Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Serra de Tramuntana is a mountainous enclave at the sea's edge, with peaks exceeding 1,000 m and valleys nestled between them.
• The soils used for viticulture are predominantly calcareous in origin, with very high carbonate levels averaging 56.2%, and a silty clay-loam texture.
• Soil pH is alkaline, with values reaching as high as 8.6, and the average organic matter content is 1.6%.
• The climate is meso-Mediterranean sub-humid to humid, with mean annual rainfall of 1,500 mm in the higher parts of the sierra and a mean annual temperature of 16.6 °C.
• The Serra de Tramuntana is dominated by near-impassable sea-facing escarpments and gentler south-facing slopes, a topography that determines the cultivation of the vineyard on terraces.
• Surface hydrology is characterised by an almost complete absence of permanent watercourses, owing to the precipitation regime and the permeability of the rocks.

• In the fourteenth century, King Martí I exempted wine production in Alcudia from taxation, making the vine the dominant crop of the municipality and launching the maritime trade of its wines. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• In the nineteenth century, more than 400 hectares of vines were recorded in the municipality of Pollença alone, during the peak period of viticulture in the Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord.
• In 1862, France imported large volumes of wine from the Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord, spurring a significant expansion of the vineyard, with exports shipped through the ports of Alcúdia and Palma.
• Between 1999 and 2005, a recovery programme was carried out to select virus-free Malvasia clones with strong agronomic and oenological characteristics.
• A large proportion of the vines are grown on terraces known locally as marjades, owing to the rugged terrain, and all vineyard work must therefore be carried out by hand.

• The wine is characterised by clean varietal aromas, depth of colour, body, and balance, with a notably high alcoholic strength as a defining feature of its composition.

• The high carbonate concentration of the soils produces musts with an acidic pH that promotes anthocyanin extraction, yielding a wine of deep red colour with a powerful and expansive nose.
• High sunshine hours and elevated mean temperatures offset the moderating effect of moderate rainfall on alcoholic strength, resulting in wines with an optimal actual alcoholic strength despite the comparatively high precipitation.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-ES-A0103
• Official trade body site — IQUA — Vi de la Terra Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord