Palomino (grape)

This article is about the term "Palomino" as it applies to grapes. For other uses, see Palomino (disambiguation).

"Temprana" redirects here. For another Spanish wine grape that is also known as Temprana, see Tempranillo blanco.

"Perrum" redirects here. For the Spanish wine grape that is known as Perrum in Portugal, see Pedro Ximénez.

"White French" redirects here. For the ethnic group, see French people.

Palomino Fino is a white grape widely grown in Spain and South Africa, and best known for its use in the manufacture of sherry. It is also grown in the Douro region of Portugal where it is used for table and fortified wines.

Palomino Fino
Grape (Vitis)
Palomino in Viala & Vermorel
Color of berry skin	Blanc
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	Listán, White French, Fransdruif, among others[1]
Origin	Spain [1]
Notable wines	Sherry
VIVC number	8888

Palomino grapes growing in the Canary Islands where they are known as Listan Blanco

Wine regions

A non-fortified dry white wine made from Palomino in the Andalusia region of Spain.

In Spain, the grape is split into the sub-varieties Palomino Fino, Palomino Basto, and Palomino de Jerez, of which Palomino Fino is by far the most important, being the principal grape used in the manufacture of sherry. The wine formed by fermentation of the grape is low in both acidity and sugar which, whilst suitable for sherry, ensures that any table wine made from it is of a consistently low quality, unless aided by acidification. It is the fourth most common white grape variety grown in Spain, with 20,261 hectares (50,066 acres) in 2015. There are substantial plantings in Andalusia for sherry production, and it is also widely grown on the Canary Islands, and in Galicia.

In France, it is referred to as Listán, and in South Africa as Fransdruif or White French. It is also found in Australia and California where it is also used mainly to produce fortified wines. The grape was once thought to be the Golden Chasselas, a grape grown in California. The wine-must has tendency to oxidise quickly, a characteristic that can be ignored when used for sherry production.