Bodegas: Gonzalez Byass

This great bodega, the largest in Jerez, was established by Manuel Maria Gonzalez Angel in 1835. His father, Don Jose Antonio Gonzalez y Rodrigo was a knight of the royal guard of Carlos III, but despite being popular with the King, he had a reputation with the ladies and was “banished” to Sanlucar with the position of Administrator of the Royal Salt Marshes, a post in which he excelled. He married Maria del Rosario Angel and they had two daughters and five sons.

Manuel Maria, born in Sanlucar in 1812, was a sickly child, and rather than be sent to university in Seville, he was sent to Cadiz for his health, working as a merchant and in a bank. In 1835, a year after his father’s death and aged only 23 he went into the Sherry business. To do this, he borrowed money from one Francisco Gutierrez Aguera to buy a vineyard and was helped by his uncle, Jose de la Peña who owned a small bodega in Sanlucar.

Photograph of Manuel Maria Gonzalez Angel

The beginnings were small, exporting only 10 butts in 1835 but growing to 67 in 1836 and 819 in 1837. Things were moving fast and Manuel took on a partner, Juan Bautista Dubosc, a fine salesman from Cataluña who spoke languages, and the firm was renamed Gonzalez Dubosc.  Manuel concentrated on Sherry production and Juan on selling it. Meanwhile Manuel married Victorina de Soto y Lavaggi from the aristocratic Soto de Briviesca family. Dubosc died in 1859, but by this time Manuel was also working with Robert Blake Byass, his agent in England.

By 1853 the firm was acquiring more vineyard and began construction of a huge bodega, La Constancia, and the first butts placed there were those ancient wines acquired from the Duke of Medinaceli which would form the solera for Amontillado del Duque. By the time the bodega was finished, exports to England alone stood at 3,000 butts.

A montage from 1878 showing the scale of the bodegas and access to the railway.

Robert Blake Byass had been a very successful agent in England, and in 1863 he was taken into partnership, the firm being renamed Gonzalez Byass. The two families carried on the business until 1988, when the Byass family sold out to the Gonzalez family, giving them full ownership.

One lovely story took place in 1862 on the occasion of a visit by Queen Isabel II. Her wish was to watch the treading of the grapes, but as the visit took place in October, the treading was long over. Undaunted, Manuel sent people out to buy any "uvas de cuelga" or grapes which had been kept for eating and succeeded in obtaining enough (23,000kg!) to put on a show for the Queen. The wine thus produced was of such quality that it was kept in a huge barrel containing the equivalent of 33 butts. As Christ was 33, the barrel was named El Cristo, and was flanked with normal butts of top quality wine which are known as the Apostoles. There were to be many Royal visitors, and each one had a butt (or even solera) laid down in their honour which can still be seen there today.

The Price & Princess of Asturias at El Cristo with Mauricio Gonzalez

All the while in the background was Manuel’s uncle Jose. Being from Sanlucar he was naturally a huge fan of the Sanlucar wine, the Manzanilla. He disliked the Jerez wine, and as a favour Manuel kept a few butts of Manzanilla for him when he visited. It was known as “Tio Pepe’s wine” (uncle Joe’s wine), and went on to become the largest-selling Fino in the world.

In the mid XIX century the firm began distilling brandy, and met with great success. They are the only firm which still distils in Jerez (Lepanto). By 1873 GB was the number one exporter, continually acquiring more vineyard and building more bodegas, one of the most interesting of which was “La Concha”, a circular building with a wrought iron roof, often- though inaccurately- attributed to Gustave Eiffel. Manuel Maria died in 1887 at 75 years of age having built up a formidable business, and the firm passed to his son, Pedro Nolasco Gonzalez Soto. 

Jose Maria Angel y Vargas, Manuel Maria's maternal uncle "Tio Pepe"

Pedro was a character. He knew all sorts of Royalty through his international sales trips and collected things such as bicycles; he even had a bodega cleared out to accommodate 37 pianos!  Pedro married Mary Gordon of Scottish aristocratic stock, and whose family were in the Sherry trade. He even introduced Polo to Spain, and was later made Marques de Torresoto by Alfonso XIII with whom he often went shooting. GB eventually took over the Gordon Sherry brand, now lost.

By end of the XIX century Gonzalez Byass & Co Ltd had offices in 110 Fenchurch St. London and Vila Nova de Gaia, where they produced Port. They had bodegas in Jerez, Montilla, Sanlucar and Puerto Real and vineyards in the best areas, as well as the largest lagar in Jerez. Their bodega de Los Gigantes contained immense 4,100 hectolitre blending vats with helical stirring mechanisms to prepare blends as quickly as possible. Their chief salesman in Spain worked from offices in the Hotel de Paris, Puerta del Sol, Madrid (where the famous illuminated Tio Pepe sign was then situated).

Pedro Nolasco and Mary Gordon had at least seven sons, but most died young. Manuel Maria Gonzalez Gordon, later Marques de Bonanza and KBE), had been a sickly child, but a daily dose of Sherry had saved him, and he took over the reins of the firm. It was he who wrote the classic and scholarly book “Xeres Jerez Sherry” (English version simply “Sherry”). He installed electric light in the bodegas and running water. In 1929 GB took over Wisdom & Warter.

Vineyard at the Gonzalez Byass Bodegas, Jerez

In 1935 the firm decided to promote Tio Pepe, which had been a brand (the first registered trade mark in Spain) since 1844, and the famous bottle with a sombrero, bolero jacket and guitar was created. The brand never looked back, and its solera now consists of 22,000 butts. In 1963 the great Tio Pepe bodega was built, which houses 28,000 butts on three floors. In 1972 another even bigger bodega was built, Las Copas, with another innovative roof, which houses 80,000 butts. The firm’s bodegas now occupy some 92 hectares.

With the Sherry business showing signs of decline, GB moved into other wine regions: Rioja (Beronia), Somontano (Viñas del Vero), Cava (Vilarnau), Finca Moncloa in Cadiz and Finca la Constancia in Castilla. These are all now highly successful brands. They also own the Alcomasa distillery in La Mancha and the Anis Chinchon brand. Later they bought Croft Original Pale Cream, dropping their own San Domingo.

Nowadays the firm owns some 700 hectares of vineyard and manages a further 150 hectares by contract. They are among the very few still growing PX and own extensive vine nurseries. Around 70% of production is exported - to more countries than Spain has an embassy in! GB has a long history of altruism supporting various charities and the cultural heritage of Jerez and the Marismas. The bodegas are the most-visited in Europe and probably the most interesting.

Sherry Brands:

Basic commercial: Elegante Range

Standard Range: Tio Pepe Fino, Viña AB Amontillado, Nectar PX, Alfonso Oloroso, Solera 1847 Cream,  Cristina Cream (Spain), Palo Cortado Leonor, Pale Cream Croft Original. Sadly Fino Gaditano and Manzanilla El Rocio are no longer produced).

VORS Range: Matusalem Cream, Noe PX, Amontillado del Duque, Palo Cortado Apostoles

Añadas: (Vintage Wines), rare and expensive

Special wines: Tio Pepe en Rama (unfiltered from selected butts, small annual releases), Fino Delicado

The Palmas Range: 1 Palma, 2 Palmas, 3 Palmas, 4 Palmas Seriously good Finos from 8-40 years old

Visits?  Yes, all year round in various languages and there is nearby parking.

Contact:

Address: Calle Manuel Maria Gonzalez, 12, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz

Telephone: 956 357 016

Web: www.gonzalezbyass.es