Pedro Ximenez - wine grape variety

Pedro Ximenez also comes from Spain, where there are plantings of about 33 000 ha mostly in the Estremadura, Andalusia  and Levant regions. While it is a permitted variety for sherry, only a small proportion of the plantings are in the sherry area. It forms the most important recognised white wine variety in Argentina, where there are 24 000 ha. It is declining in California, where there were less than 100 ha by 1976 and no new plantings had been made for many years. A little Pedro Ximenez is still being planted in Australia, although not enough to replace removals. For best results it needs a reliably dry period for ripening and harvest which Australian viticultural areas cannot provide.

Pedro Ximenez is a vigorous, upright and productive variety which, however, has a greater than average susceptibility to powdery mildew. The leaves are medium in size and readily recognisable, being deeply 5-lobed, fresh green in colour, thin and hairless below with only a few bristles along the veins. The bunches are large and well filled with medium, round to short oval berries, which have a tender skin and are very susceptible to rain damage. This can be very severe and followed by very extensive mould growth on vines with a dense canopy and a restricted number of heavy compact bunches. Vines at Merbein trained to a 90-cm wide T trellis and cane pruned have produced more exposed, smaller and looser bunches that are less susceptible to rain damage. Such vines provide conditions much less conducive to mould development.

In Spain the variety is used for both dry and sweet fortified wines such as Montilla-Moriles, Malaga and Jumila. Sweet wines may be produced either by adding alcohol before fermentation is finished or by adding mistelle (fortified grape juice) or grape juice itself to fully fermented wines. Wines are also made from grapes partially dried in the sun after harvesting. In Australia it provides excellent sherry material and in cooler areas it can also give good, fresh, neutral table wines suitable for blending with more highly flavoured varieties.