Bodegas: Internacionales

The modern golden era for Jerez lasted a little more than a decade from the early 1960s till the oil crisis of 1973 and during this time Sherry was virtually selling itself. Marketing had become lax and overproduction became a problem as demand fell, with stocks eventually reaching nearly 50% more than could be sold. Many bodegas were insolvent. During this period José María Ruiz Mateos, founder of Rumasa, began buying them up at rock bottom prices in order to have enough wine to fulfil his contract with Harveys, buying a total of 16.

Inevitably, these bodegas were in various locations, and it was decided that great efficiency savings could be made if as much as possible were in one place.  Ruiz Mateos was confident that  he could increase sales by cutting prices. To this end a massive 50,000 square metre (5 hectare) bodega was completed in 1974 to provide all the winemaking, bottling, office and storage facilities required. It was the largest bodega in Europe - and one of the largest in the world - and dealt with the wines of 6 subsidiary bodegas: Diestro, Otaolaurruchi, Misa, Varela, Pemartín and Bertola. Many soleras were consolidated and famous names became mere labels before disappearing altogether, but luckily those subsidiary bodegas with better facilities continued as before.

The building itself is cleverly constructed using hundreds of interlocking octagonal concrete cones on pillars which conduct rainwater down to underfloor drains. The radical design won the national prize for architecture but is not a million miles away from the concept of González Byass’ Las Copas bodega. One good thing to come out of Internacionales, or BISA as it was known, was the excellent range of Duke of Wellington Sherries created by Beltrán Domecq González, but unfortunately they only lasted as long as Internacionales itself.

Rumasa had a huge effect on Jerez and the Sherry business changed beyond recognition. The trade saw much modernisation and the vineyard area more than doubled while sales were beginning to collapse, so the firm began to cut prices more aggressively and worry less about quality, and were accused of dumping, which did great harm to Sherry’s reputation. The bubble burst in 1983 when the government accused the labyrinthine firm of not paying taxes and took it over, selling it off in various viable parts. In 1985 the Rioja magnate Marcos Eguizábal bought Internacionales, along with Diez Hermanos, expanding the former to almost 70,000 square metres. In 1994 Grupo Medina bought the bodega and installed Williams & Humbert there. Medina part owned the firm, which had also once belonged to Rumasa, and now own it outright. The bodega houses some brands inherited from Rumasa days such as Lacave, Don Zoilo, and Gran Duque de Alba.