Cadiz, sun, beach and wines with soul, grace and art.
- In Cádiz we can find 30 wineries to visit.
- 4 towns here have wineries.
In Cadiz, you have 30 wineries to visit distributed in four locations, within which the most important wine tourism destination is Jerez de la Frontera. If you are going to make any route, it is good to know that the wine and brandy route of Jerez-Sherry passes through Cadiz.
The climate of Marco de Jerez is a southern climate, warm, with Atlantic influence, whose winds influence the changes in humidity.
The Palomino grape is the native and predominant variety of Marco de Jerez. But if we talk about sweet wines, here the queen is the Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel de Chipiona.
It is important to know, because this is one of the most differentiating features of these wines, that sherry wines have no vintage, and are the result of mixing different vintages. Those who like to learn about wine should know that this comes because in the nineteenth century a new system of winemaking was implemented, which has been called 'criaderas and soleras system', the criaderas are the upper areas, and the soleras, the lower ones.
In winemaking, there are two types of aging: oxidative aging and biological aging.
On this route, you will be able to enjoy very unique, lavish, splendid wines, within everyone's reach, and, why not say it, highly appreciated by international winelovers. As they like to say, the wines of Xérez are wines destined to take you to glory.
The great Andalusian fortified wines are manzanilla, fino and amontillado. Fino wine is made by the biological aging system, as well as manzanilla. Amontillado, on the other hand, is usually aged in flor in combination with oxidative aging. For oloroso wines, oxidative aging is generally used.
That is why the regulatory council of this appellation has created a specific category for older wines that do have a vintage, and call them 'Vinos de Jerez con vejez calificada', and have two labels: VOS wines (vinum optimun signatum, average age of 20 years or more) and VORS wines (vinum optimun signatum), 30 years or older.
As we know, the architecture of the cellars plays a very important role in the wine maturation process. Sherry cellars are very high, with thick walls, which must conserve humidity; the floors are made of sand, lime and iron oxide, and in summer, they are usually watered up to twice a week, to maintain this necessary humidity.
Due to the climate we have described above, wineries are usually located in high areas or near the sea, and their buildings have a northeast-southeast orientation.
There is a type of wineries very typical of the place, which are the cathedral wineries, built in the eighteenth century, which are wineries with a gable roof, with a structure of pillars and arches, like a Muslim mosque, a very typical structure especially in the wineries for the aging of finos and manzanillas.
The Andalusian grape harvest is very particular, especially with regard to the production of natural sweet wines. After the harvest, the Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez grapes undergo a process called 'soleo', which refers to a phase of the harvest after which the wines are aged with oxidative aging in criaderas and soleras.
From here comes the Pedro Ximénez wine, made only from this grape; and also the Moscatel wine, which is a varietal wine.
The grapes are harvested at the end of August and beginning of September.
