Grape harvest in Mallorca: Binissalem's Festa des Vermar turns 60

In September, as August's heat begins to ease, something quite specific happens in the heart of Mallorca: at dawn, between Binissalem, Santa Maria del Camí and Consell, the vineyards fill with crews cutting bunch after bunch before the day warms up. The air smells of must and turned earth, the village's cobbled streets wake to the rumble of tractors loaded with grapes, and the bells of Santa Maria de Robines parish mark the rhythm of a month that's lived differently here: harvest month.

A wine region few visitors ever discover

Mallorca has postcard beaches, but it also has, inland, a wine-growing area with centuries of history: the Binissalem Designation of Origin, officially recognised in 1990, though the first application for protection dates back to 1973. It spans five municipalities in the Raiguer area — Binissalem, Santa Maria del Camí, Consell, Santa Eugènia and Sencelles — and owes much of its character to a native grape, Manto Negro, grown alongside other local varieties such as Callet, Moll, Gargollassa and Giró Ros. It's a landscape few sun-and-sand visitors ever see: neat rows of vines among almond trees, stone houses, and the Serra de Tramuntana as a backdrop.

60 years of a festival that starts with the harvest and ends with a grape fight

This September, Binissalem is celebrating the 60th edition of the Festa des Vermar, running from 4 to 27 September, with the grape harvest and wine running through three weeks of events. The programme includes concerts, theatre and tastings throughout the month, but is concentrated especially in the final weekend, with some of the village's best-loved traditions: the Festa dels Trepitjadors, where barefoot teams compete treading grapes in the square; the Gran Batalla de Raïm, a full-blown grape fight in a field on the outskirts; the Sopar de Fideus de Vermar, with long tables set out in the street and wine from the local D.O.; and the Desfilada de Carrosses, a procession through the village with music and traditional dress. Around these central events, there's also a wine fair with tastings from local producers and activities for all ages.

The wineries opening their doors

Outside festival dates, the region can be explored at a gentle pace almost all year round, and September — with harvest activity still visible among the vines — is one of the best times to do it. Bodegas José L. Ferrer, in Binissalem itself, is one of the island's most established wineries and offers guided visits with tastings included. Celler Tianna Negre, also in the municipality, is committed to organic viticulture and pairs its tour with views of the Tramuntana from the courtyard. And in Santa Maria del Camí, wineries such as Vins Nadal offer tastings alongside local produce: sobrassada, Mallorcan cheese, pagès bread and local olive oil — a pairing that says as much about the wine as about the island that produces it.

An afternoon out without leaving the island

Beyond the festival and the wineries, Binissalem itself is worth a leisurely visit, and it's barely twenty minutes from Palma. Can Gelabert, a former manor house now a cultural centre, hosts tastings, exhibitions and talks during the Festa des Vermar; the rest of the year, it remains a good starting point for a walk through the old town's pale stone streets and grand façades, a legacy of the families who made their fortune from wine in the 19th century. It's a village you can cover on foot in an afternoon, with stops for a drink in one of its squares, and it's a good excuse to rediscover a side of Mallorca quite different from the coast: slower, more agricultural, more its own.

We've written before about how Mallorcan food is, at heart, an extension of the island's quality of life; the wine from the Raiguer is one of its clearest expressions, and September, with the harvest under way, is the best month to discover it. If you're after more ways to make the most of the island beyond beach season, we have a guide to enjoying Mallorca all year round, where the island's interior — its villages, its markets and, yes, its wineries — plays just as big a role as the coast.

You can check the full programme and visiting hours on the D.O. Binissalem wine tourism page, and find out more about its wineries and native grape varieties via the official Illes Balears tourism portal. And if one of these days you swap the beach towel for a walk among the vines, know that in Mallorca, autumn begins with a festival too.