Méntrida (wine)
Méntrida is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines covering many municipalities in the northeast corner of the province of Toledo (Castile-La Mancha, Spain) and which is divided into three distinct areas: Talavera, Torrijos, and Sagra-Toledo, with over 26,000 hectares (64,000 acres) under vines, the majority (71%) being in Torrijos.
History
Wine has been produced in this region since at least the 16th century. For many centuries its main market was the city of Madrid though at the end of the 19th century wines were exported abroad and participated in international trade fairs.
The DO acquired its official status in 1976. Along with other traditional wine-producing regions it has recently started to produce white wines and to age, bottle and label its reds.
Climate
The climate is continental (long hot summers and cold winters) with extreme temperature variations over the course of the year: around 40 °C (104 °F) in summer and below zero in winter, with many days of frost. The average annual rainfall is between 300–450 millimetres (12–18 in), falling mainly between March and May and between September and November.
Soils
The soils are sandy-clay with an average loose consistency. They are poor in nutrients and retain the available moisture well. The vineyards are mainly at a height of between 400 and 600 metres (1,300 and 2,000 ft) above sea level, though some municipalities in the northeast reach a height of 800 m.
Grapes
Méntrida produces mainly red wines as the red grape variety Garnacha represents over 80% of the grapes planted. The remaining 20% is made up by the other four authorised red varieties, Tempranillo (known as Cencibel), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. There is also a very small quantity of white varieties such as Albillo, Macabeo, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.
The vines are planted mainly as low bushes (en vaso) although new vineyards with irrigation tend to be planted on trellises. The planting density varies between 1,100 and 2,500 vines/ha.