Pagos del Sherry - Ruta del Vino y Brandy de Jerez

los Pagos del Sherry

The Pagos del Sherry is a wine tourism project initiated by the Wine and Brandy Route of the Jerez Region, with the aim of promoting vineyards as tourist attractions in all of their aspects: scenic, natural, cultural, historic, gastronomic and oenological.

The characteristic “pago” vineyard zones of the Jerez Region, the vineyards, vineyard houses and a unique natural setting all combine to provide the ideal space to organize multiple wine tourism activities (visits to vineyard houses and vineyards, tastings and samplings, horseback rides through vineyards, cycle tourism, hiking, educational and interpreting activities, food and wine experiences, nature observation, cultural activities, etc.).

Enjoy the setting of the vineyards of the Jerez Region and an unhurried form of tourism, far from the crowds, in contact with nature and respectful of the environment and landscape.

VINEYARDS AND VINEYARD HOUSES

The landscapes of the Jerez Region represent a fascinating picture postcard of extraordinary beauty, fruit of the labours of winegrowers who over the centuries have known how to cultivate the albariza soil in order to obtain wines that are unique in the world. It constitutes a great haven of peace, only interrupted by the sound of birds and the voices and songs of the vineyard labourers.

Dotted amongst the vineyards we observe a harmonious distribution of vineyard houses, farm houses and other traditional buildings, generating a landscape that is the indisputable essence of Andalusian cultural heritage and one of the region’s most characteristic visual elements.

The vineyard houses of the Jerez Region constitute a unique ensemble given their great architectural and scenic value, undoubtedly of the region’s symbols of identity.

Unlike sherry bodegas located in cities, the vineyard houses represent the other side of the Jerez Region. Located on gently sloping hillsides occupying a preferential place on the vineyard landscape, an infinite horizon can be observed where the vineyard is protagonist and one that provides a sense of pleasure.

The traditional vineyard houses were built following a functional architectural design in order to facilitate work on the vineyards, pressing grapes and drying them under the sun, the grape press occupying the largest space in the building.

Many vineyard houses have been refurbished and transformed into wonderful spaces that offer singular experiences such as sleeping amidst the vines, enjoying the culture of wine and local cuisine, participating in cultural and sporting activities in natural surroundings, or simply celebrating special occasions.

PAGOS DEL SHERRY, a diversifying proposal

Pagos del Sherry contributes to providing enormous added value to the environment of the Jerez Region vineyards, inviting the visitor to enjoy a magnificent setting whilst at the same time favouring the maintenance of the vineyard landscape and increasing both its natural and scenic value.

Every tourist who visits our rural environment and enjoys its characteristic landscapes contributes to sustainability, generating an economic activity that stimulates employment, cares for and preserves our rural environment, showcases our most authentic traditions and helps preserve our surroundings and infrastructures.

This project aims to promote pride in belonging to a local region and favour a commitment to wine tourism.

Pagos del Sherry therefore contributes to the sustainability of the surrounding countryside and the rural environment, diversifying the activities of the vineyards of the Jerez Region that so far have mainly focused their efforts upon the cities of the region, thus increasing the value of the rural environment and, more specifically, of the Pagos, a historic element of the Jerez Region with close links to the local albariza soils, the origin of the best sherries.

HISTORIC PAGOS

The vineyards of the Jerez Region are a reference for many in Spain due to the international fame of some of their historic “pago” vineyard zones. The concept of pagos dates back to the Roman occupation of Spain, though despite their historic character the first official delimitation of pagos did not take place until 2015.

Pagos are groups of vineyards delimited by geographical and other characteristics, including climatological variations, that produce extensions of land with a series of homogeneous characteristics such as:

Albariza soil content
Altitude
Exposure to sun and winds
Proximity to the sea

Some of the legendary pagos of the Jerez Region belonging to the “Pagos del Sherry” project are:

Balbaína (Jerez de la Frontera y El Puerto de Santa María)
Carrascal (Jerez de la Frontera)
Macharnudo (Jerez de la Frontera)
Miraflores (Sanlúcar de Barrameda)
Pastrana (Sanlúcar de Barrameda)

ComMITMENT TO THE LANDSCAPE

A commitment to the natural beauty of the Jerez Region gives us the opportunity to enjoy the unique landscapes provided by the Pagos del Sherry. This wine tourism initiative has been developed with the aim of, at all times, protecting, preserving and respecting the environment of the participating vineyards and, in addition, contributing to increasing the awareness of all the territorial stakeholders regarding this unique landscape and its environmental, cultural and aesthetic values.

Indeed, one of the initiatives that the Wine and Brandy Route of the Jerez Region has accomplished, as part of the Pagos del Sherry project, has been the drafting of a Charter for the Protection of the Vineyard Landscapes of the Jerez Region aimed at protecting, managing and organizing the landscape. It is a voluntary memorandum of agreement between stakeholders in the region aimed at promoting preservation and enhancement of the landscape and quality of life of the local inhabitants by establishing objectives, agreements and management strategies.

At the same time, a Manifesto for the Protection of the Vineyard Landscapes of the Jerez Region has been drawn up, which we present below and invite you to sign if you believe it appropriate.

SEE Manifesto for the Protection of the Vineyard Landscapes

membership of PAGOS DEL SHERRY

If you are a professional or company that carries out an economic activity in the region of the Jerez vineyards, Pagos del Sherry could be your project too. We invite you to contact us for further information.