At this time of year, all the local wineries release most of their new vintages. The young 2021 wines have all been fermented, stabilized, filtered, and bottled, and can now be served or enjoyed at your table.
I say all of this lightly, but a lot took place this past year for your wine to be at its drinking stage now. Wine producers in Mallorca have an even more challenging time preparing everything in readiness for the summer season.
It should also be noted that the 2020 vintage was not a great one for Mallorca, as most wineries lost large amounts of grapes due to mildew and oidium. A lot of the inventory that normally gets drunk on the island was sold abroad due to the pandemic, so there was a lot of out-of-stock wine before the end of the year. In addition, finding bottles, boxes, or labels this year has been extremely challenging, and as a consequence prices have soared. Nevertheless, we can now start drinking all of those wines we love.
The constant improvement in quality, the addition of new wineries, and the incorporation of new grape varieties make the Mallorca wine map very dynamic. As the market continues to flood with new products, we have been working hard to keep up with all of the latest developments!
So for this year, here are some of our favourites from all four corners of Mallorca:
At the very centre of the island, near Llubí, you'll find a new project called ‘Los Dos Caballeros’. This new winery features its vines and two agroturismo houses. They produce, in our humble opinion, the best Sauvignon Blanc in Mallorca. The taste of this wine is fresh and crisp with a cracking acidity, which is hard to achieve when the climate is so warm here. Furthermore, they produce a fantastic pale rosé using Garnacha grapes. They are only in their first year of selling wine and they have already sold out of their white wine. It will be interesting to watch their progress in the coming years.
I‘m pretty sure we have mentioned Ribas in previous articles, but it is impossible not to do it again. Their constant improvements and innovations make them a reference winery on the island. Their Ribas Rosé is again some of the best in Mallorca. And they have also created a new rosé called Sío Rosat. This is a single variety using Gorgollasa and is quite simply delicious. However, only 600 bottles have been produced, so do get your hands on a bottle now or potentially regret it forever! In addition, the inclusion of the Giró Ros grapes in their Blanc wine is a massive improvement.
Another young, small producer with a keen eye on the future of wine in Mallorca is Joan Gutierrez of Dunord Viticola in Pollença. His new Insomni Blanc 2021 has all the ingredients to be a highlight this summer. This is a great wine to enjoy with or without food. Joan also produces red wine and his Curolla red seems to evolve better with the inclusion of used barrels. His new Selvatic red wine uses grapes that are harvested from a vineyard planted next to an old coal mine. This wine shows you how to make perfect use of the Syrah grape, producing a fruity and fluid wine, with a clear Mediterranean character.
This past winter, we went to visit Pep from Soca-Rel. He calls his garage a micro-winery because it is as small as they come. It contains just a few small vats, a tiny room to store bottles and other tools, and a table with some glasses for tasting. Nothing more, nothing less. Pep has created a unique tool to make sure his wines ferment the way he wants. Using Mantonegro and Escursac, he produces some of the cleanest wines we have tasted. He also experiments with other grape varieties, but the real connection is with local ones. If you find one of the few bottles he produces, you are a lucky person as most of his wines go to the top restaurants on the island.
We can't hide the fact that we enjoy the wines made by 7103 Petit Celler. Their connection to Mallorca, their authenticity, and their constant innovation make Sebastia and Pep one of our best-selling local winemakers. This year's surprise came in the form of a Giró Ros. Unlike most other Giró Ros wines we have tried before, this one has not been aged in barrel or sur lie. The wine has had a short stay in a stainless steel vat to make sure all the fruit flavours and aromas are retained. They have done it again!! This Giró Ros is fresh, fluid, fragrant and full of finesse.
Finally, we have to mention two different wines from two different wineries on the island. Both are located close to the Tramuntana Mountains and both have created a new red wine using the local grape variety Callet.
The Callet wine from Son Puig is a medium-bodied red that is a symphony of flowers and red fruits. It is a very playful and elegant red wine.
The other Callet wine comes from a relatively new project called ‘Ses Rotes’, near Esporles. The project incorporates the owners’ love of wine and horses and covers a huge area. Their Callet wine is the perfect example of a light summer red. It is light in colour and body, with subtle flavours of red fruit and a beautiful sheen. I can imagine this wine slightly chilled with some grilled tuna.
We hope this small guide gives you some inspiration to try some local wines this year, steering away from the usual offerings of Verdejo, Albariño, Rioja, and Ribera. Salud!!
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