La Melonera
This is their dream…
One afternoon in April 2003 winemaker, Javier Suqué, from one of the most important wine families in Spain, told his cousin, Jorge Viladomiu Peitx, of his dream of doing something different, something which would leave a mark for future generations, and at the same time pay tribute to a lifetime devoted to the cultivation of the vine.
With a group of investors equally excited by the challenge, they set out to find the best location for the creation of some unique wines. After much research among the vast tomes of books residing in the library at Castillo de Perelada, owned by the Suqué Mateu family since 1923, they found the answer in the pages of a book written in 1807 by Simón de Rojas Clemente. In it, he described the unique features of the “Serranía de Ronda” and its ancient winemaking tradition, interrupted in the late 19th century by the phylloxera plague.
The region’s indigenous vines were patiently tracked down and revived; to return them to Ronda, a land bathed in Mediterranean sun, cleansed by Atlantic winds and steeped in a wine-growing tradition dating from Phoenician times. Gradually their work paid off, and today, with the La Encina del Inglés and El Payoya Negra wines, what was once just a dream is now a reality.
Winemaking Excellence
In order to achieve the highest standards, we have devised innovative methods of vine training and control to ensure that these vines, young in years, but old in history, are adequately ventilated and exposed to the sun so that, in a short space of time, they could enjoy conditions and a development which would have taken older vines years to achieve. In order to do this, we have implemented a double training system and a system of rings which contain and guide the plant, providing greater leaf surface area and resulting in the production of small, loose berries, able to ripen evenly and help preserve the characteristic primary aromas of each grape variety.
The Melonera estate is south-southeast facing and covers 200 hectares at altitudes ranging between 650 and 940 metres, which means that the daily temperature can oscillate by up to 20 degrees in both winter and summer. This, along with over 800 litres of annual rainfall and humid, unpolluted winds coming off the Atlantic, makes it a perfect enclave for the cultivation of the vine.
Production
Site
One afternoon in April 2003 winemaker, Javier Suqué, from one of the most important wine families in Spain, told his cousin, Jorge Viladomiu Peitx, of his dream of doing something different, something which would leave a mark for future generations, and at the same time pay tribute to a lifetime devoted to the cultivation of the vine.
With a group of investors equally excited by the challenge, they set out to find the best location for the creation of some unique wines. After much research among the vast tomes of books residing in the library at Castillo de Perelada, owned by the Suqué Mateu family since 1923, they found the answer in the pages of a book written in 1807 by Simón de Rojas Clemente. In it, he described the unique features of the “Serranía de Ronda” and its ancient winemaking tradition, interrupted in the late 19th century by the phylloxera plague.
The region’s indigenous vines were patiently tracked down and revived; to return them to Ronda, a land bathed in Mediterranean sun, cleansed by Atlantic winds and steeped in a wine-growing tradition dating from Phoenician times. Gradually their work paid off, and today, with the La Encina del Inglés and El Payoya Negra wines, what was once just a dream is now a reality.
Winemaking Excellence
In order to achieve the highest standards, we have devised innovative methods of vine training and control to ensure that these vines, young in years, but old in history, are adequately ventilated and exposed to the sun so that, in a short space of time, they could enjoy conditions and a development which would have taken older vines years to achieve. In order to do this, we have implemented a double training system and a system of rings which contain and guide the plant, providing greater leaf surface area and resulting in the production of small, loose berries, able to ripen evenly and help preserve the characteristic primary aromas of each grape variety.
The Melonera estate is south-southeast facing and covers 200 hectares at altitudes ranging between 650 and 940 metres, which means that the daily temperature can oscillate by up to 20 degrees in both winter and summer. This, along with over 800 litres of annual rainfall and humid, unpolluted winds coming off the Atlantic, makes it a perfect enclave for the cultivation of the vine.
