Undoubtedly, it is the orography and the location of this estate that have determined its excellence for viticulture. These two singularities defined the type of marine sediments that accumulated during the period in which it was submerged. Subsequently, it went through an intertidal stage and finally the stage of gradual desiccation and desalination. Hundreds of millions of years in every grape, in every bottle, and in every glass
Balbaína is recognised as one of the best winemaking estates in the region of Jerez-Xèrés-Sherry wine.
This is due to two factors:
- its albariza soil, which is the most suitable for growing vines because of its composition, structure and capacity for water absorption and retention
and
- its mesoclimate, as well as its proximity to the Bay of Cádiz, which means that it receives the optimal intensity of the westerly sea breezes and, as a result, produces the most delicate musts suitable for biological ageing under a cap of "flor" yeast, for the Fino wines of El Puerto and Jerez and also for the Manzanilla of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
We do not know the origin of the name of this estate. Some authors believe that it is due to the possessions held in this area by the powerful Balbo Cádiz-Roman family. However, it should be noted that it also appears as Barbaína and, above all, that the way it is called by the winegrowers (with an accent on the "i") is phonetically similar to the names of other estates: La Ina (in Jerez) and Vaína (in El Puerto).
Its former boundaries have been blurred over the centuries by the use of other place names in some of its areas. Winegrowers distinguish between Balbaína Baja - Lower Balbaína (in the area of El Puerto) and Balbaína Alta - Higher Balbaína (in the area of Jerez).