Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

  • About

Almansa, denominated wine zone in the eastern corner of castile-la mancha in central Spain (see map under spain) with 7,100 ha/17,050 acres under vine. The Almansa do borders the levante regions jumilla and yecla, which produce similarly strong, sturdy red wines, traditionally used for blending but increasingly sold in bottle, principally from monastrell and garnacha tintorera grapes, although syrah is increasingly planted. The climate is extreme. Temperatures rise to 40 °C (104 °F) in summer but can dip below 0 °C (32 °F) in winter. Bodegas Almanseñas, Hacienda El Espino, and the Tintoralba co-op are the leading producers.