Jerez

Jerez de la Frontera (Jerez) is a Denominación de Origen (DO, or designation of origin) wine region in southwestern Spain. Steeped in history, Jerez de la Frontera was one of the frontier towns between areas ruled by the Moorish Caliphs and the Christian Monarchs. Today it is the capital of sherry country. On the map, Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria form a triangle where this famous fortified wine is produced, predominately from the Palomino grape and to a lesser extent Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel. From the savoury dry styles of Fino and Manzanilla, through the nutty complexity of Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortardo, to the head-spinning richness of the unctuous sweet Jerez Dulce wines produced from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel, sherry is one of the greatest wine styles in the world, providing delicious drinking as an aperitif and endless diversity for matching with food.

• Key Varieties: Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel.
• Climate: Very hot summers with wet winters.
• Soil: Marine sediments, mixed with limestone and clay.
• Did You Know: Jerez de la Frontera has been exporting fortified wines to its principal customer, Great Britain, since the 14th century, and the region demonstrates a very strong British influence.