Collection: Bodegas Luis Pérez

In 2002, Luis Pérez Rodrigues, professor in oenology at the university of Cadiz, started up a family project, with the main aim of reviving the time-honoured traditions of winemaking in the region around Jerez de la Frontera. He sought out the most suitable soils, in the middle of vineyards mostly planted with vines for sherry making. For example, 'Hacienda Vistahermosa' was established on the foundations of an old country house from 1844. The estate comprises a total of 155 hectares, 70 hectares of which are for their own use.

This vineyard's soils comprise what for this area is a unique mix of chalk, clay and marl with 30% limestone. Its high altitude and distance from the sea (13 km) create a microclimate where the wind cools and circulates the air of the vineyard.

Syrah, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tintilla de Rota were all planted here because of the terroir's characteristics and qualities. The entire domain is managed under a single, integrated system that presupposes ecology and minimal (but well thought out) human intervention. This was conceived with a view to making unique quality wines (Vino de Autor).

Meantime, his son, Willy Perez, stepped up as a pioneering member of a new generation of winemakers reviving lost traditions - from a time when sherry did not have to be fortified and the white wines, including Palomino Fino, were among the best and boldest in the world. And that is another of their goals: to make some of the best wines in the world on the basis of old traditions and knowhow.