FONDILLÓN
LUXURY WINE WITH MORE THAN 5 CENTURIES OF HISTORY
“I warrant you, in silk and gold; and in such alligant terms; and in such wine and sugar of the best and the fairest "
.
Merry Wives of Windsor. 1602. William Shakespeare.
XVI and XVII centuries: Fondillón in the Huerta de Alicante.
The Alicante Designation of Origin has special conditions for obtaining high-grade wines. Thanks to its dry summers and its native Monastrell variety, its wines achieved international fame, becoming the favorite wines of the 16th and 17th century monarchies.
Firstly, it was the wines from the Huerta de Alicante that, due to their proximity to the port and its advanced irrigation system, managed to create their own name and international recognition from the 16th century.
The 4 main characteristics of the Fondillón:
- Denomination of Origin Alicante.
- Monastrell variety.
- Minimum of 10 years of aging in old barrels.
- Minimum 16º of natural alcohol, never added alcohol.
Beginnings of the Fondillón. XV century.
In the 15th century, after the conquests of the Ottoman Empire in the Adriatic and the Aegean, the old formulas for making "Greek Wine" crossed the Mediterranean, in search of new terroirs in which to make them.
These were luxury wines, often sweet and highly concentrated. They were traveling wines, capable of embarking on long journeys without losing their quality and consumed in northern Europe.
XIX century: Fondillón in Alto Vinalopó
But thanks to the development of transport that the province of Alicante had during the 19th century, the Fondillón culture spread through the interior valleys of the area.
At this time, the wines from a small valley in the North of Alicante stood out above the rest. It was the Fondillones de Beneixama and Biar.
The great production of Monastrell del Alto Vinalopó, the presence of the railway and its relationship with the Valencian bourgeoisie made its table wines reach great fame.
Its prestige was such that they reached the highest prices among all the wines of the city of Valencia at the end of the 19th century.
VAY railway (Villena - Alcoi - Yecla), known as "Tren Txitxarra", at the Bocairent station.
Fondillones from Alto Vinalopó, the most awarded in the 19th century
- General Exhibition of Agriculture, Madrid, 1855:
Vicente Santonja de Biar. "Old Fondillón Abocado" MÁXIMO GALARDÓN (Silver medal).
- National Wine Exhibition, Madrid, 1877.
Santonja Hnos. De Beneixama. " Fondellol Viejo" MÁXIMO GALARDÓN (Perfection medal)
