Jerez, Xeres, Sherry The Regulatory Council of the "Jerez-Xérès-Sherry", "Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda" and "Vinagre de Jerez" Denominations of Origin was the first of its kind to be established in accordance with the Spanish wine Law of 1933. It is therefore the oldest wine Regulatory Council in Spain. The history of regulating the quality of the Jerex wines dates back many centuries. The first written statutes were adopted on August 12, 1483 as the Statutes of the Raisin and Grape Harvesters’ Guild of Jerez. The Jerez wine region is an area of open, rolling land with a unique feature, its "albariza"(from the Latin alba, or white), a chalky white soil. This albariza is the best type of soil in which to grow grapes for the production of Sherry Wine and it yields highest quality grapes. It is rich in calcium carbonate, clay and silica and is highly retentive of moisture, locking in each Winter's rainfall in order to nourish the vines during the dry months.

Grape Varieties
The Palomino grape has many synonyms: Albán, Albar, Horgazuela, Jerez, Jerez fina, Listán, Listán común, Palomino, Palomino de Chipiona, Palomino de pinchito. It is the predominant variety in Sherry production. Perfectly adapted to the region when cultivated in "albariza" soil, it produces high-quality wines.

Pedro Ximénez (Alamis, Pedro Jiménez, Pedro Ximen, Ximen, Ximénez) has long been grown in the Sherry region and is a traditional variety in other areas of Andalusia. It gives sweet wines of high quality possessing a fruity flavor and a distinctive bouquet which is achieved by leaving the harvested grapes in the sun so they lose some of their moisture. Their thin skin speeds this process

The Muscat (Chipiona Muscat, Moscatel de Alejandría, Moscatel gordo, Moscatel de España,) grape is a variety used in the Sherry region to produce wines bearing the Spanish name Moscatel. The variety originated in Africa although it is now cultivated in many wine-growing areas throughout the world

Garvey Sherry


Contact Ricardo Gonzalo: ricardo@ricalinc.com
Return to Home    Return to Wine Page