Sandeman Jerez, 'Royal Ambrosante' Pedro Ximénez is a rich and luxurious dessert wine, boasting a deep mahogany hue and complex flavours of dried fruits, raisins, toffee, coffee and spice. On the palate, it's smooth and sweet with spectacular mouth coasting viscosity and an unforgettable finish. Perfect at the end of every (if only!) meal, it pairs well with even the sweetest of puddings.

About the Producer

The House of Sandeman was founded in London in 1790 by George Sandeman, a young Scot from Perth. Specialising in wines from Porto and Jerez, Sandeman was the first company to brand its name on a cask with a hot iron in 1805 and was one of the first to label and advertise its wines. First painted in 1928 by George Massiot Brown, the ‘Sandeman Don’ is one of the world's first ever brand images and the first major icon in the wine world. The cape was modelled on the attire worn by university students in Porto, while the wide-brimmed hat was a nod to the family’s presence in Jerez. Although primarily associated with Port wines, Sandeman has been fully committed to sherry since George Sandeman first set up an office in Cádiz in 1809. Today, Sandeman concentrates its efforts in Jerez on the production of a handful of premium quality old solera sherries which have become known as masterpieces of the style.

Vineyard and Winery

The Pedro Ximénez grapes are sourced from the Montilla-Moriles region, just to the south of Córdoba, which is hotter and less humid than Jerez. After the harvest, the grapes are raisined in the sun before they are vinified. The evaporation of water from the grapes concentrates the sugars, acids and flavours. When these raisins are pressed, an intense and concentrated juice is yielded which can take many months to ferment given the high sugar content.

After having been raisined in the sun, the Pedro Ximénez grapes are gently pressed and a very concentrated and sugary must is fermented. Given the high sugar content, the yeasts struggle, the ferment is slow and the alcohol content reached is around 4 to 6% before fermentation stops naturally. The PX is then fortified to 17% using grape spirit and is fed into a Solera system in Jerez which was first established in 1894. The final wine has an average age of 20 years.