20.12.12 Madrid Tio Pepe Sign; Godfather of the Must

No Grapes for Puerta del Sol Tio Pepe Sign this Year:

The sign which has been such a well-known feature of the central Madrid square since 1936 will not be there this year. Every year thousands of Madrilenos flock to the square to eat the 12 lucky grapes and hear the bells chime the beginning of the New Year.

 The owners of the Hotel Paris, where it has been sited for so long did not renew the contract for its position atop the building last year and while there has been much negotiation, no deal has been signed for a new position. Despite 20,000 signatures on a petition, Apple, the new tenants of the building, want their own sign there. Mauricio Gonzalez Gordon, president of the bodega is confident the sign will be back in the square next year, albeit on a different building, and it is being restored in readiness.

Jesus Quintero elected “Godfather of the Must”

The Andalucian Association of Winemakers (AAE) recently celebrated a dinner in honour of the patron, San Andres, at bodegas Williams & Humbert, at which Jesus Quintero was elected to the honorary position to promote the Sherry wines. After the dinner the new Godfather was invited to sign a butt.