In 1988, a group of vine-growers and wine producers from the area, with its long history of viniculture, requested the concession of a Binissalem Designation of Origin. After making the corresponding enquiries, the General Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries provisionally approved the Binissalem DO and appointed a Provisional Regulatory Council whose task it was to draw up a draft regulation. The Binissalem DO Regulation was approved by the Government of the Balearic Islands in late 1989 and ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries in 1991.
The Geographical and Climatic Setting
The vine-growing and wine-producing region associated with the Binissalem DO is situated in the heart of the island of Mallorca. The Alfabia and Tramuntana mountain ranges protect the area from cold north winds, helping to create a mild microclimate. This climate can be considered a gentle Mediterranean one, with hot, dry summers and short winters. It has an average yearly rainfall of about 450 mm. The land is formed by quarternary continental sediments that are rich in calcium, giving rise to brown or chalky brown soils that sometimes have horizons with a calcareous crust. There are gentle hills and the vineyards are located at an altitude that ranges between 75 and 200 metres above sea level.
The Production Conditions
To produce wines entitled to use the Binissalem DO, only the following varieties of grapes may be cultivated:
Red wines: Manto Negro, Callet, Ull de llebre, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Gorgollassa.
White wines Moll or Premsal Blanco, Parellada, Macabeo, Moscatell Alejandria, Moscatell grano menudo, Chardonnay and Giró Ros.
The Manto Negro, Moll and Moscatell grapes are the main varieties used. Traditional growing techniques are used, which tend to achieve better quality grapes. The formation and training of the vines is carried out using the gobelet or espalier systems. Maximum production levels per hectare are stipulated in the Binissalem DO Regulation, with the following production limits: White varieties: 9,000 kg/hectare, except for the Parellada variety, which has a limit of 10,000 kg. Red varieties: 9,000 kg/hectare. The grapes are harvested with extreme care and, to produce these DO-protected wines, only healthy grapes are used with the correct degree of ripeness and a minimum natural volumetric alcohol content of 10% for white varieties and 10.5% for red ones.
The Production Conditions
For the production of red wines with a Binissalem DO, at least 30% the grapes used must be the Manto Negro variety. For the whites, the stipulations of the Binissalem DO Regulation require that at least 50% of the grapes used are the Moll or Moscatel varieties. The grape must is produced using traditional techniques applied to modern technology, directed at improving the quality of the wines. The correct pressure is applied to extract the juice and separate the residue, so that production does not rise above 70 litres of wine per 100 kg of harvested grapes.
The Wines' Characteristics
The wines regulated and protected by the Binissalem Designation of Origin are reds (young reds or reds aged in oak barrels), rosés, whites and sparkling wines. The best-known wines with the highest yields are the reds, representing about 75% of the total wine production. Within this group, we should highlight the "crianza" wines. Below are the established aging periods for red wines, together with any pertinent observations:
In the case of the whites, the Moll grape variety predominates, lending them certain distinguishing features. These are wines with fruity aromas, mainly of green apples and nuts, but also with hints of apricot and bitter almonds. In the mouth they are fresh wines with a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity and an apt slightly bitter finish. The red wines have their own unique characteristics, mainly due to the native Manto Negro variety. They are not excessively dark wines and they have fruity aromas that swiftly evolve into preserves. These are well-structured wines, with an appropriate wood-barrel evolution. The crianza wines have an elegant, harmonious structure, with smooth tannins and tertiary aromas.
Minimum alcohol content
White Wine 10.5º
Rosé Wine 11.0º
Red Wine 11.5º
Sparkling Wine 10.5º
Quality Controls
Wineries carries out strict quality controls which all the wines that use the Binissalem name must pass. All the consignments of wine made by wineries entitled to use the designation of origin are tasted tank by tank and, before being commercialized, they must pass this process. Only wines that pass these quality controls can be sold under the Binissalem name. Consignments that fail them are rejected. Once all the consignments for a particular harvest have been quality tested, the Regulatory Council decides the global rating that will be given to the corresponding vintage, depending on the results of the quality control tests.
Vintage Ratings
Below are the ratings given by the Regulatory Council for each year's vintage:
2003 VERY GOOD
2004 EXCELLENT
2005 VERY GOOD
2006 EXCELLENT
2007 EXCELLENT
2008 VERY GOOD
2009 EXCELLENT
2010 EXCELLENT
2011 VERY GOOD
2012 VERY GOOD
2013 GOOD
2014 VERY GOOD
2015 GOOD
2016 VERY GOOD
2017 EXCELLENT
2018 GOOD
2019 EXCELLENT
2020 VERY GOOD
2021 VERY GOOD
2022 VERY GOOD
Year 2023
Surface area covered by vines: 257,3 ha
Wineries: 12
Wine production: 8.747 hl