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he 330-hectare property of Son Bunyola, part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Limited Edition group, sweeps down from mountains to the sea along the northwest coast of Mallorca. This truly privileged setting has been part of the island’s agricultural heritage for centuries, with the first known production of wine dating back to the 13th century. The area’s niche microclimate gave way to successful harvests in wine until the end of the 19th century, when it was invaded by Phylloxera, as was much of Europe, and wine production completely dropped off. When Branson bought the property in 2015, for the second time, it was always part of his vision to revive the agricultural traditions of the land as part of the meticulous renovation project that also included a 13th century tower. Over the years, they have planted hundreds of olive trees, restored and repaired the stone terraces for irrigation and farming and planted numerous herb and vegetable gardens which are serving the hotel’s restaurant.
Wine production was also on the agenda, but because of the difficult terrain, they needed to know what grapes would work best on the land and how to correctly revive it. They found evidence of early wine production, including a couple of very old bottles found on the property, but more importantly, they were able to trace the production of the Malvasia grape to the property thanks to a project overseen by Hipólito Medrano at UIB that began in 2000. The team had recuperated ancient vines from the Banyalfubar region, where Son Bunyola is situated and were working on recovering it for contemporary growing.
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