Pedro Ximénez

The Consejo Regulador describes Pedro Ximénez as a very traditional variety across the Jerez region and in other parts of Andalusia, also known as Alamis and Pedro Ximén. Phylloxera first appeared in Jerez in 1894, according to the Consejo Regulador. Writing for Decanter, Sarah Jane Evans MW says the replanting after phylloxera narrowed the region's varieties to the three that prevail today, mainly Palomino, with some Moscatel and a little Pedro Ximénez, both used for sweet wines. Writing in 2008, Jancis Robinson called Montilla-Moriles, south of Córdoba, PX's native region, and wrote that much of its sweet PX continues to find its way into bottles sold by the sherry bodegas.

• Synonyms named by the Consejo Regulador: Alamis and Pedro Ximén
• Phylloxera first appeared in Jerez in 1894 (Consejo Regulador)
• Post-phylloxera replanting left only a little Pedro Ximénez in Jerez (Sarah Jane Evans MW, Decanter)
• Jancis Robinson (2008) names Montilla-Moriles as PX's native region

Pedro Ximénez is one of the authorised varieties of the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO, and the Consejo Regulador's 2025 Memoria calls it a minority variety in the Marco de Jerez whose presence grows year after year. In the 2025 harvest, the Memoria records 330 botas of qualified Pedro Ximénez must out of 47,694 botas of qualified must in total (one bota equals 500 litres). The Jerez pliego (2026) allows raisined Pedro Ximénez must, muted with neutral wine alcohol, from the Montilla-Moriles region, and the Memoria adds that this applies when it is not available in the DO's production zone. Pedro Ximénez is also an authorised variety in the Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020), which places the DO's vineyards in the south of Córdoba province and its production zone at 125 to 600 metres above sea level, with a climate it classifies as semi-continental Mediterranean and around 3,000 hours of effective sunshine a year. The same 2020 pliego describes albarizas as soils rich in calcium carbonate and considers them the best for its generosos and liqueur wines. In 2008 Jancis Robinson described PX as the dominant grape variety around the towns of Montilla and Moriles.

• Jerez 2025 harvest: 330 of 47,694 botas of qualified must were Pedro Ximénez (Consejo Regulador Memoria 2025)
• The Montilla-Moriles production zone lies at 125 to 600 metres in southern Córdoba province (Montilla-Moriles pliego, 2020)
• Around 3,000 hours of effective sunshine a year in Montilla-Moriles (Montilla-Moriles pliego, 2020)
• Jerez bodegas may use raisined PX must from Montilla-Moriles (Jerez pliego, 2026)

The Consejo Regulador's viticulture page (fetched 2026) says Pedro Ximénez grapes, with a sugar content of 12.8º Baumé, are generally sunned before vinification to concentrate their sugar. The Jerez pliego (2026) defines asoleo as exposing the bunches to the sun to partially dehydrate the berries and concentrate their sugars and acids. The Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020) sets the conditions for sweet wines made by asoleo: a manual harvest, crates of at most 25 kg, and cut grapes laid in the sun on gently sloping ground, giving a must of at least 450 g/l of reducing sugars; pressing may yield no more than 40 litres of wine per 100 kg of grapes. Under the Jerez pliego (2026), alcohol is added to the must of vinos dulces naturales to stop or prevent fermentation, using wine-origin alcohol: neutral alcohol of at least 96% vol or wine or raisin alcohol of 95 to 96% vol. The Jerez pliego (2026) requires at least two years of oxidative ageing, without flor, in oak botas of no more than 1,000 litres, using either the dynamic criaderas y solera system or the static añadas system. In Montilla-Moriles, the 2020 pliego allows PX to be sold without ageing, or aged oxidatively either in criaderas y solera for at least two years or by añadas, where the minimum is twelve months, or six months for Pedro Ximénez aged in new wood. Jancis Robinson noted in 2008 that PX loses alcohol as it ages, so that a very old example may be just 10% from the cask and needs neutral spirit to reach the EU minimum of 15%.

• Asoleo concentrates both sugars and acids (Jerez pliego, 2026)
• Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020) asoleo must: at least 450 g/l of reducing sugars; maximum 40 litres of wine per 100 kg of grapes
• Fortification stops or prevents fermentation in vinos dulces naturales (Jerez pliego, 2026)
• Minimum two years of oxidative ageing in oak botas of up to 1,000 litres (Jerez pliego, 2026)

The Consejo Regulador describes PX as a dark, ebony-coloured wine with pronounced tearing, with notes of raisins, figs and dates alongside honey, grape syrup, jam, candied fruit, toasted coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa and liquorice. It calls PX velvety and syrupy, with enough acidity to mitigate the extreme sweetness, and describes it as "probably the sweetest wine in the world". The Jerez pliego (2026) describes ebony tones, mainly raisin aromas and a taste that is very sweet but balanced; the Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020) describes colours from old gold to intense mahogany or jet, raisined aromas that may show stalk notes, and a very dense palate. The Consejo Regulador's PX page (fetched 2026) gives total acidity of 3 to 5 g/l and recommends serving at 12 to 14ºC. The Jerez pliego (2026) allows the sweetness reference Muy Dulce or Very Rich above 212 g/l.

• Consejo Regulador tasting notes: raisins, figs, dates, toasted coffee, dark chocolate and liquorice
• Total acidity of 3 to 5 g/l (Consejo Regulador PX page, fetched 2026)
• Serve at 12 to 14ºC (Consejo Regulador)
• Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020) colour range: old gold to intense mahogany or jet

Pedro Ximénez is one of the four types, with Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado, that can qualify for the Consejo Regulador's certified-age categories, which it created in 2000: V.O.S. for sherries over 20 years old and V.O.R.S. for those over 30. The Jerez pliego (2026) also lists wines of more than 12 and more than 15 years, and allows the mention Añada. In Montilla-Moriles, the 2020 pliego lets PX not aged in criaderas y soleras show the harvest year, uses Viejo for an average age of at least 15 years and Viejísimo for at least 25 years, and allows the mention Superior when only raisined Pedro Ximénez must and alcohol are used.

• V.O.S.: over 20 years; V.O.R.S.: over 30 years (Jerez pliego, 2026)
• Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020) Viejo: average age of at least 15 years; Viejísimo: at least 25 years
• Montilla-Moriles pliego (2020) Superior: only raisined Pedro Ximénez must and alcohol

In 2008 Jancis Robinson named several producers that bottled some of their oldest PX at cask strength: El Maestro Sierra with a PX VORS sherry, and, in Montilla-Moriles, Alvear 1830 PX, Pérez Barquero Solera Fundacional 1905 PX, Moreno Virgilio PX and Equipo Navazos La Bota de PX nº 3 and nº 12. She described Alvear's PX de Solera 1927 as coming from a collection of barrels first filled in 1927 and continuously replenished since, and named Pérez Barquero's five-year-old Gran Barquero.

• Jerez: El Maestro Sierra PX VORS (Jancis Robinson, 2008)
• Montilla-Moriles: Alvear, Pérez Barquero, Moreno, Equipo Navazos (Jancis Robinson, 2008)
• Alvear's Solera 1927 barrels were first filled in 1927 (Jancis Robinson, 2008)

Primary sources (Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Jerez and Montilla-Moriles pliegos): https://www.sherry.wine/sherry-wine/naturally-sweet-sherry-wine/pedro-ximenez, https://www.sherry.wine/sherry-wine/special-categories, https://www.sherry.wine/sherry-wine/production/viticulture, https://www.sherry.wine/documents/597/21052026_Pliego_Jerez_1wBQg8y.pdf, https://www.mapa.gob.es/dam/mapa/contenido/alimentacion/temas/calidad-agroalimentaria/2017-calidad-diferenciada/nuevo_denominaciones/pliegos-de-condiciones/pliego-condiciones-vinos/dops/montilla_moriles_2020_12_03.pdf, https://www.sherry.wine/documents/593/Memoria_2025_compressed_1.pdf. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/the-unsung-hero-of-montilla, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews-tastings/top-rated-pedro-ximenez-sherry-341458/. Last verified 2026-09-28