Spanish Wine Regions > Manchuela

Two totally opposing worlds make the wines of this DO. The first, to which private and individual wineries belong, with an intelligent concept, both in vineyard management and in marketing their respective wines, resulting in wines of high quality and very interesting notes. The second belongs to those wineries , mostly cooperative in nature and immerse in the concept of quantity before quality. We have, of course, concentrated in the first group and we start this section of our web page with a very interesting winery but with the will to add on others as we try and select their wines.

Very little wine of this area goes outside Spain, not for lack of quality but rather for lack of knowledge of the area outside the Spanish borders. A large variety of grapes are cultivated in this area but the majority of the production concentrates in Bobal, for reds and roses and Macabeo for whites.

View wines from this Spanish Wine region

Wine region's location

Manchuela is a vast area in east-central Spain, and is in itself surrounded by several DO's or wine areas, like La Mancha, Utiel Requena, etc. The production area, situated between 600 and 700 meters above the sea level, covers the territory situated in the south-west of the province of Cuenca and the north-east of Albacete, between the rivers Jucar and Gabriel. It comprises 70 Municipal Districts, of which 26 are in Albacete and the rest in Cuenca.

Climate

The climate is continental in nature, with cold winters and hot summers, although the cold and humid winds from the Mediterranean during the summer help to lower the temperatures during the night so creating the day-night temperature contrasts for a slow ripening of the grapes.

Wine characteristics

White Wines
Normally produced from Macabeo, they have a straw yellow colour, apple fruity aromas and are pleasant and easy drinking.

Rose Wines
Raspberry colour. The Bobal variety gives intense fruity aromas of raspberry and, on occasion hints of herbs; on the palate they are flavourful, fresh and well balanced.

Red Wines
They are cherry coloured, with notes of blackberries and, some times, with an earthy and mineral background. They are supple, flavourful and warm on the palate.

Grapes

White Grapes
Macabeo
Chardonay
Albillo
Sauvignon Blanc
Verdejo

Red Grapes
Bobal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cencibel (Tempranillo)
Grenache
Merlot
Monastrell
Malbec
Syrah