D.O. Yecla

The DO area named after the town of the same name in south-eastern Spain in the Murcia region comprises only one municipality. It belongs to the Levante. The vineyard area covers 20,000 hectares, but only 4,600 of them are approved for quality wine. The soils of clay over limestone with good water permeability lie at 400 to 700 metres above sea level. The climate here is continental, with hot summers and cold winters, as well as extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night. More than 90% of the grapes grown are red varieties. The dominant one with 85% of the vineyard area is Monastrell, followed by Garnacha Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cencibel (Tempranillo), Merlot, Tintorera (Alicante Henri Bouschet) and Syrah. The main white varieties are Merseguera, Airén, Macabeo, Malvasía (Síria) and Chardonnay. A special feature is that this area was largely spared from phylloxera, and a good part of the vineyards are still planted with autochthonous, ungrafted vines. Well-known producers are Bodegas Castaño, Bodegas La Purísima, Señorio de Barahonda and Antonio Candela e Hijos