Editing Sherry (section)

===Soil===
There are three [[List of vineyard soils|types of soil]] in the Jerez district for growing the grapes for sherry:<ref name="MacNeil pg 438">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 438 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref>
* ''[[Albariza]]'': the lightest soil, almost white, and best for growing Palomino grapes. It is approximately 40 percent chalk, the rest being a blend of clay and sand. Albariza preserves moisture well during the hot summer months.
* ''Arenas'': yellowish soil, also 10 percent chalk but with a high sand content.
* ''Barros'': dark brown soil, 10 percent chalk with a high clay content.

The ''albariza'' soil is the best for growing the Palomino grape, and by law, 40 percent of the grapes making up a sherry must come from ''albariza'' soil. The ''barros'' and ''arenas'' soil is mostly used for Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes.

The benefit of the ''albariza'' soil is that it can reflect sunlight back up to the vine, aiding it in [[photosynthesis]]. The nature of the soil is very absorbent and compact so it can retain and maximize the use of the little rainfall that the Jerez region receives.<ref name="MacNeil pg 438" />