Bodegas: Diez-Merito

Salvador Diez y Perez de Munoz (1858-1939) was one of  ten children born to Rafaela Perez de Munoz y Duque and Jose Maria Diez y Fernandez de la Somera. He was born at a prosperous time for Jerez, and received a strict religious education. Perhaps because of that, when there was civil unrest and disorder between the Carlists and the Liberals, he promptly sided with the Carlists and joined their army. After its defeat, he found himself in exile in Bayonne, France, aged just 18.

In 1876 he wrote to his father, a Jerez banker, asking him to send "good, old Sherry and plenty of it" to sell, and he soon did very well. His younger brothers Manuel and later Pedro began selling wine in Marseille, and Diez Hermanos came into being, buying the soleras of Ysasi y Cia. The family business grew and grew, becoming one of the biggest, and soon had enough to buy a large bodega in Jerez, at Calle Ferrocarril, 2, right opposite the station {a lovely building, now in a very poor state}.

On his return to Jerez, Salvador married Maria Antonia Gutierrez O’Neale in 1885. They had ten children. {The number ten - "diez" in Spanish - seems to be a constant in this family}.He then bought the important soleras of Ysasi y Cia in 1889. In 1892 his brother Francisco joined him. They were awarded the royal warrant by Alfonso XII, (by whose orders he had been exiled) by which they were able to use the royal arms on letters and invoices.

The firm progressed very profitably, and they bought up a few bodegas, including Jose de Fuentes Parrilla (est. 1864 and the first firm to ship Sherry in bottle rather than butt) and Riva & Rubio & Cia. In 1904 they sold 3,796 butts making them very important shippers. They had enough money to restore the cloisters of Santo Domingo in 1908, long after they had been abandoned by the monks; and the Alcazar, which was in a ruinous state, in 1926.

In 1924, like many Sherry bodegas, they got involved in the Port trade, having already dabbled in Madeira. Pablo Diez married and moved to Oporto in 1929, where he ran the Port business until his death in 1966, and soon after, in 1968, the Port business was sold to Offley Forrester. Diez Hermanos remains an Offley sous-marque, but the last vintage was declared in 1977. Offley was later taken over by Sandeman.

Patio at Bertemati Bodega, Jerez, built 1790

In 1970 International Distillers and Vintners (IDV) decided to add a Sherry arm to their famous Port brand, Croft. Gilbeys (a part of IDV) already had large stocks of Sherry in Jerez, looked after by Gonzalez Byass, and more wines were acquired. Diez Hermanos  were deeply involved in the project, but decided to pull out in 1977.They also had a stake in Bodegas Bertola for a while.

Then in 1979, Diez Hnos merged with the important bodega Marques del Merito, founded in the mid XIX century by one of the great Sherry families, the Lopez de Carrizosa. The two firms were merged to become Diez-Merito. They were a good fit, and owned extensive vineyards, bodegas and equipment. This state of affairs was not to last, however as they were soon swallowed up by Rumasa in one of their last takeovers a year or two later.

After the collapse of Rumasa, the Spanish Government sold Diez-Merito to businessman Marcos Eguizabal in 1985, along with the Rioja bodega of Federico Paternina, Bodegas Pemartin (Est 1810) and Bodegas Bertola (Est. 1911). Eguizabal died in 1994 and his heirs began to lose interest, selling Diez Merito in 2016 to the Espinosa family of Jerez.

Now, Diez Merito own seven vineyards, a large winemaking and bottling plant just outside Jerez and various bodegas including the beautiful old Bertemati bodega (1790, once owned by Misa) and the lovely old El Cuadro (built in 1819 for Pemartin, Calle Diego Fernandez Herrera, 4) in Jerez. They are a must-visit when in Jerez.

Brands:  Fino Imperial (Amontillado VORS solera 1793); Oloroso Regina VORS (solera 1906); Brandy Conde de Los Andes (the same name as a Reserva Rioja from Paternina) has been renamed Marques del Merito; Manzanilla Victoria, the Bertola range; also various more commercial wine and Sherry brands such as Pemartin. Once famous for Fino Palma and Brandy Oxigenado

Visits: Yes: visitas@diezmerito.com  956 332 973 or 660 233 438 and events too…

Address: Calle Diego Fernandez Herrera, 4, 11401 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz

Web: www.diezmerito.com