Before about two weeks ago I’d never been to Mallorca. I’ve never really been into all that Magaluf crap, and I’ve never committed a crime serious enough for me to have to “retire” out to Marbella. So why would I have been? So when an invite turned up from the wife’s cousin for her wedding in Palma, I was a bit skeptical!
The flight out didn’t help. 5.30 in the morning that bugger was! Left the flat at 2am, after having not slept. Easyjet’ed it out, surrounded by stag and hen parties nailing warm Stella on the flight, and then being met with a Carling theme pub at the airport promising great lager and all day breakfasts. Is it me? Am I being a snob?
But then it all turned around. We Airbnb’ed a flat in the centre of Palma’s old town, and it’s really lovely round there. Ok all the menus are in English or German, but at least it was Mallorcan fish, cheeses, and meats on offer. They also had plenty of Mallorcan wine to go!
Mallorcan wine is having a resurrection thanks to the tourist coin coming in. The olive trees and almond groves are making space for vineyards, and this seriously hot Mediterranean island is having a good go. Slight snag for me is their choice of grapes. They’re tourist crowd pleasers. So many of the whites were Sauvignon Blanc, which lacked any real refreshing character or subtlety. The reds were Merlot, which were just a bit too jammy and sticky. It’s just too damn hot for them!
My hope is that with the change in fashion in places like Catalunya and Ribiero del Duero on the mainland, that hot weather grapes like Garnacha and Carignan will became household names. Then the Mallorcans can have the confidence to plant them. Then I’ll be back with bells on to see how they got on!
It really did change my view of Mallorca. The food was fabulous and the weather was stunning. The setting for the wedding was great, the cousin and her beau looked pure class, and I hope they had a thoroughly top time of it!
Cheers
Mike
