El Puerto de Santa María is known throughout Spain and the rest of the world as the centre of sherry wine production.

It’s part of what’s known as the “Sherry Triangle”, an area renowned for its excellent wine production. El Puerto, Sanlucar and Jerez make up this triangle.

Your guide will start of with the basics - the Palomino grape. This is what makes the sherry from this region so unique. Anywhere else, this grape would produce thin, flabby, white table wines but with the unique microclimate in this region, amazing things happen…

The Albariza soil soaks up the moisture from the winter rains, letting the wines thrive through the hot summer. After the grapes are fermented, they make it stronger by adding grape alcohol, bringing the levels up to 15% and 18%.

It’s then that the age old Criadera and Solera process begins. This is simply the blending of different vintages to ensure consistent quality year after year.
The longer the wines have been in the criaderas butts, the richer and therefore more expensive they are likely to be.

In the 18th Century the modern sherry making industry was established in Spain. The English were already quite familiar with the process from as far back as the middle ages.

In the late 15th Century Francis drake raided Cádiz and apparently stole over 3000 casks of the stuff and brought it back to England. It became incredibly popular.

Subsequently, trade between the two countries boomed. Many English importers moved and set up here in Spain. This is why some of the sherrys have very English sounding names like: Byass, Osborne, Gordon and, Terry.


Osborne 956869100 Mon – Fri (am) By appointment English tour : 1030; Spanish : 11.30, 1200

Terry 956857700 Mon – Fri (am) By appointment Visit cellars, horse & carriage museum
501 956855859 Mon - Fri By appointment

Gutierrez Colosía 956852852 Sat, 1230 Without reservation

Grant 956870406 Mon - Sat By appointment 1230 - 1330

Caballero 956851751 By appointment