1.10.18 New Sherry Cask Website

Sherry casks have for centuries been used for the ageing and refinement of the world´s finest spirits, not only Brandy de Jerez of course, but also Scotch, Irish, Japanese and American Whiskies and many Rums. Over the last decade or two, demand for these spirits has boomed and with it the demand for Sherry casks. Not all Spanish casks are Sherry casks however, so in 2015 the Consejo Regulador put in place a system of certification to guarantee their authenticity. Each cask has a label attached to it with a QR code which gives details of the type of oak, the cooperage, the bodega who seasoned it, the type of wine and the period of seasoning. Full details of this, along with a great deal of other interesting information can be found on the Consejos´s newly introduced web page: 

https://www.sherry.wine/sherry-cask

 

The cooperages in Jerez have not been so busy since Sherry was last exported in butts (casks), a practice which stopped with the introduction of mandatory local bottling in 1981. At the time there were around 40 cooperages, but that number dwindled to the 5 of today, leaving a shortage of experienced coopers and the need for more mechanisation. This lack of casks left the distillers with the problem of how to source Sherry casks and until it was solved they imported vastly increased numbers of ex Bourbon casks, which now account for some 90% of the casks used. These are about a tenth of the price of Sherry casks, but for premium brands, only Sherry casks will do, and they now work closely with the cooperages who build the casks to their requirements and the bodegas who season them with Sherry. 

At a time when volume sales of Sherry have been declining, this is very welcome business, and it now amounts to an estimated 40 million euros annually with some 90,000 casks currently in the system. The mínimum seasoning period is 12 months but, according to the cooperage industry 90% of the casks are seasoned for two years, and some distillers go for even longer. The preferred type of Sherry for the seasoning is Oloroso and a finished cask can cost 800 euros or more. One estimate is that around 2 euros of the cost of a bottle of 10 year old whisky is down to the cask alone. The vast majority of Sherry casks go to Scotland.

Vinoble Tastings 2018: Tesoros de San Ginés

This was a unique tasting of wines stored at the bodega San Ginés which forms part of the building which is the seat of the Consejo Regulador. The institution's President, Beltrán Domecq, and Director, César Saldaña, imparted this fascinating tasting of the wines which since 1948 have been made from grapes trodden by foot on the steps of Jerez Cathedral as one of the central acts of the Fiesta de la Vendimia, which was established in that year. Construction of the Cathedral was paid for by a tax on wine, showing how closely linked they are.

Every year girls in traditional costume bring baskets of grapes supplied by a particular bodega, whose winemaker will be the "Capataz de Honor" for that year, to a lagar erected on the Cathedral steps and they are trodden by a team of men, again in traditional costume, including "zapatos de pisar" or special treading boots. The must runs into a butt which when full is taken back to the bodega where it is vinified and sent off to San Ginés where it will age as a vintage wine. Here there is no solera and no refreshment and the wines simply age statically and oxidatively, so nearly all end up in the style of Oloroso, slowly and inexorably gaining greater concentration through the "merma" or shrinkage through the transpiration of water, but every one will be different.

This concentration was evident at the tasting with some incredible alcohol, sugar and volatile acidity (VA) readings, and yet the wines were delicious and somehow balanced, though very powerful, and none was too astringently woody. The lowest alcohol reading was 23.1% while the highest reading in the Consejo's own broad guidelines for Oloroso is 22%. While the wines were, without exception, huge up front, they generally subsided into balanced and intensely flavoured treasures, lingering eternally on the palate. It is worth noting that all the following wines contain way beyond the level of VA acceptable in most wines, but just laugh it off. Sherry is unique and special.

(foto:tripadvisor)

The butts at San Ginés are not all from the Fiesta de la Vendimia. Some are laid down in celebration of visits to Jerez by important personages such as royalty or Poets Laureate (whose payment is traditionally a butt of Sherry) while others are  butts donated by bodegas, some of which no longer exist, offering a fascinating liquid heritage. Many were dedicated in the early years to local towns, and later to places or occasionally people farther away. The heads of the bodega butts display their coat of arms or logo and are a beautiful sight.

Anyway, there follows a list of the wines tasted and some details. Sorry about the picture quality but most were snapped on a mobile from a screen.

Bota Andrew Motion
Sir Andrew Motion was Poet Laureate from 1999-2009. This butt was filled in 2003 with 8 year old solera Oloroso from Garvey at 18.5% and has aged statically since then. It now has 23.6% alcohol, 15 g/l sugars and 1.8 g/l VA, TA 8.48 g/l and pH 3.1. Quite glyceric so super smooth, sugar barely noticeable, huge and complex.

Bota de los Príncipes de Asturias
Dedicated to and signed by Don Juan Carlos de Borbón and Doña Sofia in 1971 before Don Juan Carlos became King in 1975 after the death of Franco. It is not known which bodega made this wine, but it is over 50 years old with 26% alcohol, 6 g/l sugars and 1.9g/l VA. TA 9.75 and pH 3.03 Powerful, oaky, spicy, grippy.

Bota Fiesta de la Vendimia 1970
Dedicated to Canada , the bodega is not known but the Capataz de Honor was Salvador Diaz Lacave, so it could possibly be traced. Powerful and grippy despite damp, coolish spring, sugar barely noticeable.

Bota Fiesta de la Vendimia 1954
36 arroba butt dedicated to Rota, this wine was provided by Osborne in a fairly dry year. Full yet very elegant, more Palo Cortado, nutty aromatic spices and woods.

Bota Fiesta de la Vendimia 1953
Dedicated to Chipiona and supplied by Barbadillo. Dry warm year, yet high acidity virtually balances out sugars, though some caramel and PX aromas mingle with spicy oak.

Bota Fiesta de la Vendimia 1949
Dedicated to El Puerto de Santa María and made by Pedro Domecq. Average rainfall and temperatures following drought. Trace sweetness despite whopping VA and low sugars yet elegant, structured and attractive.

Bota Fiesta de la Vendimia 1948
Dedicated to Don Luis Romero Palomo, founder and first president of the Fiesta de la Vendimia. The vintage suffered from drought and temperatures were average. An outstanding, super elegant and refined wine, possibly Palo Cortado.  Beltrán Domecq said it was probably the best Sherry he had ever tasted - and he has tasted a few.

9.2.17 Consejo Seeks to Enhance Communication

The Consejo plenary has decided to boost its education and promotion strategy to try and squeeze more out of its budget, which is much smaller than that of many other DOs. Sherry is in good health with considerable growth in its global prestige and sales of higher value, a sign that they are doing things well. Unfortunately, roughly half the Consejo’s income, that which does not come from public funds, comes from a quota on the liquid volume of sales which is still in decline, and promotional funds have therefore declined in line with them.

This year’s budget is 1.372.000 euros, a 3% drop on that of last year, simply because of falling volumes. (Rioja’s total 2017 budget is 16.48 million) The bodegas pay a quota of 2.5 céntimos per litre sold while the growers pay 0.5 céntimos per qualified kilo, but the plenary has decided that the growers should have say in how the budget is spent. A committee consisting of representatives of bodegas and growers will be set up to examine existing strategy and study other possibilities. The committee will not devise strategic plans or campaigns, but will look at how existing ones can be tweaked to improve communication. 

27.7.16 Masterchef Winner Visits Consejo

Masterchef winner, Virginia Naranjo and her twin sister Raquel, also a finalist, visited the Consejo yesterday, signed the book of honour and enjoyed a glass of Sherry with president Beltrán Domecq and director César Saldaña. César wanted to publicly thank the girls, both from Jerez, for their promotion of Jerez products during the televised competition. He said “we are very grateful to you for promoting our products as we were sure you would, but as we watched the competition our hearts jumped and filled with pride on the many occasions you mentioned them.”

Raquel (L), Virginia and Beltran Domecq (foto:diariojerez)

Beltrán also expressed his gratitude, “an objective of the Consejo is to integrate our wines with gastronomy for which we are very grateful for your participation.” Raquel wants to work with the Consejo in promoting the products of Jerez “because we are proud to be from Jerez.” While Virginia, who has already published a cookery book, said “we are very proud and grateful for this recognition by the Consejo, it is a great institution, Sherry’s head office.”

15.6.16 Sherry and Cork; MW Exam Sherry, Decanter Awards

On Monday a meeting took place at the Consejo’s Bodega San Ginés between the Jerez cork stopper producer Torrent Miranda, APOM (the association of sustainable forest owners) and representatives of the leading bodegas. Titled “Sustainability and Excellence in the Wines of Jerez”, the meeting was organised by the PEFC (the Spanish association for forest sustainability which certifies cork – as well as wood for barrels and wood derivatives), the Consejo and Torrent Miranda.

The latter’s managing director, Alfonso de la Calle pointed out that 71% of seals are cork because it is the best seal, not only for its suitability for the job, but for its ecological and environmental value, and that certified cork is much in demand for premium products. Ana Belén Noriega, PEFC general director praised the efforts of Andalusian producers who have 64,600 hectares of sustainable forest, 35,000 of those in Cádiz. Referring to its ecological value, she said that the production of one cork absorbed 234 grams of CO2 and that the bodegas should choose PEFC certified cork as a part of their drive for sustainability, especially locally produced cork.

The Institute of Masters of Wine examinations took place recently, and the chosen Sherry in the tasting papers, which consist of 36 wines over 3 papers was Cayetano del Pino’s Palo Cortado Solera. This is an excellent Sherry and a classic Palo Cortado, so let's hope they got it right!

Respected wine magazine Decanter has published the results of its Decanter World Wine Awards. Listed below are the top scoring Sherries. I have stuck to Best in Show, Platinum and Gold awards because of the number of wines involved. A total of 98 Sherries won Commended, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and best in Show. A huge panel of judges included Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers.

Best in Show

Fino Tres Palmas, González Byass

Platinum

Oloroso VORS, Lustau

Palo Cortado VORS, Lustau

Pedro Ximénez VORS, Lustau

Gold

Oloroso Añada 1986 Hidalgo La Gitana

Faraón Oloroso VORS, Hidalgo la Gitana

Pedro Ximénez Triana VORS, Hidalgo La Gitana

Wellington Palo Cortado VORS, Hidalgo La Gitana

Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana, Hidalgo La Gitana

Amontillado Cuatro Palmas, González Byass

Amontillado del Duque VORS, González Byass

Fino Dos Palmas, González Byass

Leonor Palo Cortado, González Byass

Matúsalem Cream VORS, González Byass

Noé Pedro Ximénez, González Byass

Palo Cortado Añada 1987, González Byass

Fino Inocente, Valdespino

10.4.16 International Sherry Week Wins Award

The Drinks International Magazine prize for Best Digital and Social Media Campaign has been awarded to the Consejo Regulador and ESOES, the creative force behind International Sherry Week. The principal objective of this very successful campaign is to promote Sherry and demonstrate its versatility with food via worldwide tastings, food matching menus and cocktails, all of which are listed on the web platform www.isherryweek.com. The dates for 2016 are 7-13 November.

The judges were impressed by the fact that the campaign was promoted exclusively through digital media, quite a novelty in their view for a wine with such a long history, and they admired its quality and pioneering spirit. The Consejo was naturally delighted and the director, César Saldaña and marketing director, Carmen Aumesquets, said that thanks to the campaign this iconic wine was now firmly in the XXI century having created an enthusiastic and passionate following, a true #sherryrevolution among younger #sherrylovers via this platform.

4.3.16 Manzanilla Rebels Seek Public Support

The Association of Artisan Bodegas of Sanlúcar held their BIB information day on Wednesday at the Castillo de Santiago in Sanlúcar. Free Manzanilla meant there was always going to be a good turnout which would inevitably be rather partisan; the small Sanlúcar producers versus the might of the big ones, David and Goliath. The mayor of Sanlúcar was present along with representatives of the makers of the BIB, Conotainer.

BIB v Bottle in Sanlucar (foto:diariojerez)

The rebels find themselves in a temporary limbo as a final judgement on BIB legality is awaited while the Junta amends the regulation as proposed and approved by a plenary at the Consejo to forbid it and considers legalising it for horeca. The majority consider that BIB harms the image of Sherry, and that its supposedly superior convenience and hygienic properties are irrelevant, while the Junta feels that the current rules are open to confusion and is thus busy rewriting them. Until the new regulation is published, the rebels feel they are free to use BIB legally and have asked the Consejo for DO labels which the latter has refused to do until the matter is concluded.

29.1.16 Manzanilla Rebels Call for Dialogue

The Association of Artisan Bodegas of Sanlúcar has issued a communiqué in which they outline their position in the BIB conflict, question the legality of the proposal to modify the regulations, and call for dialogue at the Consejo. After the Junta said BIB could be legal if it was sold only to horeca (hotel, restaurant, catering), the Consejo change the rules, prompting the association to pose a few questions.

Firstly they point out that they had “right from the start tried to maintain dialogue with the Consejo in the belief that what they were doing was legal. The dialogue was kept up with growers, cooperatives etc, but Fedejerez refused to talk”. According to the association the Junta’s report “confirmed that what they were doing was right and legal and that consequently BIB is perfectly legal for certain types of sale such as horeca”.

They also complain that “members of the Consejo did not know about the Junta’s report till the very moment the plenary began on Tuesday, at which Fedejerez produced their proposal to modify the rules to prohibit BIB, which is absolutely legal, even now”. Representatives of the association held a meeting with the Consejo Director 24 hours before the plenary at which “we asked how it was possible that a proposal to modify the rules could be presented when nobody would see the Junta’s report till the start of the plenary. Given that the presentation of the proposal was manifestly irregular, we asked that it be withdrawn”.

The answer was “no” and the proposal remained on the agenda, so at the end of the meeting the association’s representatives gave him a note which “confirmed the irregularities being committed in case the matter were put to a vote. At no time did the association try to coerce or restrict the rights of members of the plenary, but only make them aware via the report that this was an irregular proposal, unjustified, illegal and from a dominant position.” The association says that the Sherry zone needs dialogue and innovative proposals to reactivate things and put an end to the “bodega cemetery” image which has arisen over recent years, and all that is a consequence of conservative policies and a concentration of power to the detriment of the sector as a whole.

The association admits that their “sales as a percentage of the whole DO are small but we represent 80% of the Manzanilla bodegas of Sanlúcar, and quality cannot be measured in terms of scale, but by the artisan process. Members of our association were never rebels but acted reasonably, and that reason was supported by the Junta, and now there are attempts to deny it to us.”

Finally they call for dialogue, “we are all the Consejo Regulador and reason is not a question of taste or preference, especially when the image of quality for the consumer should be the contents, not the packaging, and we fulfil that.”

21.1.16 New Rules for Consejos Reguladores

On Tuesday the junta de Andalucía finally approved a new decree giving the green light to the calling of elections in the 29 Consejos Reguladores of Andalucía. These are normally held every four years, but despite an eighteen month delay this will continue. Also each Consejo will have to elect a president and propose their name to the Junta. The elections in Jerez will probably take place in May or June.

The last elections in Bodega San Gines (foto:diariojerez)

There are some changes in the rules, one of the principal ones being that bodegas which also own vineyard can no longer represent themselves as growers and bodegas at the Consejo, as they have done hitherto. From now on they can only represent their principal activity, a measure by which the Junta hopes to achieve more equality of representation between the different sectors of the trade and minority interests. On behalf of the bodegas Fedejerez had lobbied unsuccessfully against this.

16.1.15 Junta Declares BIB Legal for Horeca

Having asked the Junta for clarification on the BIB affair, the Consejo has been informed that Manzanilla in BIB destined for horeca (hotel, restaurant, bar, catering) fulfils the requirements laid down in the regulations covering producers of Manzanilla de Sanlúcar, though the text needs to be altered. According to the current regulations containers for DO wines shall be made from glass or other materials approved by the Consejo which does not affect the quality of the product and with capacities of between 10cl and 150cl, leaving producers to decide on other capacities so long as they are clearly indicated on the label. However the regulations impose no restriction on types of materials and are thus not sufficiently precise, meaning that as things stand BIB is legal so long as it is clearly indicated that the wine is for horeca and not for sale to the public. The Junta feels that the Consejo should propose any changes in the legislation which it feels necessary so producers can be sure about the rules they must obey, but also feels that it is responsible for interpretation of the rules until such time as the text is revised.

7.1.16 Junta Allows BIB for Horeca

The technical services of the Junta de Andalucía’s Agriculture department have given a boost to the Manzanilla rebels by issuing a statement which, at least up to a point, supports their use of BIB. It says it is legal so long as the wine is destined for horeca (the hotel, restaurant, bar and catering trade) which is regarded as “direct” consumption, as the wine is used to make sauces etc. and not for sale by the glass (at least officially). The Consejo Regulador has asked for clarification on the matter, which hinges on whether sale to horeca is or is not direct consumption. It has the power to dictate which containers are used for the wines it represents, and currently it does not allow anything other than glass which must carry its official seals. The Consejo feels undermined by the Junta, which is not really helping to achieve a definitive solution to the problem.

19.12.15 Consejo Publishes Best Tapa & Sherry Bar Guide

The Consejo Regulador has published a guide to the best establishments in Jerez, El Puerto and Sanlúcar for the enjoyment of a good glass of Sherry and tapas chosen by 20,000 members of the the public. Over 80 bars participated in June 2014 in a Sherry and tapas route and the public voted via the website www.tapayjerez.com  30 bars made it into the guide and this 60 page publication can be obtained free from the Consejo offices in Jerez.

Beltran Domecq at the launch (foto:cosasdecome)

27.11.15 Irene García Supports Sanlúcar

The president of the Junta in Cádiz and socialist ex-mayor of Sanlúcar, Irene García, who yesterday participated in the opening of the Scientific Symposium in celebration of the 80^th anniversary of the DO Jerez, was not shy in standing up for the Sanlúcar rebels among the big guns in Jerez.

Irene Garcia and Beltran Domecq at the Symposium (foto:diario jerez)

She made a spirited defence of the bodegas of her birthplace saying the Consejo should keep up with the times and that the BIB suits consumer preferences. The said that there was obviously a problem and that it should be addressed by “sustained, sincere and necessary dialogue. The Consejo cannot forget that Manzanilla forms a part of it.”

For his part, and after Wednesday’s resounding vote at the Consejo plenary with 17 votes in favour, 2 abstentions and 1 against prosecuting the rebels, Beltrán Domecq said “the rules must be obeyed, and if some small bodega decides to do things illegally in breach of the rules, we will not allow it.”

31.10.15 “No Wine in BIB is Manzanilla”

Fedejerez and the Consejo have responded to yesterday’s announcement by the Manzanilla producers saying they will denounce those who sell these products which cannot have the DO. They warned consumers that without it there is no guarantee of the wine’s authenticity and quality.

President of Fedejerez, Evaristo Babé, spoke yesterday of the unacceptable and outrageous provocation of the Manzanilleros as much for the content as for the menacing tone of the message sent out by the 10 bodegas who announced that they would be selling DO Manzanilla in BIB despite the prohibition of this container ratified by a plenary at the Consejo. He said their posture showed a complete lack of respect for the institution to which they chose to belong. Rules are there to be obeyed; they can be changed, but always with respect for the law. He urged the Junta to deal with this “attack” as it would be worse if the DO had to.

“They can put a DO label on a BIB, but it is still not Manzanilla.” Babé warned consumers not to let themselves be deceived, as the Consejo is the only institution with the capacity to certify genuine Manzanilla. Putting it in perspective, the bodegas which have subscribed to selling Manzanilla in BIB only represent 25% of the Manzanilleros, the big firms have not, and so this only represents 4-5% of total Sherry sales.

For its part the Consejo agrees completely with the position of Fedejerez. Its director, César Saldaña said decisions taken at plenary meetings are adopted by a majority and they should be respected; disobedience is not the best way forward. Packaging is a matter for the Consejo, where any rule changes can be debated, and in his view the decision of the Manzanilleros does nothing but aggravate the situation. He pointed out that to sell a wine the label, which states the liquid content, has to be registered at the Consejo, and since BIB is not authorised neither labels nor precintas (official seals) which prove authenticity can be issued.

The sale of bulk wine is only permitted by the DO in garrafas (large glass containers). These are primarily intended for the tabancos, though Fedejerez wants to see garrafas banned as well. The Consejo is keeping a look out to see if Manzanilleros try and use garrafa labels for BIB which would be illegal as the capacities of garrafas are 4,8, and 18 litres while those for BIB are 5,10,and 15. Any infraction would be reported to theJunta’s agriculture department. If the Manzanilleros continue with their plan to sell DO Manzanilla in BIB the Consejo could seek their withdrawal from the register of bodegas in the DO, an extreme action which it is not contemplating for now, preferring dialogue.

Sherry Sales Figures January - August

Sales of Sherry are still subsiding except in Spain where they rose between January and August by 7% with a volume of over 8.3 million litres, more than the 500,000 litres increase of the previous year. This growth compensates partly for the drop in exports, some 2% down up till August at 21 million litres. The home market is the largest single market, up by the same margin as exports are down. 12.5 million litres were exported in January to August, almost 1 million less than in the same period last year.

The Consejo has discovered an error in its statistics, however, which will have to be corrected by the end of the year. It appears that some sales are being counted twice: as domestic and export sales. A considerable amount of wine produced by a reputable bodega for another thanks to an agreement between the two in which the first records production of the wine and the second that of the brandies. Without yet knowing the precise amount of wine involved, the sales statistics are prolonging the agony in traditional markets, in particular Britain which is down 4% with a volume of 4.2 million litres.

Holland is the second largest export market, up 2.15% at over 4.1 million litres, catching up with Britain, but Germany has dropped 18.5% to only 1.6 million litres. So far this year Jerez has exported 11,359,071 litres to Europe, a drop of 7.33%, with exports to the rest of the world of just over 1.3 million litres, of which the Americas took 1.2 and Asia 166,000. The Americas are down 6.7% despite a slight increase in the USA which took 866,000 litres. Japan grew 20% but from a small base taking 110,000 litres.

The annual figures from September 2014 to August 2015 show an overall drop of 3% with just over 36.2 million litres sold. Spain has taken over definitively from Britain as the biggest market with 12 million litres, up 4.1% last year as against the 10 million litres exported to the UK, a drop of just over 5%. The drop in exports for this period was 6.3% with Europe with most of the traditional markets down 7%. The Americas grew by 0.26% thanks to an increase in the US of 6.6% or 1.5 million litres while Asia is down 7.4%.

Sales Figures by Type

For the period January to August Fino remains the best seller at 5.1 million litres, a drop of 2.1% while Medium is just ahead of Manzanilla, both at about 5 million litres but Medium has grown 1.44% while Manzanilla has dropped 3.36%. For the last year, September to August, Medium has gained volume to 8.2 million litres, down 1% while Fino has dropped 4.55% to about 8 million litres. Manzanilla, now in 4^th place with 7 less than million litres down 2.73%, has given way to Cream with 7.7 million litres, up 1.25%.

By market, although Manzanilla is still ahead in Spain with January to August figures of 4.8 million litres – down 3% - or 6.3 million litres in the last year – down 2.5%, Fino is catching up with 1.8 million litres January to August – up 14.36% - and 2.6 million litres in the last year, up 7.8%. It could be that sales of Manzanilla are being held back by the bag in box business. In regard to exports Medium leads the way with 7.7 million litres in the last year (-5.54%) followed by Cream at 6.6 million litres (-0.4%), Fino 5.4 million litres (-9.64%), Pale Cream 2.5 million litres (-4.74%) and Manzanilla at just over 630,000 litres (-5%).

We all need to do more!!

8.9.15 Consejo Vintage Report 2015

With picking over but for a handful of coastal vineyards and the great majority of the press-houses now closed, César Saldaña, director of the Consejo Regulador reports on a problem-free vintage of high quality and higher yields than last year.

It could be said that the harvest 2015 is virtually finished. Of the 31 press-houses registered with the Denominación de Origen this year almost all of the few which are still working today are located in coastal areas where they are pressing the grapes from the vineyards closest to the sea. As is known, the Sherry harvest is a gradual process which begins in the interior vineyards and gradually extends towards the coastal areas as the grapes gradually reach the optimum level of maturity for picking.

This year the pressing of the first Palomino grapes – the predominant variety – began as early as the 3^rd of August as a consequence of the extreme heat recorded in early summer. The relatively gentle temperatures in the second part of the month slowed down the picking while optimum ripening was awaited.

In general the grapes have been arriving at the press-houses in a very healthy state as a result of the exceptionally benign conditions provided by last spring. After a moderately rainy winter with average rainfall slightly below the normal 600 litres per square metre, spring was very dry which had a very positive effect on the vines, with an almost total absence of insect pests and diseases. Furthermore, the winter rains were spread out over a longer period meaning that the albariza soil was able to absorb it gradually without soil erosion and build up the water reserves in the subsoil necessary for the vines to develop adequately to face the summer.

Consequently we have a healthy crop with a very good balance of acidity and an average sugar level which at the start of the harvest was very high but moderated itself to a level of 11.3ᴼ Beaumé. In terms of quantity we estimate a medium to large crop and production per hectare at the end of the harvest will probably exceed 11,000 kilos. This will provide us with approximately 75 million kilos of grapes with which to make the wine necessary to re-stock the criaderas as well as supplying the raw materials to make other quality products made in the Jerez area. Among those a special mention for Sherry vinegar which also has a Denominación de Origen and which is seeing growing demand and ever rising sales.

5.9.15 Soviet Satellites; Consejo Exhibition; GB Cata Magistral

During the Cold War Russian military spy satellites took high resolution images of Jerez and other cities in Andalucía because of their strategic, military and economic interest. From these highly detailed maps studies were created in the early 1970s which show the toponomy, classification of buildings and infrastructures, military installations, communications, transport, details of the Guadalete, geography, soil composition, water supply, commerce, population  among many other things. 

Part of an image created from satellite pictures (foto:diariojerez)

Jerez was regarded as strategically important as a hub of railway and road communications and food supply as well as being an important producer of wine and “its bodegas are enormous.” This was a staggering amount of detail, and no doubt the proximity of Jerez to Gibraltar was taken into account. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union the documents were bought by the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Cataluña who had them digitalised in 2014.

Los Claustros de Santo Domingo in Jerez has an excellent exhibition of the history of the Consejo Regulador which runs till September 27th. Entitled “80 Years Defending What Is Ours” it is part of the Fiesta de la Vendimia celebrations and highlights the definitive patrimony and identity of the city – “Nuestra tierra, nuestra gente y nuestra cultura” (our land, our people and our culture).

On show are photographs and curiosities of the wine trade, generic label designs, old documents from the gremios (wine guilds predating the Consejo), and the first Reglamentos (rules) of the Denominación de Origen from 1935 among many other things. “It is an entertaining exhibition and one which will appeal to anybody interested in the world of Sherry – our world,” said César Saldaña, Consejo director and organiser of the exhibition. This is well worth seeing if you can.

Antonio Flores, chief winemaker at González Byass, will lead a tasting at the Patio de las Armas in the Alcázar on Monday night as part of the Fiesta de la Vendimia. He will highlight the versatility of these unique Sherry wines and their compatibility with food. GB will also be participating in De Copa en Copa (from glass to glass) at the Claustros de Santo Domingo on the 10,11,12 of this month.

Andalucia Sabor

The V edition of Andalucía Sabor International Fine Food Exhibition, a biennial exhibition, will take place between the 14 and 16 September in Sevilla with 149 andalusian companies taking part. One of those is the Consejo Regulador de Jerez who will be promoting Sherry generically. The event includes special spaces for restaurants, olive oil and of course wine. There will be tastings, wine and food marriage and cooking demonstrations and much more.

At the same time, the V Congreso Gastronomico Andalucía sabor will take place with the theme of Research and Innovation in Andalusian Cooking and some famous local chefs will be on hand. This event amply demonstrates the incredible diversity and quality of produce in Andalucía. Should you be in Sevilla – and you have no excuse not to be – this is a must!