Pla i Llevant is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) (Denominació d'Origen Protegida in Catalan) for wines located on the island of Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain. The name in the Catalan or Majorcan language means "plain and east coast."
Grape growing and wine production was introduced to the island by the ancient Romans in the year 121 BC when Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius took possession of the island for Rome. Pliny the Elder mentioned the wines of Majorca in his writings in the 1st century AD.
During the centuries of Moorish dominion, grape growing and wine production did not disappear despite the prohibitions of the Koran, as when King Jaume I conquered the island in 1230, he was offered top quality wine as a peace offering.
Before the arrival of the phylloxera plague at the end of the 19th century, there were about 27,000 hectares (67,000 acres) under vines in Majorca and exports were 300,000 hl (8,000,000 gallons) of wine per year. After the devastation of the virus however, most of the vineyards were replaced by almond trees. In the late 20th century, there was a revival of the wine industry due to the demand for quality wine by tourists.
In 1991 the area was classified as Vinos de la Tierra, and, in 2001, 250 hectares (620 acres) were upgraded to DO status.
Geographyedit
The vineyards are located in the areas known as Felanitx and Manacor which cover the central and eastern part of the island.
They are at a rather low altitude, around 100 m (330 ft) above sea level.
Soilsedit
The soils are quite fertile, have a high clay and limestone content and are on lime-bearing rocks (marl and dolomite). The drainage is good and allows deep penetration of the roots. The soils are generally either red in colour due to the presence of iron oxide, or white due to the clays, calcium carbonate and magnesium.
Climateedit
The climate is maritime Mediterranean, with long dry hot summers and short mild winters. In winter a strong wind is characteristic, especially on the plains, while there is not much risk of frosts or fog.
The average annual rainfall is 425 mm (16.7 in), falling mainly in autumn is the form of violent storms.
The older vines are usually planted as low bushes (en vaso) whereas the newly planted vines are usually on trellises (en espaldera). The planting density is between 2,500 and 5,000 vines/ha (1,000 to 2,000 vines/acre).
llevant, llevant, spanish, denominación, origen, protegida, denominació, origen, protegida, catalan, wines, located, island, majorca, balearic, islands, spain, name, catalan, majorcan, language, means, plain, east, coast, llevant, dopwine, regionpla, llevant, . Pla i Llevant is a Spanish Denominacion de Origen Protegida DOP Denominacio d Origen Protegida in Catalan for wines located on the island of Majorca Balearic Islands Spain The name in the Catalan or Majorcan language means plain and east coast Pla i Llevant DOPWine regionPla i Llevant DOP in the region of Balearic IslandsOfficial nameD O P Pla i Llevant 1 TypeDenominacion de Origen Protegida DOP Year established2001CountrySpainNo of vineyards439 hectares 1 085 acres No of wineries13 2 Wine produced15 189 hectolitresCommentsData for 2016 2017 Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Soils 4 Climate 5 Authorised Grape Varieties 6 References 7 External linksHistory editGrape growing and wine production was introduced to the island by the ancient Romans in the year 121 BC when Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius took possession of the island for Rome Pliny the Elder mentioned the wines of Majorca in his writings in the 1st century AD During the centuries of Moorish dominion grape growing and wine production did not disappear despite the prohibitions of the Koran as when King Jaume I conquered the island in 1230 he was offered top quality wine as a peace offering Before the arrival of the phylloxera plague at the end of the 19th century there were about 27 000 hectares 67 000 acres under vines in Majorca and exports were 300 000 hl 8 000 000 gallons of wine per year After the devastation of the virus however most of the vineyards were replaced by almond trees In the late 20th century there was a revival of the wine industry due to the demand for quality wine by tourists In 1991 the area was classified as Vinos de la Tierra and in 2001 250 hectares 620 acres were upgraded to DO status Geography editThe vineyards are located in the areas known as Felanitx and Manacor which cover the central and eastern part of the island They are at a rather low altitude around 100 m 330 ft above sea level Soils editThe soils are quite fertile have a high clay and limestone content and are on lime bearing rocks marl and dolomite The drainage is good and allows deep penetration of the roots The soils are generally either red in colour due to the presence of iron oxide or white due to the clays calcium carbonate and magnesium Climate editThe climate is maritime Mediterranean with long dry hot summers and short mild winters In winter a strong wind is characteristic especially on the plains while there is not much risk of frosts or fog The average annual rainfall is 425 mm 16 7 in falling mainly in autumn is the form of violent storms Authorised Grape Varieties editThe authorised grape varieties are Red Cabernet Sauvignon Callet Fogoneu Manto Negro Merlot Monastrell Pinot Noir Syrah Tempranillo and Gorgollassa White Chardonnay Macabeo Moscatel de Alejandria Moscatel de Grano Menudo Parellada Prensal Blanc Riesling Giro Ros and Viognier The older vines are usually planted as low bushes en vaso whereas the newly planted vines are usually on trellises en espaldera The planting density is between 2 500 and 5 000 vines ha 1 000 to 2 000 vines acre References edit nbsp Wine portal Denominacion de Origen Protegida Pla i Llevant Retrieved 15 January 2020 DOP Pla i llevant www doplaillevant com Retrieved 15 January 2020 External links editD O P Binissalem official website 39 28 17 2 N 2 8 36 4 E 39 471444 N 2 143444 E 39 471444 2 143444 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pla i Llevant DO amp oldid 1164174889, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
