Archaeological finds in ancient
Iberian settlements such as the one at show that grape growing and wine production in the area dates from at least the 7th century BC. In the 1st century BC, the
ancient Romans, after defeating the
Carthaginians, settled the area and introduced new wine making techniques. During the
Moorish dominion of the
Iberian Peninsula, wine production was tolerated, even though it was forbidden by the
Koran. The first written references to vineyards and wine date from the 15th century. During the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, population and the areas under vineyards increased, and some distilleries are known to have operated. The 19th century was the golden age for the Utiel-Requena area as the number of vineyards increased even more. In 1847, communications with the port of Valencia were improved and in 1887 a railway line connected Utiel with Valencia. The renowned Bodega Redonda (Redonda Winery) dates from this time, strategically located next to the railway station in Utiel, and today is the seat of the Utiel-Requena DOP Regulatory Council (
Consejo Regulador). Exports were significant as the French vineyards were affected by
oidium during the decade 1852 to 1862, and then were struck by the
phylloxera virus from 1868 onwards along with the rest of
Europe. The vineyards of Utiel-Requena escaped the devastating effects of the phylloxera virus because they were planted with the Bobal grape variety, which is more resistant to it than other varieties. This gave producers the chance to replace their vines by grafting varietals onto New
World rootstock. In 1965 the first cooperative was founded with the purpose of bottling and aging wines. There are currently over 100 wineries registered with the DOP, which was created in 1932. ==Geography==