PEDRO XIMÉNEZ (PX)

Pedro Ximénez (also known simply as PX) is a white wine grape variety best known for its role in the production of the sweet sherries of Jerez, Spain. Largely unsuited to table wine production due to its very low acidity, Pedro Ximénez shines as fortified wine either in the Sherry Blend, or as a fortified single-variety wine known as PX.

It is grown throughout Andalucía (particularly in Montilla-Moriles) and to a lesser extent in other southern Spanish regions including Valencia, Extremadura and the Canary Islands. Although Pedro Ximénez is most commonly associated with Jerez, it is actually in Montilla-Moriles that the bulk of Sherry-bound Pedro Ximénez is grown. Around 70 percent of the region's vineyard area is planted to Pedro Ximénez, compared to less than 5 percent in Jerez. Consequently, the local Sherry laws allow Pedro Ximénez grape must from Montilla-Moriles to be imported to Jerez, where Sherry production takes place.

PX wines, the best varietal expression of Pedro Ximénez, are not restricted to Spain and may be produced around the world. The method is to sun-dry the grapes to the point where the juices concentrate and the skins start to raisin. What liquid can be extracted is then partially fermented (the ferment is arrested by the addition of neutral grape spirit) and aged in a solera system of fractional blending. PX wines are lusciously sweet with flavors and aromas of toffee, figs, chocolate and dried fruit.