The
Mallorcan wines ES VERGER
If there is an island
Mallorca’s wine industry
has since
native Manto Negro grapes, for Es Verger’s
want a decent wine-storage space in your
been on an upward trajectory. Today the island
multi-award-winning varietal red, Ses Marjades.
home, it is Mallorca. The past decade has seen
has more than ninety bodegas. The oldest was
In 1995, the family planted three additional
considerable growth in the number of wineries
founded in 1711 and is still in the same family.
hectares, 450 metres above sea level, producing
– many producing high-quality wines to rival
Wealthy foreigners – including the Schwarzkopf
Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc,
those of other European countries.
family, of hair-cosmetics fame – have recently
and Viognier grapes.
where you would
invested in architect-designed state-of-the-art Wine has been made in Mallorca since Roman
wineries.
times, but the number of vineyards spread
“It’s complicated in the mountains,” Rosa says, citing the disadvantage of working in narrow-
rapidly in the 19th century, when vines in
The purchaser of E5 Living’s Villa San Lorenzo
terraced vineyards. “But air is purer,” Miguel
countries including France, Italy, Portugal, and
will have the perfect excuse to explore Mallorca’s
counters. “And the temperature’s always a
Germany were destroyed by the tiny insect
many wineries: a stunning glass and wrought
beneficial five degrees lower than in the middle
phylloxera. Unaffected by the pest, Mallorca
iron, made-to-measure, LED-lit wine-storage
of Mallorca.” These climatic conditions enable
became wine supplier to the blighted countries.
facility. E5 Living has commissioned a generous
Es Verger to produce their luscious sweet Fita
In 1891, phylloxera arrived here, devastating the
supply of exclusive-label wines, from the
del Ram white wine, using Viognier grapes from
industry. Vines were ripped out and replaced by
boutique bodega Es Verger, for each of its Old
the highest vines.
almond trees, famous here for their beautiful
Town homes. The Fullana family winery nestles
blossom.
in the stunning Serra de Tramuntana mountain
Vines and winemaking returned gradually over
range, near Esporles, and is run by Miguel, his
Es Verger was one of Mallorca’s first ecological wineries. Rose bushes
daughter Rosa, and son Jaime.
growing amongst the vines are not aesthetic:
the decades, but tourism helped build today’s
“Roses detect disease before vines, giving
thriving industry: international visitors wanted
Less than thirty years after phylloxera arrived,
us an opportunity to treat the vines before
local wines. In the 1990s, winemakers stepped
Miguel’s grandfather planted vines in the
they become affected,” Miguel explains. The
up their game – planting foreign varieties of
winemaking area Santa Maria. Miguel and his
permitted ecological vine treatments they use
grapevines and investing in stainless-steel
family still tend these century-old vines. The
are neem oil, copper, and small quantities of
tanks and oak barrels.
four hectares produce low-yield high-quality
sulphur. “The start of the season is the most
54
