Few names are as closely tied to Manzanilla Sherry as Barbadillo. It is Sanlúcar’s largest sherry producer and has been family-owned for over 200 years. It is one of Spain’s proudest, most traditional and consistently high quality family wine producers; a winery which in my opinion rates amongst the handful of Spain’s very best producers.

History: The story began in 1821, when Benigno Barbadillo came home to Spain after making his fortune in Mexico, bringing his cousin Manuel with him. They bought an old farmhouse bodega on the hill overlooking Sanlúcar and began shipping sherry to the US and UK. Two centuries later, the sixth generation of the family now owns the business.

Geography: Sanlúcar de Barrameda sits on the Atlantic coast, where the Guadalquivir River meets the Mediterranean Sea. Relatively cool, damp ocean air helps the protective layer of yeast, known as flor, form and thrive in the barrels inside the bodegas. This gives Manzanilla its all important freshness and salty character.

Vineyards: The family owns about 500 hectares in the Jerez Superior zone. The vines grow mainly on albariza, the region’s brilliant white, chalky soil, which stores winter rain and helps carry them through the long, hot summers. Palomino is the key grape.

Soleras: Barbadillo ages its wines in more than 30,000 casks across its Sanlúcar bodegas. In a solera, younger wine gradually refreshes older wine, creating a consistent style over many years. There is no sign of modern age technology in the bodegas; just one or two 80 year old pump s are used to transfer the sherries between the different barrels! Traditional winemaking at its finest!