Mallorca Wine & Food

Wine from Mallorca
It was the Roman's that really began wine making in Mallorca, passing on skills of cultivating vineyards.  In recent years though the island is establishing a real reputation for some good quality wines.

There are two very distinct vine-growing areas in Mallorca. One in the centre around the districts of Binissalem, Consell, Santa Maria, Sencelles and Santa Eugenia, producing from 111 to 141 wines which are smooth on the palate and of excellent quality. Then there is the eastern Majorca area, comprising the municipal districts of Felanitx, Porreres and Manacor, producing from 101 to 131 wines.

There are a growing number of Mallorcan wineries that are producing impressive wines from varieties of grapes largely indigenous to this Mediterranean island.

The Grapes

There are a number of Mallorcan varieties beginning to appear. Callet is a  variety indigenous to Mallorca. Its flavor is a cross between the spicy, herbal qualities of Cabernet France and a powerful Syrah. One of Mallorca’s best-known red wines, An Tinto from Anima Negra, is made mostly from Callet.

The most widely planted grape is the red Manto Negro and the white Prensal also called Moll. Others include Fogoneu and Girò Blanc. Sometimes they're blended with more familiar varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Gargollasa is a grape that was a staple of the island in the 18th Century and all but disappeared when phylloxera hit in the 1890s. Manto Negro, which is far easier to cultivate, has taken its place but some wineries are attempting to resurrect the grape. The Gargollasa looks like Pinot Noir and tastes like strawberry soda, though with a harsh tannic structure.
 

Mallorcan Cusine

Considering that Mallorca is in a Mediterranean location, it has, without question, a Mediterranean diet which is today so highly praised. Rationally, the locals consume the island produce that they cultivate that consist of fruits and vegetables and livestock ( pigs, suckling pigs, cows, and lamb).

For a relatively small island, with a population of less than a million, there is a surprising number of 1,200 restaurants in Mallorca offering cookery of all promising types. Even so, Mallorcan cuisine is not to be forgotten with dishes such as “tumbet” (a Mallorcan-style ratatouille of aubergines, potatoes and peppers in olive oil), “frit” or frit mallorqui (a fry-up of the most perishable offal with potatoes, onions and tomatoes), rabbit in onions, roast suckling pig, shoulder of lamb or fish like fried red mullet, boiled scorpion fish, or toothed bream Mallorcan style. Stuffed meats such as the famous “sobrasada” and the “botifarrones” are also offered. Paella is not a Mallorcan dish but it is far and wide obtainable.  

The cerveza (Spanish beer) are available everywhere. Sherry is always fine- dry and chilled. The coñac or Spanish brandy comes in a baffling variety of bottles and is added to coffee at any time of day.

Other local gentle drinks are freshly squeezed orange juice (zumo de naraja), the orxata (almond milk), café solo (a small shot of strong black coffee), tea, and even the manzanilla (chamomile) for those who want a relaxing feeling.