5 Great Local Wines to Order in Malaga You Need to Try

Is there any better place to enjoy wine than the Mediterranean metropolis that is Malaga? That would be no. With two denominaciones de origen in the province of Malaga itself and dozens more throughout southern Spain, you're in the perfect position to try some of the most unique wines in the country. These excellent wines to order in Malaga will help expand your horizons and introduce you to what might just be your new favorite.

5 Fabulous Wines to Order in Malaga

1. D.O. Málaga

One of the most famous wines to order in Malaga is named for the region itself. With a 3,000-year history of winemaking in the province, regional producers certainly know what they're doing. The most sought-after wine in the city may easily be D.O. Málaga, a sweet, fortified white wine that's perfect as a digestif.

Sweet Málaga wines come from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes, and the province's sunny Mediterranean climate is ideal for winemaking and results in unique, richly sweet flavors. Malaga's iconic sweet wine is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and you'll often find locals drinking it straight from the barrel in wine bars like Antigua Casa de Guardia (Alameda Principal, 18).

2. D.O. Sierras de Málaga

At the start of the new millennium, D.O. Málaga was the only winemaking region with protected status in the province. Since these wines are known for their sweet quality, winemakers who wanted to produce drier, unfortified wines had no way to classify their products. However, with the creation of D.O. Sierras de Málaga in 2001, these producers were finally able to market their excellent wines under the prestigious denominación de origen label.

Sierras de Málaga wines use a much wider variety of grapes than their sweeter counterparts, and come in white, red, and rosé varieties. These wines are typically young, lighter bodied and especially perfect when sipped on the beach or on a sun-splashed terrace.

3. Sherry (D.O. Jerez, D.O. Manzanilla)

When you think of sherry, you may be imagining a dark, sickly sweet alcohol for old ladies, but it's actually the drink of choice among all walks of life here in its home region of southern Spain. This isn't your grandmother's sherry—in fact, some of the best sherries are a gorgeous white color and bone-dry!

While sherry is especially popular in nearby Seville, it also makes for one of the most unique wines to order in Malaga. And with so many different colors and flavors available on the sherry spectrum, there's truly something that will make everyone's tastebuds happy.

4. D.O. Montilla-Moriles

You may have heard of sherry, even if you haven't tried it yet. However, a newcomer for even the most diehard wine fans is its close cousin: D.O. Montilla-Moriles wine. Produced in the province of Córdoba, just north of Malaga and east of sherry country, these are definitely among the most fascinating wines to order in Malaga.

Montilla-Moriles wines undergo exactly the same production methods as sherry. The main difference is that they use Pedro Ximénez grapes, rather than the Palomino Fino varieties sherry producers use. These grapes are juicier and hold more sugar, which means that the wine does not have to be fortified, unlike sherry. And with only 5 percent of the region's producers exporting their wines, these are seriously hard to come by outside Spain. Enjoy them while you're here!

5. D.O. Granada

Another more recent yet noteworthy addition to Andalusia's ever-growing list of denominaciones de origen, D.O. Granada earns its name from the region where it's produced. Like Malaga, the province of Granada enjoys a unique mix of mountainous terrain and sunny coastline, and these beautiful growing conditions help produce some of the most fascinating wines to order in Malaga.

Many of the producers in Granada's winemaking regions are smaller, family-run bodegas, staunchly proud of their heritage and tradition. They make fresh whites, complex reds and refreshing sparkling wines, all of which taste absolutely perfect when you enjoy them in sunny Malaga.

See Also: The wine bars in Malaga you need to check out

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