The Magic of Mallorca
This shore tour is not yet available for purchase. Specific details for this program are not yet finalized and the tour elements are subject to change. An email announcement will be sent to all group members when the tour is open for sale
Most Americans are unfamiliar with Mallorcan wines because the majority is consumed locally and, until recently, few bottles ever left the island. Now, more and more people are visiting Spain’s Balearic Islands for its wine. FOOD & WINE magazine’s Ray Isle attests to this trend commenting that, “Mallorca’s beaches are famous, but it is producing some exceptionally delicious bottles—and attracting a new kind of traveler.”
On this exclusive tour, you will have the opportunity to taste the wines of this Mediterranean seaside region where you can trace winegrowing back to approximately 123 BC. In fact, in the 1st Century AD, Pliny the Elder, the Roman author and naturalist, is said to have compared the wines from the Balearic Islands to the finest Italian wines.
A little over thirty minutes from port, you will come to your first stop, Mesquida Mora Winery. One of a handul of female winemakers on the island, Barbara Mesquida also represents the fourth generation of winemakers in her family. After eight years of running the family winery with her brother, she struck out on her own and started Mesquida Mora. She is 100% committed to the Biodynamic principle and in 2013 she began producing her white wines without added sulphites. Her first “natural” wine, a 2013 Acrollam Blanc, was just released last year.
Next, travel through the expansive vineyard land at the base of the Serra de Tramuntana Mountain, to the oldest winery on Mallorca, Bodegas Ribas. Established in the year 1711, the 13th generation is represented at this winery by the brother-and-sister winemaking team of Xavier and Araceli Ribas. Their 2001 Ribas de Cabrera, a blend of Manto Negro, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, received a 92-rating from Robert Parker, who claimed this wine “must be tasted to be believed.” Upon arrival, meet the owner of the winery and enjoy a select tasting of the estate’s wines. Later, indulge in a special alfresco wine-paired lunch, featuring exquisite Mallorcan cuisine, in the beautiful colonial hacienda courtyard.