Jumilla

Jumilla is a town in southeastern Spain. It is located in the north east of the Region of Murcia, close to the towns of Cieza and Yecla.

Economy

Jumilla's economy is based on agriculture. The main cultivation are vineyards, olive trees and fruits trees.

Jumilla is home to a large photovoltaic solar power farm, with an installed peak power capacity of 20 megawatts. The solar farm consists of 120,000 solar panels and covers 100 hectares (247 acres). The farm's total annual production will be the equivalent of the energy used by 20,000 homes. The solar panels are owned by groups of investors. It is expected to generate an estimated annual income of $28 million (€19 million) and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 42,000 tons a year. Powerlight provided single-axis solar trackers to improve the system's performance. Jumilla, with neighboring Yecla, is one of the primary regions for development of the Murciana and Granadina breeds of dairy goats.

Jumilla is also a wine-producing region. Jumilla's wine production and wine culture are particularly notable for its use of Monastrell as a varietal.

Jumilla (DO)

Jumilla is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines that extends over the north of the region of Murcia, including the municipality of Jumilla—from which it takes its name—and the contiguous southeast of the Albacete province (municipalities of Montealegre del Castillo, Fuentealamo, Ontur, Hellin, Albatana and Tobarra) in the Castile-La Mancha region.

There are currently 32,000 hectares currently under vines in Jumilla DO, 45% of which are in Murcia and 55% in Albacete. There are around 3,000 grape-growers registered.

History

During the outbreak of the phylloxera plague in the 19th century the region surprisingly escaped contamination and so entered a period of economic expansion as wine merchants from France came in great numbers to buy wine. For this reason the vines were never regrafted onto resistant rootstock from the New World as was the case in the rest of Europe. However, the phylloxera pest unexpectedly struck in 1989, devastating the vineyards and reducing production by 60% over the next five years. Replanting and grafting was slow and expensive but allowed the region to adopt the new methods of grape growing and wine making that were already proving successful in the neighbouring DOs of Alicante and Almansa. Jumilla DO is one of the oldest in Spain having acquired its official status in 1966.