Bodegas A.R. Valdespino

Certainly one of the oldest bodegas in Jerez, Valdespino gives its date of foundation as 1430. Don Alfonso Valdespino, from Santander, was one of the knights who in 1264 helped king Alfonso X "El Sabio" (The Wise) to defeat the Moors at Jerez. In gratitude the king awarded them lands, and most planted vines.

Thus, Valdespino has been involved with wine for much longer, but it was in 1430 that they started commercial activity, mainly as growers and almacenistas, and not till 1837 that the business was established as a proper shipping company by Antonio Fernandez de Valdespino. By 1883 they already held a warrant as suppliers to the Spanish Royal Household. In 1899 they purchased the bodega of Heyward Wilson & Co in Jerez - whom they had long supplied with wines. As a result they were represented in Britain by Wilson & Valdespino for years till the British end was bought out.

Blending vats at in one of the old Valdespino bodegas

The firm owns important vineyards such as Inocente in Macharnudo Alto, with its attendant casa de vina, El Corregidor Viejo, and San Isidro in the Carrascal. They had many bodegas in Jerez, and famously each has a number which is formed on the lock end of each key. Brandy has also been a feature of the firm's production, and they have been making it since the XV century. A beautiful old copper column still recently disappeared from one of their disused bodegas.

The bodega has always been very traditional, owning large tracts of land in the Jerez Superior zone of Macharnudo Alto, the highest vineyard land in the area (at a staggering 135 metres above sea level!), and fermenting the wines in butts. This latter process has been discontinued by almost every other bodega. The firm has some very old soleras, and even the Fino, Inocente, spends around 10 years in solera - double what many others spend. Valdespino had always had significant connections in Sanlucar, but in 1972 they bought the Manuel de Argueso bodega in Sanlucar which had long supplied Manzanilla for the Valdespino Deliciosa brand.

The Valdespino family was losing interest in the Sherry trade, and in 1999 the firm was sold to Grupo Estevez, owners of  Real Tesoro, Tio Mateo and later La Guita. A whole new bodega complex was built on the outskirts of Jerez, which accommodates the 25,000 butts of these brands - with the exception of La Guita which is in Sanlucar. The wine is as good as ever, however, as Estevez took on the exceptionally able oenologist Eduardo Ojeda, previously with Croft, to supervise the moving of all the wines from the many bodegas to the one (an exceptionally delicate task) and look after the brand.

Range:
The firm has sold an enormous number of brands over the years, but the following are the current ones.
Fino Inocente (a single vineyard Sherry, coming from the Inocente vineyard)
Manzanilla: Senorita;  Deliciosa (also en rama version)
Amontillados: Contrabandista; Tio Diego; Coliseo VORS
Palo Cortado: Viejo CP; Cardenal VORS
Olorosos: Solera 1842; Don Gonzalo VOS; Su Majestad VORS; Cavadonga VORS
PX: El Candado; Ninos VORS (at least 50 years old)
Moscatel: Promesa; Toneles (at least 80 years old)
Cream: Isabela
Pale Cream: Ideal

Visits:
Yes, by contacting Grupo Estevez in advance at following contacts:
Contact
Address: Carretera N-IV, Km 640, 11408 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz
Tel: (+34) 956 321 004
Web: www.grupoestevez.com