Division 5.1 Specificity of the geographical area

There have been references to the link between vine growing and the defined geographical area since ancient times, right down till the present day. Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) mentioned the fact that there were vineyards in Malaga in his work the ‘Natural History’. During the Nasrid dynasty era (13th-15th centuries) agricultural production was encouraged, in particular grape growing for raisin production. Vine growing flourished until the end of the 19th century, when a combination of commercial factors and plant health problems, mainly phylloxera (Viteus vitifoliae, Fitch) caused the sector to collapse. As a result, today’s vineyards are scattered all over the province. In two of these areas most of the grapes have traditionally been grown for raisin production. Both areas of production are in the southern part of the province, bordering on the Mediterranean sea, so they have a subtropical Mediterranean climate. The uneven terrain is also a general feature of the Province of Malaga. Although grapes grown for raisin production no longer occupy as much land as they did before phylloxera, they are still an important factor in the economy and the socio-cultural environment in a large section of the province. They are grown in more than 35 municipalities by over 1 800 farmers on 2 200 ha of land.

The qualities of ‘Pasas de Málaga’ are to a large extent determined by the natural environment. One of the characteristic features of the geographical area is its uneven terrain: the landscape is a succession of hills and river beds with gradients of over 30 %. The territory, with a high mountain range to the north and the Mediterranean sea in the south, is a succession of canyons and river beds which form a very particular landscape with steep slopes, so that the whole of Axarquia is like a hillside going down to the sea. In the Manilva area, where the vines are close to the sea, the relief is gentler than in Axarquia.

The soil is essentially slatey, poor, shallow and with poor water holding capacity. The climate is subtropical Mediterranean, with mild winters, dry summers, little rain and long hours of sunshine (average 2 974 hours over the past decade).