Wild boar destroy Dénia's last remaining vineyard

ONE of the last surviving vineyards in Dénia has been wrecked by wild boar, just two months before the grape harvest was due.

Back in the raisin-trade days – which ended about a century ago – what is now Dénia's heavily built-up seafront was replete with Muscatel grapevines. But only a handful remain today, including Francisco Ginestar's 2.5-acre plot in the Palmar area, which he inherited from his grandfather.

“My 1,200 vines were absolutely bursting with grapes, and we've lost the lot,” the 75-yearold farmer lamented.

“They were the last grapevines left in Dénia, and the Palmar area has a long history; it was here that the best raisin grapes were grown for exporting to the UK.”

A sounder of wild boar broke through the fence on Saturday night, trampling the lot, ripping vines up by the roots and eating them.

“They should do here like they do in France,” argued Francisco.

“Over there, they send out a loss adjuster to value the damage, and the farmer is compensated accordingly.

“Also, owners of abandoned wasteland should be ordered by law to maintain them, because as well as a fire hazard, they attract wild boar to the area.”

Francisco's vineyards are surrounded by beach-front apartment blocks and disused plots of what used to be farmland.

“Authorities should be supporting farmers. Dénia's history lies right here, and it's been destroyed in one night,” he complained.

“My vineyard has enabled me to feed my family and send my three kids to university, and this year, it was doing particularly well. Each vine would have yielded about 10 kilos of grapes, but they're all gone now.”