Enjoy the unique, crisp flavour of Fernando de Castilla Classic Manzanilla. Pale, straw-coloured with a tangy, yeasty and salty nose, its lighter body offers soft apple and citrus notes, a savoury nutty tang, and a salty finish. Perfect for pairing with salted almonds, light fish dishes, seafood tapas, and even smoked salmon.

About the Producer

Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla is located in the historic centre of Jerez. Its story began with the aristocratic Andrada-Vanderwilde family, who for two centuries provided grapes and wine for the production of sherry in the area. In 1972 Fernando Andrada-Vanderwilde took over some old sherry cellars and brandy soleras from a couple of local bodegas, and changed the name of the company from Fernando III to Fernando de Castilla.

In 1999 Jan Pettersen, a Norwegian with 15 years experience at Bodegas Osborne, bought the company and also acquired a neighbouring almacenista, José Bustamente. He also formed a partnership with a local grape grower – to ensure consistent supply of high quality grapes – unusual for the smaller bodegas, who usually have to rely on co-operatives. He decided to focus entirely on high-end, complex sherries - in the process upgrading the bodega to one of the most interesting and highly regarded of the small independent sherry houses in Jerez.

Vineyard and Winery

Grapes are sourced from Fernando de Castilla's partners' vineyards in the Jerez district. The soil type is Albariza. Picking takes place in early September. The wine is made from the first pressing of grapes, this gives a light fresh style. Fermentation takes place at relatively high temperatures to reduce fruit flavour. This makes a very neutral wine which is perfect for the production of sherry. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. In the February after harvest the wine is fortified with grape brandy up to 15% abv. Once at this stage the wine is then added to fill 4/5ths of the butt (600-litre casks of oak American oak) in the youngest Criadera (scale) in the Solera (a Solera is the total number of scales which can be from 3 up to 9). The wine then begins its ageing process under flor. Periodically, a portion of the wine in a barrel is moved into the next scale, using tools called the canoa (canoe) and rociador (sprinkler) to move the wine gently and avoid damaging the layer of flor in each barrel. At the end of the series only a portion of the final barrel is bottled. This process is called "running the scales". Only 20% of finished wine can be removed from the Solera in one year. The ageing process of the Manzanilla Solera takes place in Sanlucar de Barrameda and the average age of the sherry is 3 years old.