FINCA LA MELONERA

Nestled in the heart of the province of Malaga, where the rocky landscapes of the south of Spain descend to the shores of the Mediterranean, the Serrania de Ronda has been famous for its wine from the time it was first occupied by the Phoenicians, back in 700 B.C. From Pliny's Letters, we know that this reputation continued throughout Roman times and was reflected by a symbol of a bunch of grapes appearing on coins minted in Acinipo, an ancient Roman city located two kilometres from La Melonera. At the time of the conquistadors, the region was the New World’s reference in terms of viticulture.

Until the phylloxera plague of the mid-19th century, the region's native grape varieties were exported throughout the world due to their quality and proximity to the ports of departure for the New World. Romantic 19th century travelers such as the hispanist Richard Ford and British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, journeyed through the area on their way to Granada on what came to be known as the Great South Tour, and literary figures such as James Joyce, García Lorca and Ernest Hemingway sang praises of this land of endless skies, sun and good wine.

The Melonera estate is south-southeast facing and covers 200 hectares at altitudes ranging between 650 and 940 metres, which means that the daily temperature can oscillate by up to 20 degrees in both winter and summer. This, along with over 800 litres of annual rainfall and humid, unpolluted winds coming off the Atlantic, makes it a perfect enclave for the cultivation of the vine.