🍷 Manzanilla

Manzanilla is a dry wine aged entirely under flor in the bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir in the province of Cádiz. It has its own protected designation of origin, «Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda», separate from «Jerez-Xérès-Sherry», although the vineyards of both lie in the same production area. The official specification counts manzanilla among the vinos generosos; since the 2026 amendment it may be sold in EU category 1 (wine), with no added alcohol, or in category 3 (liqueur wine), fortified with alcohol of wine origin. Only Palomino Fino (Listán Blanco) and Palomino grapes may be used.

The must is fermented fully dry, and the wine is aged for at least two years in oak butts of no more than 1,000 litres, in the criaderas and solera system (locally also called «de clases») or as a single vintage. Throughout ageing it stays under the veil of flor. The specification links its character to the microclimate of Sanlúcar: the nearby sea and high humidity favour intense and prolonged yeast activity. In the liqueur-wine version alcohol may be added to reach the minimum strength, to raise it again when the flor lowers it, and to adjust the final strength. A manzanilla aged for at least seven years on average, with slight signs of oxidation, may be labelled Manzanilla Pasada.

By the specification manzanilla has 14–17 % vol. alcohol and less than 4 g/l of sugar. Its colour ranges from straw yellow to amber. The aroma must show at least two notes typical of biological ageing — white flowers, nuts or yeast (fresh bread dough) — sometimes with wine-seasoned oak; the taste is dry with a saline sensation and may be slightly acidic and bitter.

Manzanilla is usually set beside fino, and the two are close relatives: both are wines of exclusively biological ageing. What separates them is where they are aged and what they are called — under the 2026 Jerez specification fino is aged outside Sanlúcar, while flor wines from Sanlúcar are sold as manzanilla. A manzanilla without longer ageing may be called Manzanilla Fina, and «En rama» on the label means no stabilisation other than filtration.

Why it matters to you. The word Manzanilla on the label guarantees a dry wine aged under flor in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and checked by the control body of the designation. At 14–17 % vol. it is stronger than most table wines. The WHO states that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.