Yecla – the appellation

Yecla Denominación de Origen is one of the three appellations in the Murcia province, located in South-eastern Spain. The appellation has 4.500 hectares planted with vines and stretches approx 35km, form north to south, and 25km, form east to west. The region is divided up into two sub regions; Campo Abajo, to the south of the town of Yecla, and Campo Arriba, to the north.


The Soil

The soils in both sub regions are characterized by being generally poor soils, rich in limestone content and quite mineral creating excellent permeability. Campo Abajo is situated 450 to 600 meters above sea level, and here the soils are richer in clay and humus than the higher located Campo Arriba, which is 700 to 850 meters above sea level. In Campo Arriba the landscape is in general stonier with little nutrients creating challenging and stressful conditions for the vines to grow in.


The Climate

Yecla's climate is continental dry with winters that can be extremely cold (as low as -15ºC), and with equally extreme hot summers (39-42ºC). Natural precipitations is limited to 200-300mm of rain per year, and since irrigation is limited to only a small percentage of the vineyards, conditions can often be challenging for the vines and yields must be reduced by green harvest, resulting in very concentrated wines.



The winemaking                           The braid of grapes