For centuries, the Malvasia grape grew on the terraced gardens, the name “Banyalbufar” actually derived from the Arabic meaning for “vineyards by the sea”, so famous was the town for its superb wine. In 1891, the devastation caused by the phylloxera virus, put an end to wine production in Banyalbufar, and the diseased vines were replaced by tomatoes and potatoes. A group of friends in this town of only 250 permanent residents, were certainly not seeking fame and fortune when they came across a strain of the Malvasia vine in the 1980’s, by chance, in somebody’s garden. The vine was in such a poor condition that they sent it to Italy to be put through a complete sanitation process and later, through in vitro culture, they were able to replant 250 vines. Sacrificing precious evenings and weekends, willingly donating their land, so, this unique project began in the name of tradition and with one goal in mind: the rebirth of the famous wines of Banyalbufar.

Former town Mayor, Toni Mora, founded the Co-operative “Malvasia de Banyalbufar” in 2000, with five like minded friends. “Continuing the traditions of our forefathers is a project that is equally important to its members as it is to the town residents, although it requires a lot of our free time, dedication and love”, he says. So far, the Co-op has come a long way and is more than thirty percent towards its aim of producing 20,000 litres of wine a year The Malvasia grape produces white wine and the Co-op currently offers three types that may be purchased from their boutique outlet in the town’s main high street. Their brand, “Cornet”, offers two dry white wines, one of which is fermented in oak barrels, offering a soft and distinctive flavour, and a sweet white wine, with a most delectable taste. The Malvasia grapes used to produce these wines have to be harvested at different times of the year.

“People have very kindly volunteered their terraces for seeding, and due to the nature of the landscape here, the vines are planted at different altitudes and therefore ripen separately. This is good for us in a way as unlike other vineyards our harvests are small but over a longer period of time, which in turn gives us room to refrigerate the grapes to the optimum pressing temperature, making the flavour so much better.” says Toni. For a real taste of the heart and soul of Banyalbufar, visit “Malvasia de Banyalbufar” at km 86 on the Andratx-Banyalbufar road.

 http://www.malvasiadebanyalbufar.com/