Palomino Grape Guide: The White Grape Behind Sherry

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Sherry is the ultimate paradox of Spanish fine wine. It is an iconic, world-renowned style that relies on, and indeed requires, second-rate raw materials. Therefore, the criteria for inclusion are strict:

• Grapes must be relatively straightforward to grow and capable of producing a generous yield.
• The berries must have low acidity and high pH.
• A neutral character is desirable, as is susceptibility to manipulation and slow oxidation.

Guide to Spanish Wine Grape Varietals: Read more

Palomino is such a grape variety. Grown in the Andalucía region for centuries, the white grape is an essential component in the various interpretations of dry sherry, from fino to oloroso. Unlike many wine categories, sherry derives its nuance and inimitable taste profile from a series of complex winemaking steps rather than simply from the varietal character of a single grape. There is no doubt that Palomino would struggle to produce high-quality, memorable table wine, regardless of the terroir. But Palomino’s role in cementing the building blocks of all great sherry cannot be overestimated.

What Does Palomino Taste Like?

Palomino is not a grape that wins admirers through obvious perfume or dramatic fruit. As a still wine, it can be pale, low in acidity, and relatively neutral — hardly the sort of raw material that would terrify Chardonnay or Riesling. But that is precisely the point.

Palomino rarely dazzles in its raw state. That is precisely why Jerez needs it. A more aromatic grape would get in the way; Palomino recedes, leaving space for flor, chalk, fortification, and time to shape the wine. Under flor, it can become fino or manzanilla: salty, almond-scented, faintly yeasty, and as refreshing as a sea wind. Taken down the oxidative path, it darkens into oloroso — walnut, old wood, spice, dried fruit, and all the autumnal pleasures of the bodega.

Palomino History and Viticulture

The Andalusians are proud, with a long list of cultural riches to their name. Architecture lovers always swoon over Seville and Granada, while history buffs find endless fascination in the region’s Moorish past. But it is food and drink lovers who really struggle to return home. Sipping chilled fino sherry, served alongside a selection of fresh tapas, is one of life’s most pleasurable experiences. For this reason, we should thank the Palomino grape, the single most important base element in the sherry equation.

It is widely believed that Palomino has grown in Andalucia for many centuries, although there is disagreement about the variety’s origins. While certain viticulturists argue that it is indigenous to the region, there is some evidence that Palomino was imported. Greek merchants used to trade extensively in southern Spain, bringing numerous varieties of Vitis vinifera into the western Mediterranean. As the variety is currently found in Cyprus, it is supposed that Palomino may have mutated from an indigenous Greek variety. According to wine historians, the grape became popular in Portugal and northern Spain during the Middle Ages due to its ability to produce large yields.

Legend also tells of how Palomino was bestowed its name. In the 13th century, the Castilian king Alfonso X waged a successful war against the Moorish kingdoms of southern Spain, driving their armies into retreat. After taking the regional capital, Jerez de la Frontera, Alfonso worked hard to promote sherry wines, spreading their renown in important markets such as England and the Low Countries. One of Alfonso’s most revered knights was called Fernan Yáñez Palomino. It is said that the grape owes its nomenclature to this man.

It’s an apt tale – the region has been skilled at building relationships with Europe’s great and good, either by accident or design. In the 16th century, English forces attacked the Andalusian port of Cádiz, appropriating several sherry casks. They were given to the reigning monarch, Elizabeth I, who promptly made Sherry the star of her court! This longstanding fondness for the drink encouraged several wealthy British and Irish families to emigrate to Jerez in the 1800s, investing in the region and opening famous sherry houses like Williams & Humbert and Garvey.

Then phylloxera arrived, and all bets were off. The louse devastated vineyards throughout Western Europe, reaching Spain in the late 19th century. Yet the epidemic improved Palomino’s status in the vineyards of Jerez. When the re-grafting program was initiated (American rootstock is immune to the pest’s deadly bite), Palomino was favored above all other white varieties. This is for two reasons: the variety offers a generous yield and responds well to being grafted onto non-European rootstock.

Nevertheless, due to falling demand, the area under vine has declined to about 6,000 hectares today, planted in the so-called Sherry Triangle. This is a landmass encompassing Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Palomino is also found in Castilla y León (about 4,800 hectares) and Galicia. Palomino vineyards are also in Portugal, France, the Canary Islands, California, and even Australia.

The attraction is not difficult to understand – Palomino is a very forgiving grape variety. It is the obvious choice if a winemaker seeks to produce high-quality fortified wine or grape-based spirit. Vines can be relied upon to grow large conical bunches laden with ripe fruit in the vast majority of years. Moreover, Palomino tends to deliver a regular yield and uniform crop unless the vintage is particularly challenging. It thrives in calcareous terroir, the mainstay of vineyards in the Sherry Triangle. And, unlike with Tempranillo Blanco and Xarel·lo, coulure and millerandage occur very infrequently.

Does this all sound too good to be true? In that case, we should add that no grape variety delivers flawless performance year in, year out. Palomino can develop rot in excessively humid conditions – it is also susceptible to Peronospora and Anthracnose. In very hot years, when irrigation is employed, vines are liable to yield inflated berries, which can be an undesirable characteristic even in the production of fortified wine. Excessively high bunch crops can mean very dilute wine and lackluster sherry. The secret to success, as ever, is moderation.

How Palomino Becomes Sherry

Visiting a sherry bodega is one of wine’s greatest pleasures. Anyone who has stood in a courtyard sipping fino taken straight from the cask will tell you the same: fino sherry is a magical drink, a curious combination of relatively high alcohol (about 16.5% ABV) and silky delicacy – a wine style that refreshes the palate like no other. Tapas turn the experience into a veritable gastronomic paradise. And yet, the building blocks of sherry could almost be described as ignoble. So, how does the winemaker turn these indifferent raw materials into a thing of beauty?

Short answer: with skill, experience, and a great deal of patience! Traditionally, freshly harvested Palomino grapes were foot-stomped in concrete baths (lagares), although this practice has largely been abandoned in favor of mechanical cylindrical presses. Interestingly, the rules of the sherry Consejo Regulador (ruling council) allow only 70% of the potential juice to be pressed from the grapes to make sherry. The rest is discarded or used to make spirits and vinegar.

Fermentation can then begin. Bodegas used to prefer concrete or oak vats for fermentation; however, many houses are increasingly adopting stainless steel. The initial fermentation typically occurs rapidly, followed by a slower secondary fermentation that develops a range of organic compounds. After fermentation, the winemaker will taste numerous samples to determine which wines are suitable for a particular sherry style. The four principal categories are fino, amontillado, manzanilla, and oloroso. They are all wonderfully unique.

A Comprehensive Guide to Sherry Wine: Read more

Flor, Fortification, and the Solera System

After the winemaker has completed their classification, fortification will take place. Fino wines are normally fortified to 15.5 degrees (the optimum level to produce flor), while olorosos are fortified to about 18% ABV. At this point, the wines may be placed in a criadera (Spanish for “nursery”) or a young wine reserve before they are aged via the solera system. This is when the magic starts to occur with the unique solera aging system

The Solera system is a fascinating part of Sherry’s longstanding wine culture. It ensures consistency of style and quality by blending young wines with mature examples over three to four years. A series of barrels are stacked on top of each other—the oldest is at floor level, with young wines stored at the top (there are usually four levels).

You can discover more about this system here in our Comprehensive Guide to Sherry

Palomino and Sherry Today

In 2016, one of Sherry’s most important stakeholders, Beltrán Domecq, confessed. He was asked why Sherry had lost so much market share over the past 20 years, particularly in once buoyant and appreciative destinations like the UK.

As Domecq put it

“I think the main culprit was our business model in the 1970s and 80s when the vineyard surface area in sherry tripled, production quadrupled, and prices plummeted; there were almost no quality controls in place, and the market was swamped with poor quality products,”

Following on with

“Yet, I feel our business model is now returning to the days of the 1960s, with offer and demand now more or less in balance.“

Is this optimism justified? Any visitor to the region today could scarcely believe that this iconic style has been struggling of late. The vineyards of the famous Sherry Triangle, situated between Cadiz and glorious Seville, offer timeless and captivating beauty. Grapes planted on chalky soils (known locally as albariza) are transformed into one of the world’s greatest fortified wines – simultaneously racy and yet unbelievably fine and complex. From the olive and nutty aromas of fino to the fig and plum richness of oloroso, there is a sherry for every occasion.

Furthermore, Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda are a paradise for discerning visitors. They are every bit the Andalucian dream: guitars, flamenco dancers, whitewashed patios, and nightlife that begins at 1 am. With such a potent marketing pitch, you might imagine that sherry continues to fly off the shelves.

Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. Jerez de la Frontera has been at the heart of Andalucia’s wine industry for over 2000 years, but that fact has not prevented a significant decline in the vineyard acreage. Indeed, while over 23,000 hectares were planted in the early 1990s, that figure slumped to under 7,000 hectares in 2022. Moreover, most younger consumers seem aloof to sherry’s charms, while the category faces intense global competition from trendy categories like Prosecco and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. To be blunt, Sherry has never faced such obstacles.

But the industry has not given up. Far from it – recent years have seen the emergence of dynamic new bodegas, while funky labels and influencer-led marketing campaigns are helping to win over Millennial drinkers. In 2022, the promotional body ‘Sherry from Spain’ launched a new global campaign to attract new customers and showcase the quality of sherry wines. In addition, the category’s suitability for cocktail-making has been widely discussed, with hip bartenders continually being wooed by the finest producers.

Ultimately, however, sherry’s greatest asset is its ability to pair well with an astonishing variety of dishes and cuisines. As Beltran Domecq wisely observed: “We must continue to build relationships with leading chefs and sommeliers, who value sherry and can help to communicate its virtues to their customers. Sherry may have an image problem, but not a quality problem – and Spanish cuisine can do no wrong.” The road ahead will not be easy, and the stakes are undeniably high. Yet a concerted effort can bring a new generation of wine lovers into the fold. If Sherry can’t do it, no one can.

Palomino Sherry Food Pairings

Palmino’s great gift is not an obvious fruit; it is versatility at the table. Once transformed into Sherry, the grape can pair well with foods that defeat most wines.

Good pairings include:

• Fino or Manzanilla with almonds, olives, jamón, anchovies, fried fish, prawns, or oysters
• Amontillado with mushroom dishes, roast chicken, consommé, or aged cheeses
• Palo Cortado with game birds, foie gras, rich poultry dishes, or hard cheeses
• Oloroso with slow-cooked pork, beef cheeks, oxtail, blue cheese, or spiced stews

Top Palomino and Sherry Producers to Know

Palomino reaches its greatest expression in the bodegas of Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. These producers are a useful starting point for exploring dry Sherry, from fino and manzanilla to amontillado and oloroso.

• Barbadillo
• González Byass
• Bodegas Hidalgo
• Emilio Lustau
• Fernando de Castilla
• Bodegas San Francisco
• Williams & Humbert