Wineries like cathedrals, wines with personality and a sun-drenched enclave makes the Port of Santa Maria a paradise for winemakers.

The province of Cadiz has a strong tradition winemaker who have developed tourist routes around the breeding, processing and marketing of different wines. One of these routes is El Puerto de Santa María , home of the wines , brandies and vinegars quality.

Economy of wine in El Puerto de Santa Maria
Thanks to its location and its climate, El Puerto de Santa Maria is the ideal place for raising the wines belonging to the Designation of Origin Jerez-Xérès-Sherry .

This economic activity takes place in the town since the eighth century BC, and has impacted on many aspects of the population. One of the highlights is its particular features, which is marked by a broad representation of large wineries, popularly known as “cathedrals.”

Most wineries in El Puerto de Santa Maria are concentrated in the area known as Camp Guide on the banks of the river Guadalete. An urban extension was first planned industrial estate winery in Spain in the XIX.

Jerez-Sherry Xérès
The wines that develop in the Jerez-Sherry-Xérès part of a wide range of wines of high quality, internationally recognized.

Part of the success of this denomination of origin is in the range of land on which the vineyards are cultivated Jerez : the albariza .

The albariza is a white ground, formed by the sedimentation of the waters of an inland sea that covered the area about 34 million years. The rock is rich in calcium carbonate, clay and silica, and retains much moisture. This causes the earth to retain the winter rains to feed the strain during the driest months.

The grape varieties grown in the 10,500 acres that make up the Jerez are fine palomino , Muscat and Pedro Ximenez .

Wines Portuenses
In El Puerto de Santa Maria are bred different varieties of wines: Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado, Medium, Cream, Pedro Ximenez, Pale Cream and Fine.

Among them stands the wine Fino . Its special conditions obtaining give special characteristics that distinguish it from other local wines.

In this sense, explain that Fino is obtained from the biological aging under a layer of natural yeasts that appear on the surface of the wine stored in the boot. This component isolates the wine and prevents air oxidation, consuming much of his time ethanol brings nutrients.

This process of obtaining Fine wine is only made ​​in El Puerto de Santa Maria and Jerez de la Frontera, being that of Sanlucar de Barrameda a Manzanilla (considered homologous to the Fino wine)

Brandy de Jerez and Yolk Vinegar
Other varieties that are carried in the holds are called Portuenses brandies. In particular those known under the generic name Brandy de Jerez.

This is a wine that has aged rum in oak barrels previously been used for sherry.

The warehouses of the Port of Santa Maria also have private label of this wine and, during a visit to their facilities, offer the chance to learn more about them.

Another specialty is obtained from the wines of this area are the yolk vinegar . High quality liquid often used in haute cuisine for its many qualities.

Wineries to be visited in Cadiz
In El Puerto de Santa Maria is home to nine wineries visited: Knight , Grant , Gutierrez Colosías ; Osborne “Mulberry” and “The Shot” Terry , 501 and Gonzalez Obregon. In each case, the access conditions are different. Thus, in some prior appointment is necessary, while in others it is not necessary.

Prices range from 2.5 euros to 30 euros a visit that includes wine tasting, visit and tasting of Iberian .

In many cases it is possible to make visits in other languages. And, generally, tend to be guided by the warehouse staff explaining the details of the cultivation and preparation of its wines.

If you were to make a scheduled visit prior information should seek assistance in case coincide with a scheduled tasting or a wine tasting conducted.

Tags: brandy, Paradise, route, vinegar, wine, winery

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 7:27 am and is filed under winery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.