Wine Grapes: Monastrell

Monastrell name derived from a Latin word monasteriellu means monastery suggesting that the varietal was first cultivated and propagated by the monks in the 13th century.  It is believed to originate in Sagunto in the Camp de Morvedre region in Valencia, eastern Spain and later introduced in France where they named it as Mourvedre. The varietal is also known as Mataro named from a town on the Mediterranean coast and was brought to Rousillon which also use in Australia and California.

Monastrell is thick-skinned, small to medium-sized berries that are sweet with late budding and very late ripening. The varietal is quite difficult to grow as it requires high temperature probably facing the sun and adequate water or irrigation. Spain has the biggest area for this variety followed by France in which the Mourvedre is part of the GSM (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre) blends.