Producers
The California wine industry owes its roots to the Spanish island of Mallorca through Father Junipero Serra, founder of all the missions along our California coast. He brought with him, by sea and on mule back, vines and olive shoots from his birthplace of Petra, Mallorca. In 1769 he planted the first vineyard in the Mission of San Diego, with native Mallorcan grapes. The rest is history.
Spain is one of the three largest European wine producers along with Italy and France, with 60 designated wine regions (D.O.) and more than 2000 wineries.
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JOSE L. FERRER WINERY, D.O. Binissalem, Mallorca, Spain
José Luís Ferrer was born into a family of wine merchants (winning prizes as far back as the Barcelona universal exhibition in 1888). In 1931, a new era began for Mallorcan wine, when he brought new wine making techniques to the island and a new marketing approach such as holding celebrity wine tastings with the likes of Grace Kelly (Princess of Monaco), Ava Gardner, Robert Graves, Maria Callas, etc.
The 78 year old José Luis Ferrer winery is situated in the wine-growing center of Binissalem. With 220 acres growing native varieties such as Mantonegro, Callet (both red) and Moll (white) and foreign varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, and Merlot. The island enjoys a climate perfect for grape growing with typical Mediterranean hot, dry summers, combined with cool, wet and relatively mild winters, protected from the north winds by the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.
The beautiful island of Mallorca has a long history of viniculture going back to Roman times, and with more than 2000 years of experience in wine making.
It is the largest winery on the island with over 2000 barrels of American, French (Allier), Rumanian, Russian and Hungarian oak. The barrel and bottle storerooms are 40 feet below ground level to ensure that the wine rests in absolute darkness. The winery combines traditional winemaking methods with the latest technology, but always remaining true to the principles established by the family founder.
• Jose L. Ferrer (D.O. Binissalem) remains the original line. It consists of traditional reds fermented in American oak, and Blanc de Blanc based on the native Moll varietal, also fermented in American oak. This line is the most traditional.
• Veritas (D.O. Binissalem). Here the whites, including Brut and Muscat, are fermented in French oak, and the reds with longer maceration after harvest and matured in French and Russian oak barrels. This line is more elegant and exclusive.
• Dues (Vi de la Terra - Mallorca). These wines consist of an updated approach by combining one native varietal with an imported one (Syrah and Cabernet), thus creating a unique blend. This line is targeted to a younger audience.
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