Fernando de Castilla Manzanilla Classic

Manzanilla Classic comes from the Marco de Jerez, in Andalusia, and ages in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir. The Palomino grapes come from partner vineyards in the district, planted on the white, chalky soils typical of the region. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the humidity of the sea breezes create ideal conditions in Sanlúcar for the development of flor, the signature of manzanilla.

The grapes are harvested in early September and only the free-run juice is used. The base wine ferments and is then fortified with grape spirit to 15% in February. It ages under a veil of flor in 600-litre American oak casks, within a solera of three to nine criaderas, for an average age of around three years.

This wine reveals notes of green apple, lemon, yeast, bread dough, fresh almond, hazelnut, chamomile and sea spray. The pale straw colour heralds a briny, yeasty nose of great clarity. The palate, dry, light and chiselled, livelier than a fino, unfolds flavours of apple and citrus, a touch of nuts and a saline finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.