DISTANCE: 25km (15 miles)
TIME: A full day
START: Santa Maria del Camí
END: Binissalem
POINTS TO NOTE: This route is created for driving, but it could easily be done by bicycle since distances are short and the region is flat. The best time of year to do it is September, when the grape harvest celebrations take place, but if you find yourself here in August, the Bodega Vins Nadal hosts a super jazz festival. With 13 different wineries – details of which can be seen at www.binissalemdo.com – now open to the public, you could easily make the route last a few days or a long weekend. This tour takes in a broad selection to serve as a general introduction to the area.
Wine has been made on Mallorca since Roman times, and the vintages were highly regarded, too, compared by the historian Pliny to the finest wines in Italy. Over time the production of wine spread across the island into the regions of Bunyola, Campos, Felanitx, Manacor, Porreres and Valldemossa, although much of it was wiped out during the phylloxera outbreak in 1899. Up until this point, and unlike the rest of Europe, the island had remained blessedly free of the wine louse, but in the following 100 years production fell from 30,000 hectares (75,000 acres) to a mere 2,000 (5,000). It wasn’t until the 1960s that wine production started up in earnest again, and as interest in Spain as a gourmet destination grew in the mid-1990s, so winemakers in Mallorca upped their game. Today they offer some of the most exciting (and expensive) wines in the country, and there is no better place to get acquainted with them. The most important local grape varieties are Manto Negro, Callet and Moll (red) and Premsal Blanco (white). Look out for these on the bottle labels to get a proper taste of Mallorca’s distinctive terroir.
Village of Santa Maria del Camí
Robert Harding
Santa Maria del Camí
Away from the coasts, the quiet countryside and ancient towns of the Mallorcan interior have remained largely unaffected by tourism, offering a taste of old-style island life to those who make the effort to go and find it. Take the Ma-13 highway from Palma in the direction of Inca, and within 15 minutes you will see signs to the pretty village of Santa Maria del Camí 1 [map] – a good place to fuel up with a strong cup of coffee in the main square before this tour begins.
Bodegas Angel’s vineyard
Bodegas Angel
Macià Batle 2 [map] (Camí de Coanegra s/n, Santa Maria del Camí; tel: 971 140 014; www.maciabatle.com; guided visits Mon–Sat mid-Mar–Oct 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm, Nov–mid–Mar at noon, 2.30pm and 4pm) is located just a little way north of the town centre, and is one of Mallorca’s best-known wineries, occupying an impressive position on the plains, with the Tramuntana mountain range rising up behind. The winery is well geared for visits, with a smart tasting room that looks out over the maceration tanks and the vineyards, but the labels themselves are also noteworthy, as each has been designed by a famous artist – both international names and local ones – among them Rebecca Horn, Yannick Vu and Pep Coll. At the other end of the scale, Celler Sebastià Pastor 3 [map] (Carrer Paborde Jaume 17, Santa Maria del Camí; tel: 971 620 358; www.sebastiapastor.com; Tue–Fri 8.30am–2pm, 4–8pm, Sat–Mon am only) is a far more modest affair, but interesting because here they make wines using only local grape varieties. The wine is simple – table wines rather than great vintages – but an enjoyable variety that is perfect for picnics. If you are in the area at lunchtime, it’s worth making a short detour northwest for lunch at the delightful Moli des Torrent, see 1.
Sencelles
On the road to Sencelles you will pass Bodegas Angel 4 [map] (Carretera Santa Maria–Sencelles Km 4.8; tel: 971 621 638; www.bodegasangel.com; Mon–Fri 10am–5pm), one of the most state-of-the art, modern wineries on the island, which prides itself on excellent new-wave wines, including a stupendous white. For anyone who appreciates small-production boutique wines, this is one not to be missed.
Wine vats
Bodegas Angel
Continue in the direction of the one-horse town of Sencelles 5 [map] and just outside you will find Ca Sa Padrina 6 [map] (Cami dels Horts s/n, Sencelles; tel: 660 211 939 or 646 318 600; http://vinscasapadrina.com; phone in advance to arrange a visit), which is likewise intent on rediscovering traditional winemaking techniques by using only endemic grape varieties and harvesting everything by hand. Again, it’s a must for serious wine drinkers.
A traditional winery
Heading directly north out of town, Can Remis 7 [map] (Carrer Sor Francinaina Ana Cirer 14, Sencelles; tel: 971 872 418; Mon–Sat 10am–8pm, Sun until 2pm) is one of the oldest wineries and brandy distillers on the island, dating back to 1870. It makes a striking contrast to the more contemporary facilities you will have visited earlier in the day, and is a good halfway point for breaking for lunch.
Entrance to the winery
Bodegas Angel
Most of what you read about Inca is in the context of its leather-working past and its current incarnation as a hub of shoe outlets. The truth is both industries are in decline, and bargains are few and far between. Inca, in fact, is far more interesting as the centre of centuries-old wine cellers, which operated much like modern-day wine bars. Most didn’t start serving food until the mid-20th century, but once they did, a whole new tradition of celler cuisine was born: one that was hale and hearty, featuring local produce in abundance, and restored regional recipes such as roast quail and pork wrapped in cabbage leaves to their place at the top of the island’s culinary hierarchy. Come to Inca to eat rather than shop, and you won’t leave disappointed.
Chardonnay and Prensal Blanc grape varieties at Bodegas Angel
Bodegas Angel
Binissalem
If you are happy to keep going, continue north to Binissalem 8 [map], which has several good eating options and puts you at the heart of wine-growing country. But be sure to save enough energy to stop en route at the Bodega Biniagual 9 [map] (Ap. Correos 5; tel: 678 079 148; www.bodegabiniagual.com; phone ahead to arrange a visit), arguably the prettiest winery on the island. The cooperative occupies the whole hamlet of Biniagual and attracts some of Spain’s most talented winemakers, so it always makes for interesting drinking. They also produce olive oil.
Just before you reach town, Bodegas Antonio Nadal ) [map] (Finca Son Roig, Camí de Son Roig, Binissalem; tel: 630 914 511; www.antonionadalros.com; Mon–Fri 9am–1pm, 4–6pm, Sat–Sun upon previous arrangement only) was the first winery on the island to gain D.O. status back in 1989. Its wines are still considered to be among the best, and if you treat yourself to a bottle of Magdalena Nadal Estela you will find out why.
And so to Binissalem, the official seat of the D.O. (Denominación de Origen). Vins Nadal (Carrer Ramon Llull 2, Binissalem; tel: 971 511 058; www.vinsnadal.com; Mon–Thu 9am–1pm, 3–6pm, Fri am only, call in advance) offers consistently high-quality wines at reasonable prices. They also stage jazz concerts in the cellars in the summer, combining great food, wine and music. It’s well worth bagging a ticket for these if you can (see the website for details). But no visit is complete without stopping at José Luis Ferrer (Carrer Conquistador 103; tel: 971 511 050; www.vinosferrer.com), probably the island’s most famous winery. The distinctive orange label of their crianza is the house wine of choice for restaurants all over Mallorca.
Thus lubricated, you will be glad to know there are several good places to eat in Binissalem, and it’s a great place to round off the day either with a full dinner or with drinks on the square: try Café Singló or Sa Cuina de N’aina, see 2 and 3.
Food and Drink
1 Moli des Torrent
Carreterade Bunyola (Ma-2020), Santa Maria del Camí [map]; tel: 971 140 503; www.molidestorrent.de; L and D, closed Wed–Thu; €€€
On the western outskirts of town, this beautiful restored windmill is a lovely place to dine alfresco in the summer and well worth the detour. The German-run restaurant focuses on seasonal regional cuisine and features the likes of prawns with potato salad followed by apple strudel. There is a good selection of Mallorcan wines and also German beers.
2 Café Singló
Plaça Església 5, Binissalem [map]; tel: 971 870 599; http://singlo.restaurantesok.com; B, L and D; €€
This upmarket café-restaurant with a pleasant terrace on the main square is very much a local meeting point, whether it’s for coffee first thing in the morning, a top-flight three-course menú for lunch, or drinks in the evening.
3 Sa Cuina de N’aina
Carrer Rafal 31, Sencelles [map]; tel: 971 612 178; www.sacuinadenaina.com; L, D, closed Mon D and Tue; €€
Family-run small restaurant set around an attractive interior courtyard. The food, like the surroundings, is traditional: roast suckling pig and lamb are the house specialities. Home-made fig ice cream is a winner for dessert.