The Story
Sherry Pedro Ximenex from the Emilio Hidalgo winery is a sweet white fortified wine with a designation of origin. The classification is DO Jerez-Xeres-Sherry and takes its name from a very ancient Phoenician city, called Xerò, which over time has been renamed in different ways: Sherish by the Arabs, Jerez by the Spanish, then Sherry by the English and Xepec by the Russians. It is produced in Spain, in the Andalusia region. Sherry Pedro Ximenex is made with grapes from 100% Pedro Ximenex vines. The climate of the area where the vineyards are grown is warm and breezy: this results in a high presence of bloom on the grape skins, which allows the formation of indigenous yeasts (levadarus de flor). The distinctive feature of this wine lies in the process used to produce it: the harvest takes place late, followed by musting and an initial fermentation lasting just over a week, followed by malolactic fermentation. Then comes the mutification, the addition of a wine distillate that stops the ongoing fermentation. Aging is another crucial phase in the production of sherry: the process used is the "soleras y criaderas type. This system involves the wine being racked at regular intervals from the barrels containing the "younger" wine to those containing the aged wine.