Why Monastrell is ‘deserving of greater fame and awareness’
On Monday 13 October Patrick Schmitt MW, db editor-in-chief, led a masterclass which aimed to answer one key question: why it is time to talk about Monastrell.
Hosted in Manchester, the masterclass aimed to give the UK wine trade a taste of one of Spain’s most planted grape, but one which is deserving of more attention.
The session was hosted in collaboration with Monastrell Spain, a non-profit association created in 2019 by five Regulatory Councils from the Southeast of Spain, from the Designations of Origin Alicante, Almansa, Bullas, Jumilla, and Yecla.
In essence, these regions have joined forces to make Monastrell better known at a national and international level.
First mentioned (according to Wine Grapes) by Francesc Eiximenis in Emporda, Catalunya 1381, Schmitt described Monastrell as a “seriously ancient” grape variety.
Despite its old roots, the grape is not that well known. “It’s not actually one of those massively mainstream grapes, even though it’s been around for centuries,” Schmitt said, calling it “one of those slightly lesser grapes in terms of awareness, if not in terms of quality”.
Indeed, the Master of Wine believes Monastrell is “deserving of greater fame and greater awareness”.
With small to medium betties and blue-black skin of medium thickness, Monastrell is the fourth most important red wine variety in Spain and gives wines which are extremely rich in colour and dry extract.
Within Europe, it is typically planted within 50 miles of the Mediterranean – where winters are mild, summers long and hot. Spain is by far the biggest planter of Monastrell, home to 83.62% of its global hectarage.
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The question of ‘why talk about Monastrell now?’ can be answered by looking at the numbers.
While Spain was home to Over 63,000ha of Monastrell in 2008, by 2015 that had fallen to 45,000ha. Today, just 38,000ha remain, highlighting how important it is to promote the grape to prevent plantings from falling even further.
“Hectarage of Monastrell in southern Europe, particularly Spain, is declining, and it’s declined a lot in the last 10 years. I think that’s a real concern,” said Schmitt. In the case of Monastrell, this means the loss of “a lot of relic vineyards”.
Many Monastrell wines are pie franco – a Spanish term referring to wines that are made from ungrafted (old, pre-phylloxera) vines. The term “pie franco” translates to “free foot” and signifies that the vines were planted directly into the soil and were not grafted onto rootstock, making them particularly old and resilient.
Schmitt stressed that a drop in the number of Monastrell vineyards results in “losing pie franco vines which have been in the ground for over 100 years from sites where nothing else will grow.”
He said: “I think that is a travesty.”
As such, the masterclass, which showcased 11 wines from the five regions which make up Monastrell Spain, gave the wine trade in Manchester the chance to discover and explore an ancient grape variety deserving of more attention.
The list of wines tasted during the session include:
| Proposed Order | Denomination of Origin | Wine Name | Winery | Vintage | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jumilla | Marzas Pie Franco | Bodegas Delampa | 2024 | Red |
| 2 | Yecla | La Purísima Monastrell | La Purísima | 2024 | Red |
| 3 | Alicante | Viña Guerán | Casa Balaguer | 2023 | Red |
| 4 | Alicante | Pinoso Clásico | Bodegas Pinoso | 2022 | Red |
| 5 | Jumilla | Alceño 12 Old Vines Monastrell Organic | Bodegas Alceño | 2022 | Red |
| 6 | Yecla | Barahonda Summum Organic | Barahonda | 2022 | Red |
| 7 | Almansa | Cañada del Soto Crianza | Bodegas Cano | 2021 | Red |
| 8 | Alicante | Laudum XII Plus | Bocopa | 2020 | Red |
| 9 | Jumilla | Sabatacha Crianza | Bodegas BSI | 2020 | Red |
| 10 | Bullas | 88 Teclas | Bodegas Hydria | 2018 | Red |
| 11 | Jumilla | Lacrima Christi | Bodegas BSI | n/a | Sweet |
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