We can't get over the amount of great dry, unfortified wines coming out of Andalucia. We started down this rabbit hole with our wine club in 2021 and have only fallen more in love with these wines. They are the real deal, and belong on the world’s biggest stage. If you haven't dug into them yet, grab a shovel. 

STORY TIME: HOW WE GOT HERE  📖

Still wines from Andalucia might feel progressive, but they’re as old as the region itself. Sherry’s rise­ and domination here is an interesting story. You can dive very deep here, but in short: blame the Brits. They lost access to their favorite wine region (Bordeaux) because of war in the 1400s. 

So, they turned their thirst to the next closest port town (Andalucia’s Sanlúcar de Barrameda) where Sherry reigned. This British interest and investment in Sherry persisted for 100 years, until their northern neighbors in Portugal hooked them on deliciously sweet Port. 

Sherry piled up in Andalucia, which led to the now standard Solera aging system to avoid spoilage. Eventually, Andalucian producers began fortifying Sherry to compete with Port. Three centuries later, we have an entire region defined by those market pressures.

Until now.

WHERE TO START  🔍

If you’re new to Andalucia wine, start with the dominant varietal Palomino. You can always count on it to show off the pure chalky soils and salty coast of the terroir. 

For a bright, fresh take that doesn’t break the bank, we love Primitivo Collantes Matalian Blanco. For reds, Tintilla (aka Graciano in Rioja) produces nicely spiced, punchy wines that evoke the region’s long, sunny days. A great primer is Luis Perez’s Triangulo Tinto (more on him below!).

WHAT TO KNOW  ℹ️

CLIMATE

As Spain’s southernmost wine region surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on the southeast and southwest, it’s both warm and cooled by the ocean breeze. The areas closer to the ocean produce bracing wines with salinity and the areas inland produce more ripe, fruit-forward versions.

TERROIR

Andalucia’s mineral trademark comes from its largely white chalk soils, albariza.

VARIETIES

Palamino, Tintilla de Rota, ​​Mantúo de Pilas, Mantuó Castellano, Perruno, Cañocazo, Beba

EL EQUIPO: THE WINEMAKERS WE THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW

These are the names, faces and wines that are breaking old rules and pushing this new chapter in Andalucia forward. Among them, you’ll find Orange Moscatel, Sparkling Palomino, and a Champagne producer taking on Palomino.

Raul Moreno

Raul Moreno is a busy guy. He’s devoted his life to the wine and food community, from working as an assistant winemaker at Domaine Dujac, to leading the Spanish National Blind Tasting Team, and opening a restaurant, to name a few of his activities. He’s a hometown hero as a native to Sevilla and now makes organic wines from old vines in the region.

Muchada-Leclapart

Muchada-Leclapart is a collab between Champagne producer David Leclapart and winemaker Alejandro Muchada from Cádiz. They take a minimal intervention approach, making saline, mineral Palomino in a Burgundian style from three plots on three hectares they farm themselves. 

Cota 45

Ramiro Ibáñez Ramiro is the talent behind Cota 45. He is a champion of dry, unfortified Palomino, and is one of the few producers making single vineyard bottlings. He focuses on three pagos (vineyards): Carrascal, Miraflores, and Maina. The wines ferment in old, used manzanilla barrels. 

Luis Perez

Luis Perez along with his son Willy make native white and red wines from Palomino Fino and Tintilla de Rota. Depending on the vintage, they will age a portion of the white grapes under varying exposures to flor, producing complex, umami wines.

Explore all of our Andalucia wine!