Wine has a long history and tradition in Malaga. The Moors, the Romans and the British were great drinkers of wine and were richly associated in the history of Malaga. Sweet wines made from the Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes has been a long time favourite and has stood the test for centuries in Malaga. However, the plagues in the 19th century threatened the wine industry in Malaga. International taste in wine turned towards dry wine, creating a further deterioration in the Malaga wine industry. There are now very few wineries in Malaga that have been able to keep the tradition alive. The wine region in Malaga is steadily gaining feet as new and sophisticated white wines are being introduced to the market.
Although these sweet wines are called Malaga sweet wines, the grapes for the wine itself are grown, pressed and fermented in other parts of the province. Only the aging process of the wine mostly takes place in Malaga. In fact there are three different grape growing zones in the province. The westernmost zone surrounds the Manilva village and is located close to the Atlantic. The region features rich soil with a humid weather, which is ideal for Moscatel grapes. Moscatel grapes grow to large sizes without losing its tantalising sweetness. This quality makes the grapes ideal and profitable for being eaten as table grapes along with being used for making wine.
The other zone falls in Axarquia, which also features Moscatel grapes as the predominant variety. The grapes here are grown on beautiful terraced vineyards without aid of mechanical tools for cultivation and harvesting. A major portion of the harvest is laid out to let dry from the sun in open dry beds. This harvest is later turned into the popular Malaga raisins.
The third zone produces most of the harvest that is used for making wines in Malaga. It is an inland zone, located to the north of Axarquia. The region experiences both, severe hot summers and extreme freezing winters. This climate results in cultivating the characteristics in grapes, required for making wine. The grapes are of the Pedro Ximenez, named after a 17th-century Spanish soldier. These grapes have very high sugar content. The sugar content is even further concentrated by letting them dry in the sun before pressing. This takes out all the moisture and leaves only sugar. The concentrated sugar gives the Malaga wines its dark colour, for both varieties of grapes are in fact white grapes.
There are countless activities in Malaga geared towards tourists on holidays in Malaga. One of them is touring the wineries in Malaga to know more about the wine making in Malaga.
M. Thornton recommends going for a wine tour while on your holidays in Malaga to know more about the history and culture of wine making in Malaga. It is one of the most rewarding activities in Malaga, you can engage in on your Malaga holidays.
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