El Hierro (DO)

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
El Hierro DOP
Wine region
DO El Hierro location.svg
El Hierro DOP in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the region of Canary Islands
Official nameD.O.P. El Hierro [1]
Type Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP)
Year established1995
Country Spain
No. of vineyards126 hectares (311 acres)
No. of wineries9 [2]
Wine produced1,735 hectolitres
CommentsData for 2016 / 2017

El Hierro is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines that covers the entire island of El Hierro, the smallest and westernmost island of the Canary Islands, Spain. [3] It acquired its DO in 1995.

Contents

History

The first vineyards were planted by an Englishman, John Hill, in the seventeenth century. The wine produced was used for distillation of spirits which were then exported to South America, especially Venezuela and Cuba. For centuries, sweet fortified wines from the Canaries were popular in England and was known as Canary Sack. In the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Sir Toby Belch calls for a "cup of Canary".

Geography and soils

The vineyards in El Hierro DO are planted on very infertile soils of different types: clay, lime-bearing, marl, sand, and even volcanic ash. All these soils are of volcanic origin as the area known as El Golfo (The Gulf) is formed by the edge of a large extinct volcano. They are all poor in nutrients, but have good water retention properties. There are around 200 hectares (490 acres) planted to vines in this DO.

The vineyards are planted on steep slopes on terraces built of stone. The altitude varies from 125 m to 700 m above sea-level.

The main wine-producing areas are known as Valle del Golfo, Echedo y El Pinar

Climate

The large amount of annual average hours of sun (3,000 hrs/year) and the sea breezes are the main factors affecting the vines. In general the climate is temperate, rather dry close to sea-level and more humid at higher altitudes. Rainfall varies significantly between the east and west of the island, between 150 mm and 400 mm respectively. The trade winds, which blow in summer, affect the northeast of the island and bring significant amounts of humidity to the vineyards located around Echedo. Maximum summer temperatures rarely exceed 28 °C.

Authorised Grape Varieties

The authorised grape varieties are:

Traditionally the vines were planted as low bushes (en vaso) though newly planted vineyards tend to be on trellises (en espaldera).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calatayud (DO)</span>

Calatayud is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the southwestern corner of the province of Zaragoza about 90 km from Zaragoza and covers over 5,600 ha, extending over 46 different municipalities, including Calatayud itself. It borders with the Cariñena (DO) in the east and with the province of Soria in the west. It is in the Ebro River valley and is crisscrossed by many of the Ebro's tributaries including the Jalón, Jiloca, Manubles, Mesa (river), Piedra and Ribota. The vineyards are found on the south facing slopes of the Sierra de la Virgen range at heights of between 550 m and 800 m above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almansa (DO)</span>

Almansa is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP), known for its red wines, located in the southeast of the province of Albacete, in the transition zone between the high central plateau and the Mediterranean Sea. The vineyards are mostly around the towns of Almansa, Alpera, Bonete, Corral-Rubio, Higueruela, Hoya-Gonzalo, Pétrola and El Villar de Chinchilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costers del Segre</span> Spanish wine geographical indication

Costers del Segre is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the province of Lleida and is divided into several separate sub-zones. The four original subzones created in 1988 are Artesa, to the northeast of Lleida, Valls de Riucorb to the east, Garrigues and Raïmat. In 1998 two other subzones were added: Pallars Jussà, next to the town of Tremp, 90 km north of Lleida and Segrià to the west and surrounded by the Raimat subzone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pla de Bages</span>

Pla de Bages is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for Catalan wines, located in the province of Barcelona, and is one of the smallest DOPs in Spain, covering less than 500 hectares. It is also one of the newest having acquired its official status in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarragona (DO)</span>

Tarragona is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for Catalan wines, located in the province of Tarragona and covers two distinct areas: the Camp de Tarragona and the Ribera d'Ebre comarca (district).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valencia (DO)</span>

Valencia is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the Province of Valencia within the Valencian Community and is divided into two separate zones and four sub-zones, each of which produces a different type of wine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navarra (DO)</span>

Navarra is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines from the southern half of the autonomous community of Navarre. The vineyards are on the lower slopes of the Pyrenees as they descend towards the basin of the river Ebro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binissalem (DOP)</span>

Binissalem is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located around the town of Binissalem in the centre of the island of Majorca,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pla i Llevant (DO)</span>

Pla i Llevant is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located on the island of Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain. The name in the Catalan or Majorcan language means "plain and east coast."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacoronte-Acentejo</span>

Tacoronte-Acentejo is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the Anaga Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the island of Tenerife. It was the first region in the Canary Islands to acquire DO status, in 1992. It covers the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, El Rosario, Tegueste, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, La Matanza de Acentejo, La Victoria de Acentejo and Santa Úrsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abona (DO)</span>

Abona is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located on the southern coastline of Tenerife,, and acquired its DO in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valle de Güímar</span>

Valle de Güímar is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located along the south-eastern coastline of Tenerife, and acquired its DO in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valle de la Orotava</span>

Valle de la Orotava is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located on the north-western coastline of Tenerife,, and acquired its DO in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ycoden-Daute-Isora</span> Spanish wine region certificate

Ycoden-Daute-Isora is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the western part of the island of Tenerife. It acquired its DO status in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Gomera (DO)</span>

La Gomera is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines that covers the entire island of La Gomera comprising the six municipalities of San Sebastián de la Gomera, Hermigua, Agulo, Vallehermoso, Valle Gran Rey and Alajeró. It obtained its official status in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gran Canaria (DO)</span>

Gran Canaria is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) that covers the entire island of Gran Canaria comprising 21 municipalities. It obtained its official status in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Palma (DO)</span>

La Palma is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines that covers the entire island of La Palma, in the Canary Islands, Spain. It acquired its DO in 1994. There are around 600 ha of vineyards registered with the DOP, planted in a strip along the coast, though the altitude can vary between 200 m and 1,500 m above sea-level. The DOP is divided into three sub-zones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanzarote (DO)</span>

Lanzarote is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines that covers the entire island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, Spain. It acquired its DO in 1994, and there are currently around 1,800 ha under cultivation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Listán negro</span> Variety of grape

Listán Negro is a red Spanish wine grape variety that is widely planted in the Canary Islands, particularly on the island of Tenerife where it is a permitted variety in the Denominaciones de Origen (DO) wines of Tacoronte-Acentejo, Valle de la Orotava, Ycoden-Daute-Isora, and Valle de Güímar. It is also permitted in the Spanish wine regions of El Hierro, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote. More than 5,000 hectares of the Listán Negro grape variety are planted across the Canary Islands.

Islas Canarias is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP), traditionally called a Vino de calidad con Indicación Geográfica. This is one step below the mainstream Denominación de Origen quality wines and one step above the less stringent Vino de la Tierra wines on the quality ladder. It is encompasses all the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands also has ten individual DO's.

References

  1. "Denominación de Origen Protegida "El Hierro"" . Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  2. "D. O. El Hierro". www.doelhierro.es. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  3. Jancis Robinson (17 September 2015). The Oxford Companion to Wine. OUP Oxford. p. 48. ISBN   978-0-19-101607-3.

27°48′39.3″N17°54′51.1″W / 27.810917°N 17.914194°W / 27.810917; -17.914194