Issue date: 20 Sep, 2017
GASTRONOMY: PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN OF MURCIA
Correos continues its Gastronomy series, and this year is issuing a mini sheet dedicated to the Protected Designation of Origin of the Region of Murcia, with Calasparra rice and Jumilla wines as the star products.
When a product acquires its “Designation of Origin”, this means it is produced in a specific area, it has certain unique characteristics, and is available in limited quantities.
Once it has this distinction, the producers must agree to maintain the quality of the product and to follow production protocols.
The entire process is controlled by regulating bodies, which check that requirements are met and authorise the products to bear the labels indicating the designation.
Calasparra rice. The famous rice from Calasparra is grown around 300 to 350 metres above sea level, in an exceptional climate. The purity of the reservoir water in the paddy fields gives this rice its unique properties. It is dried naturally in hot, dry weather, and this intense dryness makes it especially absorbent, taking in flavours during cooking and producing tastier dishes.
Jumilla wines. To the north of the region of Murcia and the south-east of Albacete province, on a high plain surrounded by mountains, there are vineyards with “pardo” or dark soil, chalky soil, and a mixture of the two, in a rugged landscape that nevertheless produces the Monastrell grape, the basis for the region’s wines. The Regulatory Council of the Protected Designation of Origin Vinos de Jumilla assesses the quality of these wines every year.
The mini sheet depicts a grapevine and grains of rice. The stamps show wooden spoons with rice and a glass of wine in the foreground, and a vineyard in the background.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.