Malaga (wine)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Malaga is a sweet fortified wine originating in the Spanish city of Málaga made from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes. The center of Malaga production is Sierra de Almijara, along with Antequera, Archidona, San Pedro Alcantara, Velez Malaga and Competa.

Malaga wine country used to be known for its altar wines, and was not taken seriously in the modern wine world until the famed flying winemaker Telmo Rodriguez landed on the scene. His wine, Molino Real (the royal mill) is considered to be one of the greatest sweet wines in Spain at the moment, and is highly rated by the world’s wine critics as a wine of the century. Interestingly, the winemaking history in Malaga and the nearby mountains is one of the oldest in Europe. However, like many of the world’s great dessert wines, demand fell dramatically in the 20th century and it was fear that this wine would soon become extinct. There is now a recent surge in interest in these sweeties, and Malaga wines are finding their place on the world stage, quite an achievement for a tiny region with only 16 wineries! The main wine villages of this beautiful appellation include Frigiliana and Velez. There are many red and white varietals grown, but the only ones used for dessert wines are the Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel.