Jumilla is the home of Monastrell grape wines, “Calasparra” round-grain rice, and “arroces” rice dishes. It is also the birthplace of a Michelin-starred chef’s new wine-inspired capsule collection of jewelry.
“The processes of making Jumilla wines were our inspiration,” says Pablo González-Conejero, a 2-star Michelin and Repsol 3 Soles chef at the Cabaña-Buenavista in Murcia and also the ambassador chef for the Jumilla DOP.
Adds Murcia architect and jewelry designer Rosana Galián from Garra Studio: “Pablo and I have closely observed everything from grape sorting, de-stemming, vat bleeding, the crushing of the fruit, and the alcoholic fermentation. And translated it into jewelry.”
Adds Pablo: “The Latido (Heartbeat) collection references everything from lees, skins and stems. It conveys the seething movements of the vinification with the oozing of the juices and the bubbling of the must as it ferments. In our racking earrings, we have also incorporated motifs recalling the vat hoses stretching across the winery floor!”
The unique oenological cosmetic collection comprises “de-stemmer” earrings, “crush” chokers, and “fermentation” medallions, symbolizing the rising and falling of the bubbles in the juices during fermentation; continues Pablo: “The sensations evoked are both sensorial and emotional, depicted in tones of red and magenta and using organic materials such as grape skins.”
One hour by car from Alicante airport, the Jumilla DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) stretches from the extreme southeast of the province of Albacete down through Murcia as far as the border with Alicante province. It has 42 “parajas” and six wine co-operatives.
Murcia is home to three Denominacion de Origen (Do) appellations: Yecla, Jumilla, and Bullas. There are more than 200 wineries. These include Vina Elena, J. Garcia Carriou, Escensia Wine Cellars, and the Bodegas Luzon. Hijos de Juan Gil, Ego, Torrecastillo and Castano on Mount Arabi.
At Bodegas Luzón, in Jumilla, the whole family can get involved in the process of making must, creating the grape juice for the next harvest, whilst adults try the local wines. A themed dinner, “Salt, Gastronomy and Wine” is available at the Salinas De la Rosa (Salt Flats), in the Sierra del Carche Natural Park.
In Bullas, the Vinestesia celebration involved a Wine Night and Harvest Day with the Bodega Monastrell offering a lunch paired with local wines.
The last week of October sees the Matavendimia Jumilla P.D.O. Wine Tourism Fair. World Wine Tourism Day will be celebrated on November 12th. Bullas stages its “Secret Wine Walk” starting in the Wine Museum, then passing through the century-old vineyards of the Acheniche Valley with a tour and tasting at Bodegas Balcona.
In Yecla, the town hosts Noche Tinta (Red Wine Night), where visitors can taste the first Monastrells of the Year. and enjoy live music at The Maratón Enoturístico (Wine Tourism Walk), a gastronomic wine tour through the wineries of the Yecla Wine Route. In Jumilla, each weekend, restaurants will also prepare a series of specially curated dishes to be accompanied by P.D.O. wines.
Murcia is at the center of a low-lying fertile plain known as the “Huerta” (orchard). The Segura River runs through the Badlands and groves of Carrasco pine trees in the pre-coastal mountain ranges.
Say chef Gonzalez-Conejero: “We have our own variations of paella prepared with rabbit and snails and cooked in huge shallow pans over burning vine roots. Murcia is the vegetable garden of Spain. As well as Monastrell, we have Grenache local rosé wines which pair well with the local rice dishes. The Fiesta de la Vendimia is a great time to visit Murcia and Jumilla and to go wine-tasting around the Carche Valley.
“Gazpacho Jumillano is nothing like the tomato- based gazpachos of Andalusia. This is a vegetable and rabbit dish served on flatbread. Murcia is also famous for its lemon leaf and powdered sugar “parpajotes” dessert and goat’s cheese, the rind of which is soaked in red wine. Try it with a glass of Monastrell Red Dulce! “Red Dulce is everywhere. Grapes are everywhere. It was only a matter of time before we started wearing them!”