'Perfect symbiosis' From grapevines to crochet, how Spain cools down streets

As Spain takes a breath after yet another brutal summer heatwave, with temperatures in excess of 40C in many parts of the country, the citizens of the sherry-making town of Jerez de la Frontera have come up with a novel way to keep the streets cool.

- Stephen Burgen

Green canopies of grapevines festoon the town, reducing street-level temperatures by as much as 8C.

"We're planting vines in the old city because we hope that in two or three years we'll be able to brag that this has put an end to stifling temperatures," said Jesús Rodríguez, the president of Los Emparrados, a group of residents who aim to make the city's streets greener and more beautiful.

For decades the local sherry producers have kept their wineries cool with emparrados (vine arbours) but now the practice has been extended to a cluster of streets in the old town.

Not only are vines part of the essence of Jerez, they also have several advantages over trees. They only need to be watered in the first two years and they are deciduous, letting in the winter sun between November and March. Within three years of planting they will form a complete canopy over a narrow street.

Just a single vine stem growing up the side of a house can produce a lot of shade. In the sherry houses, where this has been the practice for more than 60 years, the leaves from a single vine form a canopy of 60 sq metres.