The grape varieties used to make Sherry

Palomino

Palomino grapes (also known as listán blanco) are medium-sized with thin yellowish-green skins that turn more golden when ripe. They grow in long, cylindroconical clusters. Palomino grapes have low acidity (3.7 grams per litre) and low malic acid content.

The Palomino Fino sub-variety is well adapted to the region and is resistant to parasites, so it has become the dominant variety in the region. This typically buds in the last two weeks of March, ripening between mid-August and early September.

The Palomino Fino sub-variety is well adapted to the region and is resistant to parasites, so it has become the dominant variety in the region. This typically buds in the last two weeks of March, ripening between mid-August and early September.

Moscatel de Alejandría

The third noble sherry variety, Moscatel de Alejandría, is also planted on the poorer soils, and like Pedro Ximénez, it is mostly used in blends for sweetening but is also bottled as a single-varietal sherry.

Like Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel grapes are often sun-dried or late harvested to concentrate sugars and flavours.

While Pedro Ximénez sherries have found a good export market as a dessert wine, Moscatel sherries have only a small market outside of the region's local bars, where the variety is known as "Moscatel de Chipiona." Chipiona is one of the towns in the Sherry region, and this picturesque coastal town is renowned for the quality of its Moscatel wines, thanks to its sandy soils and proximity to the sea, which favour the wines' development.

Other varieties

The three noble varieties above emerged as the choice for replanting on crafted rootstocks after phylloxera and until recently were the only permitted varieties by the D.O. However, in November 2023, three of the region's heritage varieties were added to the permitted varietals: Perruno, Beba and Vigiriego. In the years ahead, these varietals may help wineries replant to help alleviate the effects of climate change.