Over 1,000 kilograms of raisins and wine consumed by El Borge village residents and visitors
THE XI Día de la Pasa (Raisin Day) was celebrated in El Borge, in the Axarquía, on Sunday, and as in all previous celebrations, the participation and dedication of the village’s approximately 1,000 residents made it a day to remember for all those who attended.
Turning out to the clean, whitewashed streets, adorned with fragrant ferns and rosebushes, the residents served plates of meat stew with breadcrumbs, cheese, grapes, glasses of local wine, and of course plenty of the fruit of the day - raisins, to appreciative visitors.
Just before midday, the first fleet of cars arrived at the entry to the village and were subsequently directed towards the river bank. Hiking up the long narrow streets, visitors soon received their reward: just around the corner, one was faced with the visual delight of the enormous vineyard.
In the Plaza de la Constitución, with its views of almost half of the village, residents spoke highly of the Muscatel grape and its qualities: “There is no other grape as good as this”, enthused Antonio Muñoz, a 67 year old El Borge inhabitant. “It grows right here and throughout the Axarquía. It is the sweetest of all of them and makes the best raisins”, he claimed.
To add an element of tradition, a demonstration of the threshing and treading of the grapes took place, to the delight of visitors in the Plaza del Pocillo.
Demonstration
The grape harvesters passed along the streets with baskets filled with grapes on top of their heads. The plaza, which has a small press, was the scene of the demonstration where visitors observed the crushing process undertaken over past centuries in wine production.
El Borge Mayor José Antonio Ponce, explained at the end of the event that it is increasingly popular. “It has been a complete success”, he stated. The Town Hall estimated that some 1,000 kilograms of the fruit and wine had been distributed among visitors, and even though some villagers claimed that the fruit is not as popular as it once was, it still remains a firm favourite among El Borge residents.
(source: Sur In English)
