Jean Haurie
Nebot (1719-1794) was the first Haurie to arrive in Jerez and founded what was
to later become the most international of the Sherry houses, Domecq. Yet little
was known about this Frenchman who left Bearn in France like his relations, the
Domecqs, and appeared in Jerez in the early days of the XVIII century. It was
known that he had a bakery in the Plaza Plateros where he also sold silks and
linen. He was a friend of fellow bachelor and neighbour Patrick Murphy, an
Irishman of poor health to whom he lent money and helped him with most aspects
of his wine business.
Javier
Maldonado Rosso, a doctor in History, has studied Haurie, who in a recent
public exhibition is revealed to have had a privileged mind, an incredible eye
for business, and more importantly he was the man who led the transformation
process from traditional viti-viniculture of XVIII century Jerez into its
modern form.
When Murphy
died, Haurie inherited everything, and now found himself mostly in the wine
business. He was very shrewd, and no business opportunity passed him by. He was
a tenant farmer of fields of cereal belonging to the Jerez aristocracy or to
the Catholic Church, and this was a gold mine as he practised a sort of
agrarian credit, giving out money against the next harvest but at a lower than
market price. He did business with Cosme Duff Gordon, the British Consul in
Cadiz, whom he appointed as his agent in Britain.
Perhaps his
principal contribution was to do with viti-viniculture. Haurie summoned from France his
four Haurie nephews, Juan Jose, Juan Pedro, Juan Carlos and Juan Luis, as well
as his Domecq nephew, Pedro Domecq Lembeye and together they established the
firm of Juan Haurie & Sobrinos in 1791. The company progressed well until it
later reached the hands of Juan Carlos, who not only brought the firm to bankruptcy,
but brought shame and hatred on himself for siding with the French during the
Napoleonic invasion.
Juan Haurie
wanted for nothing. To complete his requirements, he acquired 70 hectares of
fine vineyard, buying more year after year including some on a fine slope in
the Macharnudo. He managed to integrate all the processes of production of
Sherry with those of sales abroad, from growing the grapes to selling aged wine
on foreign markets through his British agent. He was therefore a grower,
bodeguero and exporter, something no one else had yet achieved.
It had not
been easy, though. He was up against the Gremio de Vinateria de Jerez (Guild of
Vintners) which fixed prices for grapes and wine, imposed export quotas and controlled
wages, as well as prohibiting merchants from keeping large stocks. The idea was
to keep profits in the hands of the growers, but all it succeeded in doing was
to restrict the growth of trade until it was wound up in 1834.
Faced with
this ridiculous system, Haurie proposed a new, liberal agro-industrial system:
he defended and practised the production of finished wines, that is, wines aged
and blended to the taste of the customer (which required large stocks).
Furthermore he proposed the abolition of fixed prices, and the freedom to sell
wine all year round – another Gremio restriction. The proposed new liberal system
needed a new style of company capable of developing it. These were the
almacenistas and the ageing and shipping bodegas.
Sharp as a
tack, Haurie knew how to attract the support of others like him. In 1772 he initiated the collection of
signatures among the small growers who hated the Gremio. On the 5th
of May the following year Haurie took the definitive step, presenting to the
Council of Castilla (effectively the government) a formal request for the
Gremio to be wound up. This engendered bitter argument between the two sides
and became known as the “Haurie Case”, recognising him as the main promoter of
the cause against the Gremio’s restrictions. This earned him some respect and
he was seen as a leader giving hope to the Jerez wine producing bourgeoisie. He
and his supporters were known as “Juan Haurie and his accomplices”, committed
to political action and participating in economic societies, becoming almost a
political party and gaining considerable influence as representatives of the
people.
Slowly the
Gremio began to lose its powers. Haurie moved on. As a representative of the
people, he set about improving the upbringing of foundlings, the improvement of
conditions for prisoners and the speeding up of their prosecution, the exemption
of citizens of the requirement to lodge troops in their homes, among many
improvements. His greatest achievements, however were in the fields of business
and politics because the transformation of the traditional viti-viniculture of
Jerez was a state-level matter with international importance.
Haurie came
out on top. A Royal Decree of 1778 liberalised the production and commerce of
wine throughout the whole country, invalidating the ordinances of the Gremio.
Thus, the modernisation of viti-viniculture in the Jerez area advanced rapidly
as did the demise of the Gremio system, which was abolished finally in 1834.
Interestingly,
some of Haurie’s wine still exists in the ancient soleras held by Osborne, who
bought them from Domecq who inherited them from Haurie. These VORS wines are
Sibarita and Capuchino, and are available commercially in very limited
quantities.
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