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The residents of Fornalutx, argue that their village is the prettiest in Mallorca. Situated deep in the heart of the Tramuntana, its winding streets and narrow stoned steps display a delightful array of colourful flowers and greenery. |
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From the window of the plane we can see them by the dozen. We have no doubt
about where we are. They welcome us, as we cross Es Pla, the flat central plain. They are by our sides at touchdown. But will we always be greeted by the
Windmills of Mallorca? |
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Whether it be Folk on a balmy evening at a quaint village square, Classical in a fully fledged concert hall complete with air-conditioning, or Rock at Palmas Bullring, the range of live music on offer in Mallorca during the summer months is certainly spectacular in terms of its diversity and location. |
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More often than not, the best restaurants tend to be those a little off that beaten tourist trail. Hidden in a backstreet, without a particularly glamorous exterior, one could almost think that the locals wanted to keep these unpretentious eateries to themselves – and who can blame them. |
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They are a reflection in miniature of a life gone by; inviting us to a land that only our imaginations could create. Once cherished by a little boy or girl, now by a grown up, ... |
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The “Hanging Gardens of Banyalbufar” have long since attracted visitors to this picturesque municipality situated in the Southwest of the Tramuntana Mountain range ... |
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Although George Sand may have had to haul Chopin’s piano across the wilds during her ‘Winter in Mallorca’, finding musical respite here during the milder months is now somewhat less energetic. |
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Several hundred guests attended the First Mallorca Autumn/Winter brochure launch and the official opening of a new First Mallorca venture “ApartmentBörse”, in Puerto Andratx on the 28th of September ... |
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At the tender age of four, knowing the difference between red and white is something we all learn at school. When speaking of the fermented kind, ... |
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It is now one hundred and fifty years ago that Macià Matias Batle laid the foundations for the bodega of the same name. ... |
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Bodega Macià Batle - The Largest & Most Famous Bodega on Mallorca
It is now one hundred and fifty years ago that
Macià Matias Batle laid the foundations for the bodega of the same
name. The year was 1856 when he had erected the original Batle
building at Biniali on Mallorca.
Still today the building is in the
possession of the family, even though the Bodega Macià Batle now has
its head office in Santa Maria. Together with the wine-growing estate
of Santa Catarina it is the largest and most famous bodega on
Mallorca. Their wines have been singled out for awards on many
occasions.
The vintage from the very first press wine produced by the Batles was
designated for domestic requirements and moreover served as an object
of barter: in accordance with the motto: you give me beer, I give you
wine. Much business was carried out thus. At that time, types of grape
were grown such as Mantonegro, Callet, Fogoneu and Gorgollassa, with
all of them being grown in one and the same field. At the time of the
wine harvest the grape bunches were mixed together without more ado.
Now the first coupage was ready!
The bodega’s manager, Ramon Servalls i Batle, cannot help but grin
when this production method is recounted today. After all, such a
procedure in a modern winery would be simply inconceivable! Servalls i
Batle, at the same time Chairman of the Balearic Winegrowers’
Association ‘Associació de Bodeguers de las Illes Balears,’ is at any
rate convinced that solely quality wines can survive in the
marketplace. And these days the utmost care, great creativity and
every ounce of know-how is necessary from the wine harvest to the
bottling. A homespun approach to wine-making will just not do.
“In the past year we have produced around 650,000 bottles”, says
Servalls i Batle. Grapes from 200 hectares [about 500 acres] of land
were processed. The wines of Macià Batle bear the designation of
origination ‘Denominación de Origen’ Binissalem. There are red, rosé,
white and recently also two sweet wines on offer.
Since 2001, moreover, a limited edition is brought out each year.
These ‘Reserva Privada’ wines are decorated with labels created by
famous artists who work and live in the Balearic Islands. Artists such
as Joan Bennassar of Mallorca, Natasha Zupan of the USA or Jim Bird of
the UK have already taken up the brush on behalf of Macià Batle.
The well-known German artist Erwin Bechtold created the label for the
2003 special edition. “The best artists should decorate our best
wines”, explains the manager of the wine-growing estate in this
context. And thereby choice fell on the 81 year-old from San Carlos on
Ibiza.
The fact that it was Bechtold, who at the end of the 1940s worked in
the Paris atelier of Fernand Léger – one of the most famous French
painters – accepted the offer, this was felt as a godsend by the
art-loving wine grower: “There we had all the luck in the world!”
And because the artist, in his turn, was convinced that “wine and art
belong to one and the same family,” he finally shook hands on it. “All
those who are involved with art are sensitive people,” he says. “And
they have a tendency in this connection to abandon themselves with
predilection to fine food and even more to exquisite wines.” It is
rumoured that he was paid in kind.
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