This world-famous wine owes its name to the Andalusian city of Jerez, which eventually became ‘sherry’ in English. The grapes grow on white limestone soils, known as ‘albarizas’, in a triangle between the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. After pressing and fermentation in modern stainless-steel tanks, and the addition of wine alcohol, the traditional ageing of the wines begins in wooden casks holding around 600 litres, known as ‘butts’.

These casks are filled to only two-thirds of their capacity, which allows a protective layer of yeast, known as ‘Flor’, to form rapidly on the surface of the wine; this protects the young wine from oxidation and is crucial to the development of the aromas typical of sherry. During ageing according to the so-called ‘Solera system’, once about a third of the wine has been drawn off from beneath the protective yeast cap, the casks are continuously topped up with wine from more recent vintages.

In this way, the finest wines pass through many tiers of casks over a period of several years. At the same time, the constant blending of older and younger wines ensures a consistently uniform final product that preserves the characteristic flavours and high quality of sherry.