5.7.15 First 100% Jerez Sherry

Grupo Estévez has decided to make its wines 100% Jerez. If you thought Sherry already is 100% Jerez, well it isn’t quite. The alcohol used for fortification comes from La Mancha and is distilled from the Airén grape rather than the Palomino of Jerez. At about 95%/vol the alcohol is very pure and has no flavour, but it doesn’t come from Jerez. This is a spin-off from Jerez brandy, which needs far greater volumes of grapes than Jerez can produce. At the end of the XIX century distilleries were established in La Mancha for this purpose and logically they also produce the fortification spirit.

The highest level of Denominación de Origen (DO) is the DO “Calificada”, held only by Rioja and Priorato, and Sherry should definitely hold it as well, but there is a general lack of interest. Grupo Estévez is interested, however, and has opted to make all their wines 100% Jerez which is a condition of the DOC. They will start with the 2015 harvest to distil Palomino for fortification and use it in Fino Tio Mateo to begin with and gradually work through the range.

Jose Ramon Estevez growing Sherry (foto:Miguel Angel Gonzalez/diariojerez)

Estévez wants the cooperatives to set aside some of their production for distillation and sell the wine as sobretablas (already fortified rather than just fermented). They would pay the market price for the alcohol and compensate any losses by paying more for the grapes: 80-85 pesetas (@50 céntimos in Euros) the kilo rather than the 65 ptas. paid last year representing an increase of 25-30%. (In Jerez they still use the old peseta for grape purchases).

The cooperatives could thus add value to their product which would help them through difficult times. Sales are still declining and they sometimes have to wait up to two years to be paid, so according to Estévez they need to change their business model to avoid the loss of even more vineyard. Estévez maintain that the idea of 100% Jerez wines is a “strategic decision” which is in contrast to the norm of producing excesses to reduce grape prices to the cheapest in Spain.

José Ramon Estévez would like to see the construction of a distillery in Jerez if the plan goes well. It would also produce 100% Jerez brandy. The company has already sent an important quantity of last year’s Palomino must from Jerez for distillation in La Mancha with this project in mind.

6.5.15 Orson Welles; Bullfighting at Real Tesoro; Facelift for Tio Mateo

Today is the centenary of the birth of Orson Welles, the great American actor and film director. While many might recall the television advertisements he did for Domecq Double Century Cream Sherry, fewer might know that he loved Jerez, visiting many times, and was a great ambassador for Sherry.

(foto:amazon.com)

He was a huge fan of flamenco and bullfighting and became a friend of the Domecq family, one of whose members was Álvaro Domecq, a famous rejoneador (horseback bullfighter). Welles frequently referred to Sherry as the “best wine in the world” and was inducted into the Order of Tio Pepe by the Marqués de Torresoto in 1961, signing a butt at the bodega. (From an article by R.G. in más jerez)

The famous Jerez torero Juan José Padilla has been giving a masterclass to the newly constituted Juventud Taurina Jerezana (Junior Bullfighting Jerez). Watched avidly by the youngsters and their families Juan José, along with some members of his team, explained and demonstrated the various moves in the beautiful surroundings of the events hall of the bodega Real Tesoro, producer of Fino Tio Mateo.

Juan Jose (L) with his muleta

Fino Tio Mateo from bodegas Real Tesoro (Grupo Estevez) has had a facelift. The old label, similar to that of Palomino & Vergara (who once owned the brand) has been revamped and modernised. The bottle has been changed too, from the standard Real Tesoro shape to a tall round style, now with a screwcap. Furthermore, the wine itself has been improved to achieve the maximum freshness and calcareous character of the albariza soils while maintaining the wine’s intense flor notes.

The new more contemporary version

Palomino & Vergara's latter label (foto:todocoleccion)