VT Cadiz

Key Points

Grape varieties: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Merlot, Tintilla de Rota, Chardonnay, Palomino Fino
Hectares planted: 1,500
Wineries: 16

About VT Cádiz

In Spain, wine classification follows the European framework of rules and wines are classified into two distinct categories: Denominación de Origen Protegida, or DOP wines, and Indicación Geográfica Protegida, or IGP wines.

What’s the difference? Well, for a winery to be part of a DOP, every stage of its winemaking has to happen within the designated geographical area, which means that all the grapes have to be grown within the region where the wine is made. And each DOP has a list of grapes which wineries are allowed to use. For IGP wineries, only one of the production stages has to take place in the area, and only 85% of the grapes have to come from the area where the wine is made.

IGP wines tend to cover a larger geographical area than DOP wines, and are labelled ¨Vinos de la Tierra de (the region they are from)¨. The Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz IGP was established in 2005 and is used for wines that are made, bottled and aged in fifteen towns in the province of Cadiz.

The geography and climate of VT Cádiz

VT Cádiz is currently Spain’s fourth largest IGP (behind Castilla, Castilla y León and Extremadura) and 80% of the production is centred on white wines made predominantly with the Palomino Fino grape. Away from the coast, VT Cádiz is relatively flat, with gentle rolling vineyards and the odd hill. Soils in the main are limestone – think of the trademark white albariza - , with some sand and clay.

The climate is mild to warm, characterised by gentle winters with very low risk of frost. Vineyards enjoy an average 300 days/year of sunshine, with over 1,000 hours of sun in summer. Rainfall is perhaps higher than you would expect at 600 litres/m2, and tend to be concentrated between December to March. The proximity of the sea means that morning dews can be heavy, which helps the plants to breathe and counteracts the high temperatures. Wind is another important climatic factor in the region: the warm, dry Levante, which blows from inland to the East, and the humid Poniente which comes in off the Atlantic to the West.

The grapes of VT Cádiz

VT Cádiz’s list of authorized grapes includes a few local varieties which are worth a special mention. Tintilla de Rota is native to Cádiz and was particularly popular in the nineteenth century around the town of Rota where it was used to male dry red wines. Although at the time of the last Ministry of Agriculture census in 2021 Tintilla covered just 26 hectares across the whole of Andalucía, its popularity is once again on the rise in VT Cádiz wineries. It tends to give very dark red wines with a violet streak, and has sweet and bitter notes on the palate.

In terms of white grapes, Palomino Fino is very much the ¨Queen of the South¨, and remains the stand-out variety for the wonderful range of fortified wines that come out of the Marco de Jerez. But for still wines too, Palomino is coming into its own as younger generations of producers, often from established, sherry-producing families, revive some of the winemaking traditions of the region, including unfortified, white table wines for everyday drinking known as ¨vinos de pasto¨.

A vineyard in the autumn in the Spanish wine region of Alicante

DO Alicante

DO Alicante has had official status since the early part of the 20^th century. But, as elsewhere in Spain, in the last ten years the region has undergone something of a renaissance.

An old white cottage on the brow of a hill at sunset in the Spanish wine region of Bierzo

DO Bierzo

Sitting in the northwest corner of Castilla y León and bordering Galicia and Asturias to the north, Bierzo is something of a transition zone between the Atlantic and the Spanish interior.

A vineyard at Spanish Cava producers Bodegas Grimau

DO Cava

Cava is Spain’s most well-known sparkling wine. What many don't know is that it's also a DO in its own right. But unlike wines from other DOs, Cava is not made in just one geographical area.

A landscape shot of the Serra Llarga in the Spanish wine region Costers del Segre

DO Costers del Segre

Costers del Segre is one of ten DOs in Catalunya. The name literally translates as "banks of the Segre" which is one of the many tributaries which feed into the Ebro river.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Jumilla

DO Jumilla

Sitting in a hot and dry corner of Castilla La Mancha, Jumilla is a great place to explore fuller-bodied reds made from the Monastrell grape. But it also offers plenty of fresher wines from higher altitude plots that are well worth investigating.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Manchuela

DO Manchuela

Sandwiched between the coastal regions to the East and central Spain to the West, Manchuela has a long history of winemaking. It's famed for the Bobal grape, once a stalwart of bulk wine but now increasingly used to make some exceptional single varietal wines.

Barells in a wine cellar in the Spanish wine region of Sanlucar de Barrameda

DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda

In 1935, Spain’s first Denominación de Origen, D.O. Jerez-Xéres-Sherry y Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda was created and then in 1964, in recognition of Manzanilla’s distinct profile, the separate DO Manzanilla – Sanlúcar de Barrameda was formed.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Montsant with mountains in the background

DO Montsant

Montsant is defined by mountains hills, ridges and slopes. The region can be divided into sub-zones from warmer, lower stretches in the south-west as the land falls away towards the Ebro river and higher, wilder areas to the north.

A vineyard at Bodegas Grimau in the Spanish wine region of Penedes

DO Penedès

Penedès is best known for Cava which was essentially invented by the Codorniu family in the 1870s in the town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. But it's also worth trying some of the region's wonderful aromatic white wines.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Priorat

DOQ Priorat

Priorat is one of the 10 DOs in Catalunya and, along with DOCa Rioja, it’s one of the two wine-growing regions in Spain with "DO+" which means that, like Rioja, the rules are that little bit stricter for wines made here.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Rías Baixas

DO Rías Baixas

Rias Baixas is home to the excellent Albariño wines, but has a growing number of other interesting grapes to discover. With thousands of small growers and producers, making wonderful artisanal wines, it's definitely worth exploring.

Steeply sloping vineyards on the banks of a river in the Spanish wine region of Ribeira Sacra in Galicia

DO Ribeira Sacra

Ribeira Sacra is the only DO in Galicia specialising in red wines. This is the land of "heroic viticulture" where vineyards hang from the vertiginous banks of the Sil and Miño rivers calling for winemakers with a good head for heights!

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Ribeiro

DO Ribeiro

Ribeiro is the oldest of the five DOs in Galicia. With vineyards grouped along the three valleys formed by the Miño, Avia and Arnoia rivers, Ribeiro is well-known as for its wonderful, blended white wines made from native local grapes.

An aerial view of the River Duero in Spain

DO Ribera del Duero

After Rioja, Ribera del Duero is one of Spain’s best known wine regions. But despite a long winegrowing history, the region was only awarded DO status in 1982.

A landscape view of a vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Rioja

DOCa Rioja

One of the world’s best known and best loved wine regions, Rioja was one of the first regions in Spain to become an official DO almost a hundred years ago. Today, it’s on a par with other great wine-producing regions of the world.

Close up of vines in a vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Rueda

DO Rueda

Like many of Spain’s DOs, Rueda is an historic wine region with winemaking traditions that stretch back to the Middle Ages. The Rueda DO was created in the early 1980s, and these days is famed for its white wines made from the Verdejo grape.

DO Sierras de Málaga

Spread across the province of Málaga, DO Sierras de Málaga has a winemaking histoiry that dates back to the time of the Phoenicians in around 800 BC.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Somontano

DO Somontano

Somontano’s broad identity makes it a comfortable entry-point for international wine lovers looking to familiarise themselves with Spanish wine. But it’s also a region with a deep winemaking history and lots of local colour and diversity.

DO Terra Alta

Terra Alta is a county defined by its Mediterranean agriculture. Covering some twelve towns with a combined population of around 12,000 people, the plains, plateaus and valleys are planted with olive and almond trees, but above all vines.

A vineyard in the Spanish wine region of Toro

DO Toro

Toro is "the other DO on the Duero", sandwiched between the more famous Ribera del Duero to the east and the Douro region just across the border in Portugal.

An aerial shot of vineyards in the Spanish wine region of Vinos de Madrid

DO Vinos de Madrid

Despite its best efforts, the Vinos de Madrid region is still relatively unknown even for wine drinkers in Madrid. Which is a real shame because the DO has got a lot to shout about.