Miguel de Gálvez Russia's love affair with Malaga wine

Miguel de Gálvez y Gallardo was born in Macharaviaya in 1725 into the influential Gálvez family. He became a prominent lawyer, politician and diplomat under King Carlos III of Spain and was the uncle of Bernardo de Gálvez, who led the battle of Pensacola during the American war of independence against the British in 1781.

After serving as Spain's ambassador to Prussia, Miguel de Gálvez was appointed Spain's ambassador to the Russian court in St. Petersburg in the late 1780s. His time in the Russian court coincided with Catherine the Great's rule of Russia from 1762 to 1796.

Fortunately for Miguel, she was known for her appreciation of European culture, art and luxury goods, so Miguel de Gálvez wasted no opportunity to promote Malaga during his diplomatic career.

Realising that products being sold as Malaga wine at the Russian court were often inferior or counterfeit, he arranged for 48 bottles or several cases of wine from the Axarquía to be sent over where he presented them to Catherine. She reportedly enjoyed them so much that they became favourites at court.

Impressed by the quality of the wine, Catherine granted Malaga wines an exceptional trading privilege. She exempted authentic wines, those certified by Malaga's Hermandad de Viñeros (wine producers' guild), from Russian customs duties.

This dramatically improved their competitiveness in the Russian market and opened an important export route for Malaga's wine producers and it was sometimes known as “the wine of the Tsars”.

By the end of the eighteenth century, Malaga was one of Europe's major exporters of sweet fortified wines, raisins and figs to the Russian Empire and this would enhance the wine's prestige throughout Europe.

In fact writers including Fyodor Dostoevsky refer to Malaga wines in their writing.

In chapter five of Uncle's Dream there is some confusion as to whether Malaga is a wine, or a place, which can cure people of maladies: “I have read it too, somewhere, that off Spain there is a wonderful island, called Malaga. I think it was Malaga; anyhow, the name was like some wine, where, not only ordinary sufferers from chest maladies, but even consumptive patients, recover entirely, solely by virtue of the climate, and that sick people go there on purpose to be cured.”

Miguel de Gálvez died in Gotha, Germany in 1792. Calle Miguel de Gálvez in Macharaviaya is named after him and he is one of the figures that forms part of the De Gálvez statue near María Zambrano train station in Malaga city.