Don’t let the seemingly English name fool you – sherry is 100% Spanish wine. This beverage, which is dry by nature, is known here in its sweet version. But if you want to find out what sherry originally tastes like, come to Andalusia!
And it started like this…
The great historical tradition of sherry is also the rich history of the entire Andalusian region of Jerez. References to this wine appeared in the first century BC. It was the Greek geographer Strabo who wrote that the first vines were brought to the Jerez region by the Phoenicians as early as 1100 BC. In the Castillo de Doña Blanca, the ruins of a castle just 4 km from Jerez, the remains of ancient wine presses have been found, moreover. To get an idea of how long the local wine-making traditions are. Think that the art of viticulture and wine making was brought here by the same people who founded the oldest city in Spain, Cadiz (original Phoenician name: Gadir, Spanish: Cádiz).
Express sherry career
Before long, sherry was already being exported to countries all over the Mediterranean, most of them to Rome. Hence, it gained an important identifying feature: for it was said to be a wine that ‘travels’. The popularity of the exported liquor reached a peak throughout the Roman Empire. Clay amphorae containing the highly prized Vinum Ceretensis (as the Romans called the wine; from Ceret, the Roman name for Cadiz) began to be marked with a special stamp because of taxes. The basic rules for the production of wine in the Jerez region were also established – the type of soil required, the species of vine, the desired flavour and colour of the flesh, the location of the vineyards, the compulsory steps at each stage of the production of the drink depending on the season… Believe it or not, these rules have survived here to this day!
Wine? Not with us
An interesting period in the long history of sherry is the time when Andalusia was under the rule of the Moors, Muslims who came from North Africa. Although the Koran forbids the consumption of alcohol, Jerez remained an important centre of wine production. How did this happen? Well, the official reason for the continued cultivation of vines was the production of … sultanas, as well as medicines with alcohol content. This rationale saved as many as two-thirds of the local vines when, in 966, the Caliph Al-Haken II ordered them all to be uprooted for religious reasons. It was politely explained to the Caliph that the sultanas produced from the local grapes helped to feed the troops fighting in the Holy War. And it was at this time that the region of “Jerez” became “Sherish” – because that is how the Moors pronounced the name.
Give us wine for wool
But history has given sherry another chance. In 1264, Jerez was conquered by a wine lover, King Alfonso X the Wise of Castile. His love of liquor resulted in a sweet law of compulsory viticulture. And so wine once again became the economic (and consumption, so to speak) mainstay of the region.
This brings us to the time when wine from Jerez found its way to northern Europe. As early as the 12th century, it began to be exported to England, precisely under the Moorish name of sherry. Then King Henry I offered Jerez a barter deal – the English would pay with wool for sherry.
Towards a New World
The demand for the wine became so great that King Enrique III of Castile banned the removal of even a single vine and the erection of beehives in the vicinity of the vineyards so that bees would not destroy the grapes. Sherry was considered a first-class wine in England for centuries to come, and in time it also appeared on the tables of the Portuguese, Spanish, French and Flemish. The Andalusian treasure in barrels was taken on board by sailors, explorers of the New World, and thus sherry conquered new corners of the globe.
Andalusia, Paradise on Earth
Come to Andalusia for real sherry, thrilling flamenco, sunshine that accompanies us for more than 300 days a year! Wondering where to go on holiday? Or maybe you want to live in Spain permanently? Marbella is a city made for beauty, luxury and relaxation. Check out our offers of villas and flats for sale and rent in the Costa del Sol!
