Vine to Wine: Montilla's Grape Guide

Wine grapes thrive or falter depending on the terroir of a region, or the interactions of soil, climate, and geography. So to truly understand the essence of any wine region, you must start at the root (and stem, and vine).

Montilla is especially warm, hot, and dry in comparison to the surrounding regions in Spain. It's chalky, limestone soil isn't fertile but does retain water, and its proximity to the Atlantic brings in a refreshing ocean breeze. These conditions are more supportive of white grape varieties, so beyond a few outliers, most grapes grown here are white.

Get to know four of Montilla’s most celebrated grape varieties, the pillars behind their renowned wines.

Pedro Ximénez

• Most popular grape, covers approximately 95% of Montilla vineyards

• Incredibly sweet profile, doesn’t need fortification

• Makes Montilla and Amontillado wines

Palomino

• Ancient grape dating back to Phoenician era (1550 to 300 B.C.E)

• Common among sherries

• Used in production of Fino, most popular wine

Moscatel

• One of the oldest grapes, dating back the Roman Empire

• Fruity and aromatic qualities used in sweet, dry wines

• Known by many names and best cultivated near the sea

Macabeo

• 5th most planted grape in Spain (also known as Viura)

• Known for versatility, but most often used in blends

• Does not get much attention for standalone qualities

Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash