Date of publication 09/12/2022
Wine tourism An Essential Wine Tour of Andalusia
In sunny Andalusia, a tradition of wine making remains strong. Here it´s the sherry that steals the show
Under the boundless sun of the Andalusia, a longstanding tradition of wine making remains strong. In Andalusia, it´s the sherry that steals the show. Often sweeter and more intense than table wines, the sherries and dessert wines of Andalusia are complex and diverse, and gaining ever more recognition. A tour of the region reveals surprises for the palate and the eye— wine lover´s paradise.
On the chalky albariza hills of Jerez, in southern Spain, vines of plump and green grapes line the Spanish landscape under almost ceaseless Iberian sunshine and a somewhat limited yearly dose of rainfall. Perfect conditions for producing some of the many delectable wines of Andalusia. Throughout the Montegilillo vineyard of Lustau Winery, exquisite finos, amontillados and olorosos are cultivated from these nurtured grapes, and later tested and blended in carefully placed soleras that sit neatly in rows. The wine maker paces the cool bodega with his master´s tools—a piece of chalk and a venencia—checking, delineating and marking. Inside some of the barrels, a layer of yeasty flor covers the fermenting must, trapping the complex flavors that produce sherry that has become sought-after and coveted the world over.
If you find this swirl of wine terms somewhat intimidating, leaving you a bit confounded, you are not alone. It is easy to get lost in the jargon and complexities of wine talk, especially when it comes to sherry making. But don´t be daunted by the vernacular; to the proud Andalusian, this vocabulary comes almost second nature, and serves as a wonderful window into the culture of southern Spain. Throughout the glorious south, from Cadis to Malaga to Huelva, the magnificent world of Spanish sherry waits to be discovered, locals and bar keepers eager to share their insider´s knowledge with both the demanding wine-lover and the novice imbiber.
IT´S ALL IN THE GRAPE
Lustau winery sits between the Cadis Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, alongside Jerez de La Frontera, squarely at one corner of the famous “Sherry Triangle.” The gentle slopes of its limestone-rich soil—the Spanish call it albariza— are ideal grounds for growing Palomino grapes. In the world of Andalusian sherry and liquors, the type of grape often determines the type of drink. The moderate sweetness and relatively low acidity of the Palomino are not suited for standard white wines, but they shine in the sherry department. They bring the essence of that chalky albariza soil to the best of the dry sherries, like Fino, Manzanilla and Amontillado.
The other traditional grape is the Pedro Ximenez, a sweeter, more acidic grape perfectly suited for sweeter wines. The sugary PX grape is often dried in the sun, in a deeply traditional, labor-intensive process called soleo. The Pedro Ximenez wines are intense dessert wines, best paired with vanilla ice cream or even poured over a dish of Spanish rice pudding. As with most Spanish sherries, Pedro Ximenez wines age exceptionally well, prime examples worth searching for being Lustau´s own Pedro Ximenez San Emilio, or the Niños Pedro Ximenez VORS, which ages gracefully for more than 30 years.
The Moscatel, the cousin of the PX grape, thrives in sandy soils, a grape mostly limited to the surroundings of the Andalusian town of Chipiona. They produce a fine sweet wine often carrying notes of raisins, orange blossoms and honey. And while most Moscatels are reasonably priced and accessible, there are several exceptional finds, like the Moscatel Tonales, made by legendary winery Valdespino in Jerez. This sherry is drawn from a cask only a few times a year, and ages between 80 and 100 years.
FROM SWEET TO DRY TO EXQUISITE
But which sherry to choose? With a tradition so enduring as that in Andalusia, the choices abound, and the choice depends on the drinker´s palate. At another corner of the Sherry Triangle, at Sanlucar de Barrameda, the special Atlantic microclimate allows the cultivation of Manzanilla, a light and zesty sherry that carries slight aromas of the coast, like salt, sea spray and herbal tea (manzanilla means “chamomile” in Spanish).
The key to this sherry is its method of aging. For 3 – 8 years (at least 2, by law), the Manzanilla sits in oak barrels under a layer of active yeast, called flor, which grows more plentifully in the humidity of the nearby ocean. The flor prevents the flow of oxygen from tainting the fermenting wine, a key factor in the biological aging of fine Manzanilla.
Strictly produced in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Manzanillas are extremely popular, and can be found in any bar in Andalusia, often separated into younger Manzanilla Fina and older, richer Manzanilla Pasada. The Manzanilla Solear is an excellent primer for the novice drinker, having been included in Wine Spectator Magazine’s list of Top 100 best wines. Since these sherries are light and best served slightly chilled, they pair perfectly with tapas like olives, fried fish and cured Spanish ham.
Fino is much like Manzanilla, but produced in D.O. Jerez/Xéres/Sherry, one of Spain´s most significant winemaking regions. (Historically, sherry has been most popular in three countries—Spain, France and England—hence the three names of the same product in their respective languages). Aromas of Mediterranean herbs and almonds come through in the light and clear fino. The Palomino grapes, grown in those chalky albariza soils, transfer a drier taste that is best paired with salty Spanish tapas like potato chips, peanuts or fried calamari.
At the third corner of the Sherry Triangle lies the town of Puerto de Santa María, near Cadis, where the famous Osborne Bodegas produce some of the best sherries in the world, one of which is their Oloroso. In some of their American and Canadian oak casks, the cellar master will take out that blanket of flor, allowing the fermenting wine to mature, sometimes for several decades, into dark, somewhat balsamic oloroso. Also served slightly chilled, the toasted nut and dried fruit notes make it best served as an aperitif with figs, game or foie. At Osborne, visitors can tour the cathedral style cellars, surrounded stacked casks, and learn about the process of sherry making while sipping some of their oldest vintages (some from 1790!), right from the cask. After a long lifetime of service, old retired oloroso casks are often sent to Scotland for use in aging single malt whisky.
Stepping out of the Sherry Triangle, to D.O. Montilla-Moriles, we find the playground of the Pedro Ximenez grape. In this region near Córdoba, just a 2-hour drive north of Malaga, winemakers produce many wines that are similar to those in Jerez/Xéres/Sherry. But here, outside the Triangle, technically they cannot be called “sherry.” At Alvear winery, the stars of the show are wines called Pedro Ximenez and Amontillado (a named derived from Montilla, its historic birthplace). Amontillados are like finos that don´t follow the rules; at some time during the fermentation process, that blanket of flor breaks up, and the wine develops in higher levels of oxidation. In plain English, they taste a bit like fino with notes of sautéed mushrooms or roasted walnuts. Amontillados are better if not chilled like the Finos and Manzanillas, and are excellent paired with Spanish Manchego cheese or chorizo sausage. To try one yourself, look for the Baco Imperial VOS Amontillado from Bodegas Díos Baco.
Back to the coastal town of Chipiona, where the Bodegas César Florido make one of the finest examples of Palo Cortado. Often considered the most elegant of sherries, the Palo Cortado is a favorite for aficionados and follows a truly unique path to maturity. In other words, it´s hard to define. In the cask, it has many characteristics of Amontillado and Oloroso, but somewhere along the way, it starts playing its own game. Part of the appeal of this sherry comes from its mystery; in the past, it could not be actively produced, rather it happened by accident. Once the cellar master saw that the sherry was going its own way, he scribbled a cross on the barrel with chalk (a palo cortado in Spanish).
Today, wine experts know more about the microbiological goings on of sherry, although Palo Cortados are still relatively rare, and often expensive, and a winemaker may still tell you that they aren´t completely under control. The end result? A bottle of what started as a fino, but ended up with the aroma of an Amontillado and the taste of an Oloroso, with a few undefinable characteristics thrown in for good measure. While there are various brands of this fine sherry, the gold standard is César Florido´s NV Peña del Aguila Chipiona, a Palo Cortado for true connoisseurs.
THE MASTER´S TOOLS
Much of the life of a sherry is spent in the dark quietness of an oak cask. The master paces the cellar, removing some fermenting wine here, and adding more to others there, in a complex method of blending that has been honed and perfected for generations. Stacks of barrels line every cellar, each with special markings made in chalk, designating the type of wine within and the age. When a sherry is ready for the bottle, it is usually taken from the bottom row of barrels (and the oldest) collectively called the solera. Several times a year, winemakers blend various sherries together, each one in a different way. Whether a sherry is Fino, Oloroso or Amontillado depends the local climate, the type of grape and on the method of blending.
You may have seen expert wine makers pouring sherry above head height from a cylindrical cup attached to a long bar. This is the essential tool of the sherry maker: the venencia. It is a perfectly shaped scoop that fits in the bunghole of the barrel, used to blend wines together, sample aromas and tastes, or simply to pour a glass. For those who want to practice being a skilled venenciador, Osborne Bodegas in Cadis offers a course on perfecting the skilled pour, as well as ample opportunities for tasting the many different sherries of Andalusia.
ALL IN THE LABEL
As we have discovered, most sherries age very well, and the extremely old ones tend to be of extremely high quality. Some elite bottles of sherry will carry a label that says “V.O.S.¨, which stands for Vinum Optimum Signatum, meaning the wine has aged for at least 20 years. If your Latin is rusty, you can just as well say “Very Old Sherry.” For sherry that is 30 or more years old, the label will read VORS, or “Very Old Rare Sherry” (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum, for academics). In your search for the perfect sherry, pay special attention on to the label. Most of your essential information is there: the type of grape, method of fermentation, age and region where it is produced (Denomination of Origen, or D.O.).
MORE THAN SHERRY
Although Andalusia is known for its sherries and brandies, there are regions in the south that yield exquisite red and white wines, coming out of the shadows of the more famous Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
In the Serranía de Ronda, in the rural areas of Malaga, lies a fascinating wine route for the enotourist, where family-run bodegas are dotted around a gorgeous countryside lined with almond and olive trees, as well as ancient vineyards first planted by Romans and Phoenicians. Producing increasingly fine red and white wines, the D.O. of Sierras de Malaga boasts over 20 wineries, a worthy highlight being the Bodegas Descalzos Viejos. This vineyard deserves a visit. Steeped in history, lines of vines grow in the spectacular rural setting of the Tajo de Ronda, and the wine cellar was once an ancient convent.
In the D.O. Condado de Huelva, superb white wines are produced, namely at the Bodegas Privilegio del Condado. In this region, a grape called zalema is used, a grape almost exclusive to the area around Huelva. The zalema has long been a tradition in Spanish wine. In fact, at the port of Palos de La Frontera, Columbus loaded his ships with local Huelva wine, the first to be imported to the Americas.
Ready to make your wine trip to Andalusia? Iberostar Hotels & Resorts offers a wide range of hotels in Cadis, Huelva and Málaga. Regardless of your choice, a fantastic break and amazing southern Spain holidays are guaranteed with Iberostar.
SHAWN MOKSVOLD I 07/11/2017
Photography by Cordon Press
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