Club Unesco Alpujarra organizes Jornadas ´El Agua en La Alpujarra´

A new institution ´Club Unesco de la Alpujarra granadina´ has been founded and was presented on the 20th of March in Órgiva. The volunteers will dedicate themselves to different causes that are related to the environment, the natural and cultural heritage, culture and education. This club is under the auspices of the ´Centro Unesco de Andalucía´ and is part of the centres that are supported by the international organization Unesco. The chairman of the Centro Unesco de Andalucía is Miguel Carrasco, born in Órgiva, he is proud that the Alpujarra club is one of the first to be constituted. This is what we can read in the newspaper article ´El Club Unesco de la Alpujara empieza su andadura para trabajar por la comarca´ published in Granada Hoy on the 24th of March 2009. At the end of this article it is said that the first event organized by this local Unesco club, in cooperation with the Asociación Cultural Abuxarra, will be a conference on the water of the Alpujarra. This conference will take place in Pitres on the 17th and 18th of April 2009. The acequias will be one of the important topics of the different speeches as we can see on the programme of these Jornadas ´El Agua en la Alpujarra´.

Media maratón of Cádiar, an initiative to be encouraged

The first edition of the ´Alpujarras cross country media maratón´ started in Cádiar this morning at ten o´clock at Plaza España. A hundred people took part running or walking. The scenic route was almost all on country tracks and paths and for a great part along the river Guadalfeo. The weather was good, altough for the uphill parts quite warm.
It must be appreciated that Mike and Sue Busby took this initiative in a region where walking and running for fun have little history. Apart from confusion about some parts of the exact track, other apects were well taken care of thanks to a lot of volunteers.
The male winner was Serafín Moreno Manzano in 1:32:06 followed closely by Fernando Godino Crespo in 1:32:07. The female winner Ana Manzano González finished in 2:18:17. Both winners are from Cádiar. The results and photographs will be published on the website of the organization of the Alpujarra experience.
A second edition of this media maratón should be supported. Learning from the experience of today and using the feedback of participants it can become a good tradition. Thanks Mike, Sue and all other people that contributed to the organization of this event.
PS This morning the 10th of April, we´re glad to read on the website of the cross country challenge that there will be a second edition of the Cádiar half marathon next year. We wish the new team good luck with the organization.
PS today 27th of march 2010 there is no sign of any second edition.

Wineries or ´bodegas´ in the Alpujarras

The Alpujarras is an up-and-coming wine area. Most Alpujarras wines or ´vinos de las Alpujarras´ produced in relatively small bodegas. In the publication of the ADR Alpujarra ´El Sabor the la Alpujarra´ which we mentioned in an earlier post a list of local bodegas can be found. Here we give the complete list of wineries from this publication after having checked and updated the links. This post has a permanent link in the side column.

ALPUJARRAS GRANADINA
Bodegas Adela Gualda - Albondón
Bodegas Antonio Manzano Gualda - Albondón
Bodegas Fco. del Castillo Martín - Albondón
Bodegas Felix García Santiago - Albondón
Bodegas Francisco Manzano Santiago - Albondón
Bodegas Hnos. Moreno - Albondón
Bodegas José Rodríguez Lupiañez - Albondón
Bodega los Astacios - Albondón
Bodega Mayla, S.L. - Albondón
Bodega Vinos la Fragua de Albondón - Albondón
Bodegas El Sotillo - Albuñol (La Rábita)
Bodega Lorente - Albuñol
Bodega Alquería de Morayma - Cádiar
Bodega Barranco Oscurro - Cádiar - (video on this blog)
Bodegas García de Verdevique - Cástaras - (video on Youtube: IX Feria del Vino y la Denominación de Origen 2008
Bodega de Maria - Laroles
Bodega Fuentezuelas - Laroles - (video on Youtube : XIV Feria de Turismo, Artesanía y Alimentación "Hecho en la Alpujarra" 2009)
Bodega Maria Carmen Ramos Martín - Laroles
Bodega los Barrancos - Lobras
Bodegas Cuatro Vientos - Murtas
Bodega El Trovador - Murtas
Bodega Piedras Blancas - Torvizcón
Juan de Reyes - Torvizcón (see related article Alpujárride)
Bodega Dominio Buenavista - Ugíjar (vinos ´veleta´)

ALPUJARRAS ALMERIENSE
Bodega El Pintao - Abla
Bodega de Alboloduy - Alboloduy
Bodeja Cortijo La Vieja - Alcolea (vinos ´iniza´)
Bodega Finca Anfora - Enix (vinos ´vega enix´)
Bodega Fuente Victoria - Fondón
Selección de vinos de Fondón - Fondón
Bodega Cortijo El Cura - Laujar de Andarax
Bodegas Valle de Laujar - Laujar de Andarax
Bodega Condado de Ojancos - Laujar de Andarax
Bodegas y Viñedos de Laujar - Laujar de Andarax
Bodega Hacienda Capellanía - Nacimiento
Bodega Antonio Jiménez - Padules
Bodega Barea Granados - Padules

On our website http://www.elparaje.com/ we have a section on the bodegas from which we have wines on our wine list.


Related articles:
- Guía de vinos de Granada - Granada wine guide
- All articles with wine index label

related keywords: wines, wijnen, vinos, vins, weine, bodega, wijnmakerij, weingut, wijnproeverij, vineyards, wijngaarden, vignoble,

Publication on acequias "The ´Careos´ from Alpujarra"

There are two types of acequias to be found in the Alpujarras, there are ´acequias de riego´ irrigation canals and there are ´acequias de careo´. The ´acequias de careo´ fill aquifers so that the springs keep flowing in the dry months. At the same time they generate pastures - ´carear´ means to guide the livestock to graze - which explains the name of this type of canal. The ´Acequia de Mecina´, about which we wrote in our last post, is an ´acequia de careo´.
While looking for more information on acequias we found out that in December 2005 an interesting paper was written on the ´acequias de careo´ or ´careos´ canals as they are called in this essay. In 2006 an abstract of this Spanish thesis was published in the Revista de Ciencia, Tecnolgía y Medio Ambiente, called Technolgi@ y Desarrrollo. An English version of this paper on the ´careos´ can be found on the internet as well. The title of the Englis version is ´The ´careos´ from Alpujarra (Granada, Spain), a historical example of artificial recharge previous to XIII century applicable to the XXI century, characterization and inventory.´ This paper is written by A. Enrique Fernández Escalante, Manuel García Rodríguez and Fermín Villarroya Gil and arose from the Ph.D. thesis of the first author.
In the paper it is explained that these canals are traditionally dug in soils or rock, and are used like a technique for artificial recharge of aquifers in the Alpujarra area, mainly by means of waters of thaw of the Sierra Nevada range. It says that their origin goes back to at least the year 1139, but that its most extensive employment was reached in the last centuries of the Muslim time, XIII to XV centuries, when an intricate canilisation system was developed for the maximum use of the water. ´Careos´ canals facilitate the infiltration of the water. The water of the rivers and streams is diverted by these canals during the winter and the spring, to the flat areas where it infiltrates. Each canal has its areas of recharge called ´simas´ or ´cimas´. The investigators classified and defined a total of 23 ´careos´ canals. They state that the Acequia de Mecina is the largest to be found in the Sierra Nevada, that it is well-developed, well-conserved and that it has twenty ´simas´ were the water is distributed. One of the conclusions in the paper is: "It would be important to preserve and to maintain these systems of careos, given their high historical and environmental value." We think this paper to be very informative and we are glad that local authorities are each time more aware of the importance of these canals that have been operative for at least eight centuries. Since the declaration of Sierra Nevada as Parque Nacional y Natural in 1999, the program to recuperate the canals has been given high priority. "Where would we be without them?" in other words: ¡Si no fuera por ellas!, says the sign along the Acequia de Mecina.

Walking along the ´Acequia de Mecina´

In an earlier post, we wrote that the local circular walk ´Junta de los Ríos´ has been changed into a linear walk. This new walk follows the ´Camino a Lanteira´ to the Junta de los Ríos. Instead of following the irrigation channel ´acequia nueva´ back to the village, it continues six kilometres northwards passing numerous ´cortijos´ or farm buildings. The threshing circles are no longer used, but tomatoes and beans are grown here, there are some fruit orchards and there are a few farms for cattle breeding. After having ascended 620 metres over ten kilometres in distance, you arrive at Cortijo de los Pollos. This cortijo is at an altitude of 1,944 metres one of the highest situated farms of Bérchules. Next to this cortijo, you find a sign saying ´Fin de Sendero Local´ , in other words ´End of the Local Walk´.
As we do not like linear walks ourselves, we were challenged to see whether we could continue from here and make a loop. We found out that by following an abandoned water channel behind this farm building, we could connect to the path along the Acequia de Mecina close to where it starts taking water from the Río Grande de Bérchules. Then we knew we had found a possibility to make a circular route. By following this canal down for 7,5 kilometres we could then connect to the GR-7 to get back to the village. We did this route when there was no meltwater running down, and were curious to actually see the system functioning. Today we took the opportunity and saw water running in the first four kilometres. This is the part from where it starts taking water from the river to a branch just above the ´pista alta´ and Cortijo de Fuente Merino. Altough there was no water running from this point to the Cima del Tejar, it is still a pleasure to simply enjoy its beauty. The Acequia de Mecina is well conserved and suplies water to the village of Mecina Bombarón. It is one of the most impressive canals in the Alpujarreas that we know and it is fascinating to imagine that it has been operative from the Muslim period. Our ´Acequia de Mecina´ route has a total length of almost 24 kilometres, four kilometres longer than walking the same way back of the Junta de los Ríos linear walk, but much more interesting.