‘De-vine’ spring growth

THE VINES in La Mata-Torrevieja natural park have burst into life.

Green leaves and shoots are appearing as spring begins its miraculous transformation of the countryside.

Viticulturists will be expecting a bumper crop of grapes this year with wet weather in March spurring the growth of the vines.

The vines in the natural park stand in fields on the southern and eastern shores of La Mata salt lake.

The sandy soil produces a unique sweet white wine which is traditionally harvested by residents of La Mata village and drunk at Christmas in the same year.

The grapes are picked in early August, in what is often the first harvest of its kind in the whole of Spain.

In recent years wine producers from other areas of Alicante province have started to tend large areas of the vineyards.

They have planted different kinds of grapes and are even producing some red wines.

Some of the harvest also now goes to markets to be sold as table grapes.