- The steep slopes of the coastal valley, La Axarquía, offers us a grape harvest tradition that has changed little in last few centuries.
- The Muscat grapes of La Axarquía are picked by hand and transported with the help of mules.
- It is calculated that the harvest will amount to about 500 tons compared to the 375 last year.
The vineyards in La Axarquía are those furthest south on the continent of Europe in the zone of the Denominación de origin (appelation), D.O. de Málaga and D.O. Sierras de Málaga (Mountains of Malaga) famous internationally for their moscateles dulces (sweet muscats). The varietal is unique and very aromatic due to the membrane surround the seeds. The variety originated in Egypt and possibly brought by the Phoenician some 2,700 year ago. Sweet wines dominate, which during the 18th and 19th centuries was the rage of Paris and London and was tax exempt in Russia under Catherine II. Recently however, a new wine, the dry fruity Muscat wine has been produced here in the valley by at least 4 different wineries during the last decade, and is also