Palomino (grape)

Palomino in Viala & Vermorel

Palomino grapes growing in the Canary Islands where they are known as Listan Blanco

This article is about the term "Palomino" as it applies to grapes. For other uses, see Palomino (disambiguation).

"Temprana" redirects here. For another Spanish wine grape that is also known as Temprana, see Tempranillo blanco.

"Perrum" redirects here. For the Spanish wine grape that is known as Perrum in Portugal, see Pedro Ximénez.

Palomino is a white grape widely grown in Spain and South Africa, and best known for its use in the manufacture of sherry.

Wine regions

A non-fortified dry white wine made from Palomino in the Andalusia region of Spain.

In Spain, the grape is split into the sub-varieties Palomino Fino, Palomino Basto, and Palomino de Jerez, of which Palomino Fino is by far the most important, being the principal grape used in the manufacture of sherry. The wine formed by fermentation of the grape is low in both acidity and sugar which, whilst suitable for sherry, ensures that any table wine made from it is of a consistently low quality, unless aided by acidification.

In France, it is referred to as Listán, and in South Africa as Fransdruif or White French. It is also found in Australia and California where it is also used mainly to produce fortified wines. The grape was once thought to be the Golden Chasselas, a grape grown in California. The wine-must has tendency to oxidise quickly, a characteristic that can be ignored when used for sherry production.

DNA research

In December 2006 Spanish researchers, using DNA techniques, discovered that the Mission grape of California and Latin America, cultivated by the Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries throughout the New World, is in fact the now rare Listán Prieto or Palomino Negro of Spain.

See also

• List of Portuguese grape varieties