Wine Law

during the first century of Spanish colonisation, led Havana’s governor, JuanMaldonado Barnuevo, to dictate a tax rate on the wine sold in the 80 taverns in the town at the end of the 16 th century 4 . The origins of wine consumption in Cuba are indissolubly linked to the cultural component of Spanish colonisation, which has brought, as was to be expected, the influence, mainly of Spanish wines, on their preferential consumption in Cuba and, consequently, on Castilian cuisine in Cuba and Cuban cuisine itself. In the 17 th century, Havana had doubled the amount of Spanish wine imports. Shortly afterwards, Matanzas, with an excellent port, had 60 taverns and the other towns in the interior of the island had establishments for the sale and consumption of wine 5 . During the remaining centuries of Spanish domination in Cuba – which ended in 1899 –, the import of wines, mainly from the Iberian Peninsula, was extended and diversified 6 . Since the end of the 18 th century and during the 19 th century, Cuba has depended on importing these products – mainly from Spain – for the consumption of so-called caldos (wines and liqueurs). As SARMIENTO RAMÍREZ states, in the period between 1800 and 1868, Spain was a priority for shipments of products such as rice, oil, wine and flour, and imports of wine and spirits grew from 8.78%, in the period between 1827 and 1846, to 9.53%, between 1851 and 1852 7 . However, as a result of several economic indicators unfavourable to Iberian imports into Cuba 8 , the importation 4 “ Historia del Vino en Cuba ”, Ecured , op . cit . GARCÍA VALDÉS argues: “It is curious that most of the commercial traffic in wine exports was maintained at that time by Gran Canaria with Cuba, fundamentally with Havana. Gran Canaria considered Cuba to be a more profitable market and a better client, capable of absorbing between 5,000 and 6,000 pipes a year. In fact, Havana was the main recipient of Gran Canarian wines in the entire Caribbean area”, vid. “El vino español…” , op . cit . 5 Idem . 6 “Cuba was the first country to receive the excellent Spanish wine from La Rioja . The archives of La Rioja and the memoirs of the founder of Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta tell us that it was in 1852 that this reputable company made its first export of Rioja wine abroad. Mexico and Cuba were the designated destinations. The ship with 100 oak barrels arrived happily at Havana port. Unfortunately, the ship carrying the consignment to Mexico never arrived in port. It is recorded that Viña Tondonia , a Riojan winery in Haro , was already sending a large quantity of wine to the colony and the navy at the end of the century”. GARCÍA VALDÉS, “El vino español…”, op . cit . 7 Vid . SARMIENTO RAMÍREZ, Ismael, “La alimentación cubana (1800-1868): Producción interna e importaciones”, pp. 120-121. According to the General Balance of Trade of the Island of Cuba (1827-1860), the wines imported were mainly white wines from the Canary Islands, Jerez and Málaga , Malvasia de Madera , muscatel, champagne, Rhine, dry, generous and red, available at: https://www.academia.edu/9001208/LA_ALIMENTACI%C3%93N_CUBANA_1800_1868_PRODUCCI%C3%93N_INTER NA_E_IMPORTACIONES. 8 Vid. PIQUERAS ARENAS, José A. “Mercados protegidos y consumo desigual. Cuba y el capitalismo español entre 1878 7 1898”, in Revista de Historia Económica , Year XVI Autmn-Winter 1998, no. 3, p. 765.