Comunitat Valenciana

Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian Community) is an autonomous community of Spain located on the Mediterranean coast. It borders Catalonia to the north, Aragon and Castile-La Mancha to the west, and the region of Murcia to the south, with which it forms the Levante landscape. The Valenciana region includes the three provinces of Alicante (Alacant in Valencian), Castellón and València. The capital of the community is the city of València. This port city was already an important transhipment point for wine in Roman times. The Roman poet Juvenal (1st century) mentions a wine from Sagunt in his satires. Likewise, the scholar Arnaldus de Villanova (1240-1311) mentions wines from Valencia. But the distillation of wine, mastered here, was also famous in the Middle Ages. Even at the time of the Muslim occupation of Spain between the 8th and 13th centuries, this was tolerated despite the ban on alcohol, and wine spirits from Denia, Sagunt and València were a sought-after commodity throughout Europe at the time. Rice, tropical fruits and exotic vegetables thrive in the alluvial plain around the city of València. The area is one of the most productive agricultural landscapes in Europe.

In the Valencia region there are three DO areas: Alicante, Utiel-Requena and Valencia. The huge Valencia area covers 17,355 hectares of vineyards and is divided into three sub-areas. These are the highest and most mountainous area Alto Turia in the northeast with an average altitude of 625 metres above sea level and 6 municipalities, the sub-area Clariano in the south at the border to Alicante with 32 municipalities and the largest area Valentino with 29 municipalities. The Valentino area includes the Moscatel de Valencia area as an enclave. The soils in the three sub-areas are quite similar, being brown calcareous soils. The Mediterranean to continental climate is characterised by heavy storms and cloudbursts in summer and autumn. However, artificial irrigation must still be used in some cases.

The three or four sub-areas are home to slightly different grape varieties, the Moscatel varieties, for example, exclusively in the Moscatel de Valencia area. Important white wine varieties are Forcayat (Forcallat Blanca), Merseguera, Moscatel Romano (Muscat d'Alexandrie), Macabeo, Malvasía (Planta Nova), Planta Fina (Damaschino), Pedro Ximénez, Tortosina, Verdil, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Moscatel de Hungría (Muscat Blanc). Important red wine varieties are Monastrell, Bobal, Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Henri Bouschet), Forcallat Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The wines may be blended with those of the Utiel-Requena DO area (and vice versa).