grape is native to Spain where it represents almost a quarter of all grapes grown. As of 2010, Airén was estimated to be the world's 3rd most grown grape ...

, Chardonnay,

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 Alejandría 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 ...

, Sauvignon Blanc,

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 ...

References

External links

D.O. Bullas official website
{{Spanish wine regions Wine regions of Spain