Callet, the grape of Mallorca’s Pla i Llevant region

Mallorca is renowned for its natural beauty and its cuisine, but also for its unique grape varieties found nowhere else. One of the most interesting is Callet, a native grape that produces fine, fresh wines closely linked to the island’s Mediterranean character.

Mallorca’s native grape varieties, Callet and Mantonegro

In another article, we discussed the Mantonegro grape, a variety native to Mallorca and the main variety in the Binissalem DO. Today we will discuss another variety native to the island, the Callet.

Origins of the Callet grape

Some studies suggest that the Callet probably originated from two other varieties: the Callet Negrella and the Fogoneu.

Interestingly, the latter, the Fogoneu, was the most widely planted grape on the island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was the period when vineyards in France were ravaged by phylloxera, and Mallorca benefited from this, as it produced and was able to export large quantities of wine to its neighbouring country. Much of this wine came from the Felanitx area and was exported from its port, Porto Colom.

Today, the successor to Fogoneu is Callet, which is the most widely used variety in the Manacor and Felanitx areas. It is also the most representative grape of the DO Pla i Llevant, which encompasses 19 municipalities on the island.

Characteristics

Callet bunches tend to be large and fairly compact. The grapes are medium to large in size, globular in shape, with a bluish-black skin and very faint, almost non-existent, internal pigmentation.
Ideally, Callet should be planted in poor, shallow and stony soils (‘Leptosol’). If the soil is very fertile, excessive vegetative growth will occur and the grapes will struggle to ripen. On average, this variety yields more in kilograms than the other native grape, Mantonegro
The aromatic potential and colour intensity are of average intensity, and the resulting wines will also have average depth. On the other hand, and although Mallorca is a warm region, the alcohol content is quite low, at around 11.5–12% ABV.

What are wines made from Callet like?

When produced from old Callet vines, the wines are highly aromatic and expressive. The predominant aromas are of red fruits—raspberries, cherries and blackberries—sometimes with floral or aniseed notes.

As we have already mentioned, they do not develop a high alcohol content, and this is one of the characteristics that makes this variety rather difficult to work with. Some compare it to Pinot Noir.

The colour of the wines is not very dark, but rather a bright, clean ruby red, of medium depth. On tasting, they appear medium-bodied, refined and elegant, and are light and easy to drink.

If you want to know about another interesting grape variety autochthonous of Mallorca, Mantonegro, follow the link: Mantonegro

Today, Callet is one of the most representative varieties of the Pla i Llevant Designation of Origin, demonstrating that Mallorca has its own distinct wine-growing identity within the Mediterranean. If you’d like to discover the true character of this variety, we invite you to try some Mallorcan wines made from Callet grapes, available in our online shop: Discover the best gourmet products from Mallorca