Vinistory · Encyclopedia
Français

Spain

Jerez

7 000 ha under vine

Soils
Albariza — blinding-white chalk-marl that stores winter rain through the drought
Climate
Hot Atlantic Andalusia, between the humid poniente and the dry levante winds

On the map

Jerez — 7 000 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haColares — 20 haJerezLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaAlentejoMinhoRuedaDãoMarcheAlsaceBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaSavoieJuraPrioratWachauValdeorrasSantoriniNaoussaMadeiraColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Jerez claims descent from Phoenician Gadir, founded around 1100 BC, which would make it one of the oldest wine towns of the West. England's thirst shaped it: for centuries "sack", then sherry, sailed from the bay of Cádiz to London — Falstaff swears by it in Shakespeare — and English and Irish names still stand over the bodega gates.

The sherry triangle — Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa María — holds the great bodegas, halls as tall as cathedrals whose architecture governs the ageing. There the white albariza feeds Palomino its stored winter rain through the drought, and two mechanisms unmatched at this scale — the veil of flor yeast and the fractional blending of the solera — turn a neutral grape into fino, amontillado and oloroso.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Sherry Fortified

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 15The Monastic Middle Ages — 25Exploration & the Fortified Age — 70Classifications & the Golden Age — 55Phylloxera & the World Crises — 45The Modern & New World Era — 30Antiquity15500150017001875195030
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950