Vina Callejula

A family-run estate in the rolling hills of Jerez, Viña Callejuela makes 100% estate-bottled, grower Sherry plus a selection of single-vineyard, non-fortified Palomino wines.

Vintner Francisco Blanco Martínez worked vineyards in the region for two decades before he teamed up with his sons—José “Pepe” Blanco and his brother Francisco “Paco” Blanco—to make their own wine in 1980. They started a solera based on a modest five hectares of vines and primarily sold their wines to local bodegas, keeping a little for personal consumption.

But with a vision for the future, the brothers began bartering portions of their mosto for used botas instead of money, and with each bota they received, they added to their solera. Meanwhile, Francisco’s renown as a viticulturist grew among local winemakers, and throughout the 1980s, he slowly increased the family’s vineyard holdings, purchasing parcels in Añina, Marcharnudo, El Hornillo, and Callejuela.

The brothers started the Callejuela label in 1998 and released their first sherry in 2005. They expanded ten years later, releasing several aged bottles and single-vineyard Manzanillas. Today, they’ve got 750 botas in use, and they’ve added lines of Pedro Ximénez-based Sherry and non-fortified wine.

Callejuela’s 28 total hectares of estate vineyards all sit on the region’s dry, chalky albariza soils, which force the vines’ roots to descend 6–7 meters in search of water. While most of the region’s producers pick in mid-August, the Blancos hold off until early September. That longer hang-time gives their grapes a much higher sugar content, so they don’t have to add as much fortifying spirit, letting the character of Palomino grapes shine.

Despite their growing portfolio and reputation, Callejuela remains committed to crafting wines solely from their own sustainably farmed vineyards.