Tharsys

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The site sits at 690 m above sea level and is sheltered to the north by the Sierra de Juan Navarro, which rises to 1,200 m, close to the floodplain of the Magro river.
• The soil is classified as a Calcaric Fluvisol mapping unit with inclusions of Calcaric Regosol, developed over Quaternary alluvial deposits on slopes of between 1% and 2%.
• The dominant geological section is Pontian in age, belonging to the Miocene, and consists of lacustrine limestones formed by a lake that existed during that geological epoch some 23 million years ago.
• The climate is continental with a slight Mediterranean influence, with mean annual rainfall of around 430 mm and more than 3,000 sunshine hours per year.
• Summer daytime temperatures can reach 33 °C while night-time temperatures drop to 12 °C, favouring vine cooling and grape ripening.
• The vineyard is oriented north–south, perpendicular to the prevailing east-to-west winds, which promotes airflow through the vines and helps prevent spring frosts.

• In 1808, recognising the quality of the fruit from this site, Doña Nicolasa Nuévalos and her husband built a semi-underground winery carved into the limestone, with six stone fermentation vessels (trullos) capable of producing 70,000 litres of wine.
• The name Tharsys has been used since the sixteenth century to designate these vineyard lands; the winery remained in operation until 1950, producing wines prized for their quality and longevity, until a restoration project in 1998 revived vine cultivation on the site and rehabilitated the winery, with organic-farming certification for the entire vineyard obtained in 2015.

• The red wines show medium colour depth and high stability over time, while the whites, rosés, and quality sparkling wines display pale hues of low intensity and equally high stability.
• The still wines and quality sparkling wines show high aromatic and flavour intensity, with mineral notes and floral and herbaceous aromas in the reds as well as the rosés and whites.
• All wines — reds, whites, rosés, and quality sparkling wines — have medium-to-high acidity and medium structure and body, making them fine and elegant, as well as being of long longevity.

• The orientation of the vineyard perpendicular to the prevailing winds encourages airflow around the grapes and reduces the risk of fungal disease, while the moderating effect of woodland mass and the lake produces slow ripening with a well-balanced polyphenolic profile.
• The calcareous nature of the soils — loose, permeable, and cool — contributes to wines of medium body, low-to-medium colour depth, suppleness, balance, and elegance.

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 PDO-ES-02980
• Official trade body site — Pago de Tharsys