Feel like tasting Ibiza’s wines?

If you love enotourism or wine tourism, you’ll want to discover Ibiza’s wines and taste them during your meals. The island has a long winemaking tradition so it’s easy to taste the local wines at restaurants or at the wineries themselves. And don’t forget its Hierbas Ibicencas, the typical liqueur served at the end of a lengthy meal. Shall we drink a toast?

Interesting nuggets about Ibiza’s wines

Wine, like many other products, taste better when you know its context and peculiarities. Discover the character of Ibizan wines through the following information and nuggets.

• Ibiza boasts its own Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) called Vino de Ibiza / Vi d’Eivissa, which comprises 54 hectares of vineyards and five wineries: Can Rich, Can Maymó, Ibizkus, Ojo de Ibiza and Xumeu Vinya.
• Winegrowing in Ibiza began in the 8th century BC as we can see from the cups and amphorae used by the Phoenicians to store wine.
• Ibiza’s orography has two sets of mountains that are no higher than 500m and between these mountains you find small valleys that are great for growing vines.
• Mid 19th century, Ibiza exported large amounts of wine to France because of the phylloxera plague that destroyed European vineyards. According to Archduke Lluís Salvador, in 1867, the vineyards on the island made up 45 hectares and produced as much as 232 hectolitres of wine.
• The clay soil of the island –with a high carbonate content– moderates the alcohol content in wine, with a minimum ABV of 11% in white wines, 11.5% in rosé wines and 12% in red wines.
• The many hours of sunshine, high temperatures and lack of rain translate into a small production and a faster ripening of the grapes.

Vines at Sant Mateu's valley. © NC

What are Ibiza’s wines like?

The grape varieties used to make wine with Ibiza’s IPG (Vino de Ibiza/Vi d’Eivissa) are:
Red varieties: monastrell, tempranillo, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah.
White varieties: macabeo, chardonnay, muscat from Alejandría, small grain muscat, parellada and malvasia.

Red wines in Ibiza are a bright or deep cherry red shade with ripe fruit, strawberry sweet and thyme on the nose. They are full-bodied, thick, round and warm on the palate. On the other hand, the white wines from Ibiza are usually made with the macabeo grape as the main variety and this provides a lemon-yellow or straw-yellow colour with hints of apple and flowers on the nose.

Wineries in Ibiza: Discover them!

Given that Ibiza’s wine production is quite small, it’s advisable to make the most of your holiday on the island by tasting them at restaurants o buying them to take back home, at wineries, supermarkets or specialised shops.

Can Rich de Buscastell, Sant Antoni
The winery nearest to the village of Sant Antoni has over 20 hectares of vineyards and is known for its organic produce. They also produce Hierbas Ibicencas, vermouth, vinegar and olive oil.
Tours and tastings: Monday-Friday, 10am-2pm.
bodegascanrich.com

Can Rich's vines. © Bodegas Can Rich

Can Maymó, Sant Mateu
Family winery established in 1995 with 7 hectares of vineyards spread around the villages of Sant Mateu, Santa Gertrudis and Sant Agnès.
Tours and tastings: May-October, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am-1pm. Booking required.
bodegascanmaymo.com

Ojo de Ibiza, Sant Mateu
The youngest of Ibiza’s wineries was founded in 2015 by Dieter Meier after buying the former Sa Cova winery. They organise exclusive tastings, one of them a special tasting with a sea view and a walk through the vineyards.
Tours and tastings: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-2pm.
ojoibiza.com

Ibizkus, Santa Eulària
You can taste the wines produced by this winery (established in 2007) in its tasting room all year round but they only offer guided tastings during the peak season.
Tours and tastings: Tuesday-Friday, 11am-15pm.
ibizkus.com

Xumeu Vinya, Sant Josep
This winery is the only winegrower’s sparkling wine in Ibiza with D.O. This means that the winemaker has made this sparkling wine from scratch, from planting the grapes and growing the vineyards to making, ageing and marketing each crop. They don’t offer tours but you can buy their wine directly from the winery.
xumeuvinya.com

Vineyards in the southeast of Ibiza. © Xumeu Vinya

Hostal La Torre: the starting point of your wine trip in Ibiza

Hostal La Torre is well placed for you to explore Ibiza’s wineries as it’s near the vineyards of Sant Antoni and Sant Mateu, where you’ll find a large part of the island’s wine production. If you’re renting a car, we encourage you to explore this quiet rural area where you’ll also find quaint samples of its typical architecture.
And on your way back from your wine route around Ibiza, you can pair your meal at our restaurant with the three balearic wines we have on our wine list: rosé wine Totem Rosé La Veta by Ibizkus (Ibiza); red wine Ophiusa by Cap de Barbaria (Formentera) and white wine Sío Blanc by Bodegas Ribas (Mallorca). Book now your stay directly from our website and drink a toast to your next holiday in Ibiza.

Foto de apertura: @ NC