Montilla-Moriles

Montilla-Moriles is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the southern part of the province of Córdoba (Andalusia, Spain).

This region produces mainly sweet dessert wines using similar techniques to those used for the production of sherry, that is, by crianza bajo velo de flor (which involves allowing a "veil" of flor yeast to form on the surface of the must in the casks) and por el sistema de criaderas y soleras (which refers to the process of aging the wine in soleras).

The DOP includes the following municipalities in their entirety: Montilla, Moriles, Doña Mencía, Montalbán de Córdoba, Monturque, Nueva Carteya and Puente Genil; and covers part of the following municipalities: Aguilar de la Frontera, Baena, Cabra, Castro del Río, Espejo, Fernán-Núñez, La Rambla, Lucena, Montemayor, and Santaella.

The names of wine-producing regions have been used for thousands of years to identify and qualify specific wines, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

The Spanish Civil War delayed the founding of the Regulatory Council of the DO until 1944, and the Regulations were finally approved in 1945, the first Chairman being Luis Merino del Castillo.

The authorised grape varieties, all white, are: Sauvignon Blanc, Baladí Verdejo, Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Moscatel de Alejandría, Macabeo, Torrontés, Verdejo, Chardonnay, and Lairén Most of the wine produced in Montilla-Moriles is classified on the same system as sherry, though unlike sherry it is not fortified.

The 6 DO wine regions in Andalusia (Spain)
Montilla-Moriles DOP vineyards
A Pedro Ximénez wine from the Montilla-Moriles DOP