The Andalusian vineyards cover an approximate area of forty thousand hectares, of which eleven thousand are in the province of Cádiz.

The Jerez-Xérés-Sherry and Manzanilla de Sanlúcar Designation of Origin was created in 1935 to preserve the mode of production of the region wines. Related to the wine of Jerez are also vinegar and Brandy, protected under the same Designation of Origin, the oldest in Spain and the second oldest in Europe; the three denominations it receives are due to its export orientation, so Jerez would be the Spanish, Xéres the French and Sherry the English, who continue to be the main importers.

Historical notes:

It is estimated that the wine of Jerez and its particular production process have more than 3,000 years of history, as all the great civilisations of the Mediterranean have been involved in it. There is evidence that the Phoenicians were the first to plant vines in the area of Jerez, then known as Xera around 1100 BC. Later on, the Romans established an active trade of “vino ceretensis” between Ceret (Jerez) and Rome, and the Arabs, who, despite the fact that their religion did not permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages, introduced distillation by means of stills and alquitars.

From the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century, vineyards in the framework of Jerez were already destined for export. Throughout the 17th century, the wine trade route ran from Cadiz to the British Isles and it was the English who spread sherry around the world. In the 18th century, a number of English businessmen (Garvey, Wisdom & Warter, Osborne, Byass) decided to establish themselves in Jerez, founding bodegas (vineries). They were followed by Frenchmen, such as the Domecqs, and Spanish.

The decade of the seventies of the 19th century was the high point of wine trade in Jerez, becoming the predominant product in Spanish foreign trade. Between 1950 to 1975 exports increased fivefold and large winemakers built huge new cellars.

In this respect, it is worth noting the importance of the architecture of the cellars in the area, as it is responsible for providing the wines with the climatic conditions they need for ageing. If the winds have a very important influence on the vine-growing of the area, this influence is no less important when it comes to the ageing of sherry wines, for which the stability of the temperature inside the cellar is very important, especially for the biological ageing of fine wines, which is why they are preferably located near the sea or on high ground to receive the sea breeze.

As for the raw material used to make Jerez wines, the Regulating Board authorise three varieties of white grapes: Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel. The Palomino variety is the main variety used in the different varieties of Jerez wine (fino, amontillado, oloroso, etc.).

Regarding the method of production of Jerez wines, it starts with the harvesting of the palomino grape and the musts are obtained which, after fermentation and settling, will reach the ageing cellar, where they will form part of the genuine system of soleras and criaderas in American oak barrels. Once there, by means of decanting, the wines will be transformed over years of crianza, something unique in the ageing of these wines, specifically fino and manzanilla varieties; the process is carried out by biological ageing, which is considered one of the most valuable Spanish contributions to universal gastronomy.

Period / Occurrence:
Continuous. The production of Jerez wines begins after the grape harvest in September. Subsequently, the various stages and its peculiar crianza (ageing) process, mean that the activity is constant throughout the year and for successive years until it can be defined as “Jerez Wines”.

Interior de bodega en Jerez de la Frontera. Andalucía Turismo y Deporte www.andalucia.org

Viñas antiguas, bajitas y retorcidas. Photo: Eva Cote Montes. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Vendimia en Viña Cerro Viejo. Photo: Eva Cote Montes. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Tolva de recepción. Photo: Eva Cote Montes. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Vino de Jerez. Andalucía Turismo y Deporte www.andalucia.org

DW News. (2015). Sherry from Jerez. Euromaxxl. [Video File].

Reference:
Saldaña, César. Libro de los Vinos de Jerez, El. Editorial Almuzara. Córdoba, 2023.