🍇 Palomino

Palomino is a white grape variety from Spain and the main basis of sherry. The VIVC catalogue lists it as Palomino Fino and marks it as both a wine and a table grape. It has as many as 145 synonyms: in the Canary Islands it is Listán Blanco, in South Africa Fransdruif. Among the synonyms is even Jerez, after the town.

The appellation Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, protected in the EU since 1986, names Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximénez and Muscat of Alexandria as its main grapes. After phylloxera, growers here chose the varieties best suited to the climate and to albariza, the soft white marl soil that holds moisture well.

On its own Palomino gives a neutral wine; sherry's character comes from ageing. For fino, the young wine is fortified to 15 % and matures for at least two years under a layer of flor yeast in the solera system. The result is a dry white wine with less than 4 g/L of sugar.

The grape does not grow only in Andalusia. VIVC records 6,500 ha in Portugal (2007) and 5,645 ha in South Africa (1992), and in Spain roughly 20,000–30,000 ha in the early 2000s. In the Canaries Listán Blanco makes simple dry white wines.

Why it matters to you. Fino made from Palomino is a dry wine. Sweet Pedro Ximénez comes from a different grape. Serve fino chilled to 6–8 °C, with tapas, olives, nuts, cured ham and seafood.