Andalusia can look back over a thousand years of winegrowing tradition. The production of unique, top quality wines is an intrinsic part of Andalusian culture and is now acknowledged all over the world.

This prestige has resulted in the recognition of Andalusian brands in the form of six D.O.s (Denominaciones de Origen), divided between four production areas. More recently, fourteen Vinos de la Tierra have also been recognised, introducing red wine production and thus diversifying Andalusia’s enological potential.

Today vineyards for wine production cover around 37,000 hectares in Andalusia. Over 70% of this area is covered by one or another of the D.O.s: ‘Málaga’, ‘Sierras de Málaga’, ‘Jerez-Xérès-Sherry’, ‘Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda’, ‘Montilla-Moriles’ and ‘Condado de Huelva’.

The most traditional of the wine ageing systems used in Andalusia is the Criaderas y Soleras system. This method, a deep rooted part of Andalusia’s cultural heritage, is employed mainly to age full-bodied, or generoso, wines (such as Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Oloroso and Condado Viejo) in all of Andalusia’s D.O.s. Generosos are absolutely unique; they are not produced anywhere else in the world.