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.

Bodegas: Ysasi y Cia.

The name Ysasi originates in the north of Spain, in Vizcaya, the Basque country. The Y and the I are interchangeable, and confusingly you see both spellings on labels (as below).

Gregorio de Ysasi y Tricio was a bodeguero in Jerez, known for good Finos and Amontillados. He married Juana de Dios Lacoste y Biñalet (1792-1888) and they had 22 children. Manuel de Ysasi y Lacoste (1810-1854) was the elder of them. In 1850 he went to London to try and sell the family wines, and was named honorary Spanish Consul. His claim to fame is that he was instrumental in the establishment of the Universal Postal Union. He travelled a lot, but was drowned after giving a woman his lifebelt in a shipwreck.

Another son, Luis de Ysasi Lacoste, became a successful businessman and philanthropist. On his death in 1902, he left the Finca El Retiro to the citizens of Jerez to be used as a park with a library.

By the mid 1850’s Ysasi had a fine reputation but their fortunes were on the wane and the business had eventually to be sold. Some soleras were acquired from Enrique Ysasi by Wisdom & Warter in the mid-1850s and others by Diez Hermanos, established later in 1876, such as the Oloroso Victoria Regina, both of the latter firms were therefore established on XVIII C soleras.

The bodega was visited by Henry Vizetely in about 1875, and he commented “To reach Señor Ysasi’s bodegas one has to pass through some of the more curious among the old streets of Jerez, where elaborate escutcheons figure above the ornamental doorways of the principal houses, and stone pillars with richly carved capitals decorate many of their corners. The Ysasi bodegas, being somewhat old-fashioned, are in keeping with these picturesque surroundings, and Señor Ysasi’s wines, notably his Finos and Amontillados, if not of a like remote antiquity, are thoroughly well matured and of high quality.”

Enrique Ysasi e Ivison (1899-1983) was the son of Enrique Ysasi Gonzalez and Petronila Ivison Pastor. He was a writer and photographer as well as a bodeguero, and known for his book “Con Una Copita de Jerez”, as well as being a director of Wisdom & Warter from the time of its purchase by Gonzalez Byass in 1929. He was also an enthusiastic promoter of the Jerez motor racing circuit.

(foto:archivo Jose Luis Jimenez)

A central street was named after Juana de Dios Lacoste in 1888 for her tireless charity work. In this street once stood the bodega of Parra Guerrero and the (in)famous Tabanco del Duque, now in ruins. There is a good bar/restaurant here called Taberna del Segura. A street was also named after Luis de Ysasi Lacoste, Juana' son, a street formerly named Baño Viejo.

Types of Sherry: Vintage or Añada Wines

Vintage Sherry is exciting because of its rarity and variety, and unfortunately its price. Most bodegas do not produce any, and even the six who do generally only do so in better years and in small quantities. It will probably only ever be a niche wine but one which is very worthy of trying.

Until the early XIX century all Sherry was exported as a comparatively young vintage wine but inevitably there were variations in quality and style from year to year which led to complaints from foreign importers about lack of consistency. The solera system was therefore devised (probably in Sanlúcar) to ensure consistency by continually blending vintages. It thus offers a form of complexity not there before as the wines flow through a system which itself is constantly ageing. It is a system which takes many years to establish, but gives a great degree of homogeneity.

Theoretically due to the necessity of refreshing the flor in Finos and Manzanillas they, along with the Amontillados into which they develop, cannot become Añada wines as they would no longer be from only one vintage, but there are exceptions: Williams & Humbert’s Fino en rama and the Añadas from Callejuela). Yet occasionally Añada wines do still develop into Amontillados and Palos Cortados  - or at least something very similar - despite the lack of refreshment at the Fino stage.

The large majority of Añada wines are Olorosos however. These wines develop a different form of complexity to solera wines with a slightly “tighter” feel.  Contact with oxygen is mainly filtered through the pores and staves of the sealed butt, but as the wine ages the headspace grows ever bigger through transpiration meaning that the butt might contain as much air as Sherry after say 30 or more years, and a good 20% alcohol. These wines are thus quite concentrated, and of course they vary according to the quality of the vintage, and from butt to butt. Añadas will never be as old as the oldest solera wines since after perhaps 40 years there will be little useful wine left in the butt. Indeed it is estimated that the wine would evaporate completely in 70 years.

Butts intended to be Añadas may well have flor growing on the wine’s surface, but this will in most cases die off (albeit reluctantly) through lack of oxygen when the Consejo Regulador stoppers and seals them (with wax and ribbon), which they do to ensure no wine from other years can be blended in. From this point nothing is done to the wine at all and it is left to develop statically into whatever style it likes. If a wine falls short of the desired qualities it can be absorbed by a suitable solera, but care must be exercised as it will not closely resemble the solera wine. In the case of there being several butts of (for example Oloroso) of a given vintage, they will all taste slightly different, but they can – under Consejo supervision - be blended together, or simply released separately. This means that you can sell, say, five different 1982 añadas or one in greater quantity.

Levels of fortification vary depending on the desired result, but usually wines are only fortified to 15 -15.5% yet alcoholic levels of up to 22% are reached in the finished wine since transpiration losses of 2% to 5% per annum are not replaced as they would be in a solera system. As the years roll by, the level of wine in the butt gets ever lower and every so often the wines may need to be racked into smaller vessels. Alternatively – and under Consejo supervision – a butt may be topped up with a similar wine from the same vintage, or simply bottled. 

Never having been refreshed, these wines become increasingly concentrated and need to be drunk before they become excessively so, and accordingly they are now bottled very occasionally and usually at about 30 years of age to the delight of well-heeled connoisseurs. One point to note is that as some wines develop more quickly than others, vintages are not necessarily released in sequential order.  One other point is that these wines are built to last and can be laid down for many years’ further ageing and polishing in bottle.

Añada is unlikely ever to return as a full scale listed product, but will almost certainly become more widely produced as an upmarket (and profitable) line. Available bottles worldwide of each wine only number in the hundreds, so they are hard to come by. A special precinta (official seal) is under consideration by the Consejo for these vintage wines. These wines would easily qualify for VOS or VORS status as their precise age is known and they would only need to pass the tasting test, but nobody seems to bother with this.

Listed below are the bodegas which produce Añadas, and as much information as I have gleaned so far on them:

González Byass

The bodega has over 3,000 butts of vintage Sherry going back to 1834. When Vizetelly visited in 1875 there was a butt of 1809. In 1853 Manuel María González began setting aside a butt of the excellent wine produced from the vineyard of Sr. Romero Valdespino, whose entire production he bought. 

 Nowadays GB selects about 200 butts per year (from the 200,000 they produce) of fine quality must for the purpose of producing Añadas. The best of these will become Añadas, and the rest will find a home in the solera of one of the better wines or be used to create special one-off releases. The Añadas are released when master blender and oenologist Antonio Flores sees fit and are usually about 30 years old.

 The vintage wines were first released in 1994, the 150^th anniversary of Tio Pepe first being exported to Britain. The vintages released since then have been:

1963 – Oloroso

1964 – Oloroso

1966 – Oloroso                 

1967 – Oloroso

1968 - Oloroso

1969 – Oloroso

1970 – Oloroso

1975 – Palo Cortado

1978 – Palo Cortado

1979 – Palo Cortado and Oloroso

1982 – Palo Cortado and Oloroso
1987 - Palo Cortado
1989 – Oloroso

1990 - Palo Cortado XC (Ida y Vuelta) 
1994 – Palo Cortado

GB also made a wonderful millennium blend of Oloroso Añadas, one from the best vintage of each decade of the XX century which consisted of the vintages: 1902, 1917 1923, 1935, 1946, 1957, 1962, 1977, 1983 and 1992. Only 2,000 (oddly enough!) numbered and signed bottles were released. They also produced a very small one-off release of the “Oloroso Añada 1913” in celebration of the centenary of the Cambridge English Language Assessment Department established in 1913, but it was in fact a blend of 11 vintages, one from every decade between 1913 and 2013. Occasionally GB  bottle a vintage wine of the birth year of someone famous, such as the 1921 for Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, 1938 to celebrate the marriage of King Juan Carlos I and Dona Sofia of Greece.

Williams & Humbert

A butt of Fino from the firm’s “Viña del Álamo” vineyard in the Pago Añína was laid down by Guy Dingwall Williams (affectionately known as “Don Guido”) in 1920 to celebrate the birth of a member of the Humbert family. Another birth in 1922 saw another butt laid down and in 1924 it was decided that it would be very interesting to lay a couple down from the same vineyard every year, fortified to only 15%, and that tradition remains. Only one year is missing, 1992, because of a pickers' strike. On rare occasions (1957 and 1987), the wines have been tasted and classified, sometimes being re-classified at the subsequent tasting. It is fascinating to watch evolution in progress – at least it is for those lucky people who have the opportunity! These genuine vintage wines are used by the Consejo Regulador to help certify the age of other vintage wines.

The bodega does produce a vintage Fino en Rama (2006) which is an extremely difficult thing to do as the flor has a job to breathe, but somehow they have nursed it for 7 years to achieve what might be called a "Fino Pasado". It is quite unique and quite delicious. Unlike González Byass, W&H only used to lay down one butt, latterly two, so their Añadas  were very much scarcer and rarely - if ever - bottled. Happily, in 1999 the auction house Christies came across these wines and persuaded the bodega to bottle some for sale, and they now fetch enormous prices especially for the older ones: £300 - £600 per bottle. This caused a change in policy at W&H and they now lay down 50 butts annually, meaning that they will now be (reasonably) obtainable for the average connoisseur once deemed mature. UK agents Ehrmanns don’t ship these wines so they are easier to find at the bodega.

Since the launch of the 2006 Fino, W&H have marketed several more vintage wines of a younger age: Fino 2009 and 2012 , Amontillado 2003 and three Olorosos from 2003, 2009 and 2012, all launched in 2016. These are truly fascinating.

 Bodegas Tradición

Tradición has a much shorter trajectory than GB and W&H being established in 1998. The soleras were based on wines from Agustin Blázquez which was owned by Domecq. They own no vineyard from which to select the must so all their wines are bought in. Among those they bought at the start were a few Añadas from the old Rancho Croft. Let us hope they are buying or laying down more wines like these. It will probably be quite some time before we see the ’91 and ’98 on the market. The following are what I know they had, but the older ones are in short supply:

1970 - Oloroso 7 butts, Palo Cortado

1975 - 10 butts Palo Cortado, 9 butts Oloroso, 9 butts Amontillado

1982 – Oloroso

1987

1991 – 11 butts Oloroso, 9 butts Palo Cortado

1998

Showing the Consejo seal over the bung

Bodegas Emilio Lustau

Lustau has a different take on the vintage wines. They make a rich Oloroso by fortifying the wine during fermentation so that there is residual unfermented sugar – rather than the usual addition of PX – leaving it medium-sweet. The wine is then released at the comparatively younger age of somewhere over 15 years old. The first release was in 1989, then the 1990 and the current release is the 1997.

Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana

1986 Oloroso 18% Grapes come from Hidalgo’s own vineyards in Balbaína and Miraflores. Only free-run juice is used and there is no flor as the wine is fortified immediately after vinification and sealed by the Consejo. It is aged over 20 years and sells for a little over £80 per 50cl bottle. This is the only release so far.

Sandeman

I hear Sandeman produced a foot-trodden vintage 1989 Oloroso, but have no more information.

Garvey

Garvey sold the occasional Añada up till around the 1970s.
  Viña La Callejuela

This small bodega in Sanlucar produced such good wine in 2012 that the consultant winemaker, Ramiro Ibañez, kept 11 butts aside to sell as Vintage Manzanilla with one butt being bottled and sold in spring each year. It will be fascinating to compare one year´s release against another - if it can be obtained, as it is obviously a very limited edition. The first release was in 2015 and with each passing year it will be older and more complex, more Amontillado.

Valdespino

Pepe Estevez bought this venerable old bodega in 1999 and set about moving all the soleras from scattered bodegas to the one he had constructed specially, an immense task. He ordered wines to be selected for the production of a vintage 2001, and these were fermented in stainless steel and filled, after a time under flor and being fortified to 17%, into 23 butts previously seasoned with old Valdespino Oloroso. It was soon realised that 23 butts per year would, over time, amount to a huge amount of wine for which there would not be space, so Pepe ordered less wine to be filled into large toneles of 90 and 160 arrobas capacity (a normal bodega butt contains 36). The following vintages were barrel fermented, and 2002 spent 2 years under flor while subsequent vintages spent just one and were fortified to 18%. In May 2016 they bottled one butt of 2000 and some 2001.

Ximenez Spinola

Pedro Ximenez Añada is a vintage wine produced originally for the bodega by Ramiro Ibañez and made by an unusual method. The grapes were left much longer on the vine, picked at a high sugar level, macerated and fermented in butts on the skins and aged 4 months in the butts with lees stirring. It is released annually.

Bodega San Ginés

This is the private bodega of the Consejo Regulador, and among other treasures here are vintage wines made from the grapes trodden at the Fiesta de la Vendimia which began in 1948. The grapes are provided by various bodegas and the wines are sometimes made in different ways, such as late harvesting. The 1948 was made from grapes from Sandeman's vineyards El Corregidor and El Cerro and contained 15 g/l sugar. Unfortunately these wines are never put onto the market.

22.2.15 Amazing New Restaurant in Jerez

Jerez is to benefit from a fabulous new restaurant which will be run by the famous chef, Ángel Zapata, who learned his craft from the late and legendary Santi Santamaría. Latterly, Ángel had been working at the super-luxury Ossiano restaurant in Dubai.

Angel looking round the house (foto:diario jerez)

The new projest (by the Fundación Universo Accesible and sponsored by Seguros DKV)is to rehabilitate the beautiful old finca El Altillo which was built on an elevated site of 150,000 square metres at the Calle Ursulinas and Avenida Andalucía by Manuel María González Ángel, founder of González Byass in about 1860. He planted hundreds of trees and created beautiful gardens, and the house, known as El Recreo was a family home where many sisters lived (las niñas del Altillo) until Blanca, the last of them died a couple of years ago, and the finca became the property of the Jerez Town Council.

Part of the house now hemmed in by modern housing (foto:gentedejerez)

Ángel is examining the property in order to decide what work should be done, always with respect for the ambience of the building. Some ideas so far are a museum to house the Gonzalez family goods and chattles, an area for the enjoyment of cigars and brandy and an area for tapeo (eating tapas). The general idea is to create a top level centre of gastronomy with the accent on local produce and the cooking of Santi Santamaría. The project could be ready in as little as 5 months.

23.4.13 Tio Pepe is Back!

Tio Pepe is back adorning the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. The square witnessed many madrilenos coming to admire him after his absence, subsequent restoration and move to No. 11 in the square. The official switching-on will take place on the 8th of May.

Back in all his glory! (Imagen Diario Jerez)

21.4.14 Tio Pepe Sign Back Tomorrow!

Madrid’s famous illuminated Tio Pepe sign will be re-erected starting at midnight tonight! After three years of finding a new site and complete restoration of the 80 year old sign, it will be back in the Plaza Mayor to look down benignly once again on New Year revellers.

Nearly there! (Imagen Diario Jerez)

17.4.14 Apostoles Wins Prize; Tio Pepe Sculpture

Apostoles Palo Cortado VORS from Gonzalez Byass has won the prize for Best Fortified wine in the fourth edition (2014) of the “Wine Guide” of the magazine Semana Vitivinocola. 1440 wines were tasted from 344 bodegas and 62 wine regions, but out of only 37 fortified wines GB’s Apostoles received 97 points, the highest score of any fortified in this edition of the guide.

The new Tio Pepe Statue for the Tio Pepe roundabout in Jerez should be in place by the 15^th July. It will be 9 metres high and built from stainless steel which will be “patinated” to reflect the Tio Pepe colours. Chiqui Diaz, the sculptor is delighted to be building a “monument to a monument” that is the Tio Pepe symbol on a roundabout on the Avenida Tio Pepe.

Palo Cortado Apostoles VORS 20%, Gonzalez Byass

Appearance

Deep amber to burnt umber with coppery tints through yellow to trace green at rim, legs.

Nose

Quite intense, more oloroso with traces of chocolate, coconut, wood with hints just of PX. A serious and very complex wine with dried fruits, roasted nuts and walnut along with traces of leanness from age, largely hidden behind the PX front.

Palate

Full bodied, just off dry, intensely tasty with the odd savoury note. Deep and nutty yet with a softening layer of PX which makes its presence felt without dominating, and balances the harsher woody notes of age. Round and textured, tangy and fascinating with a trace of coffee at the finish.

Comments

This magnificent wine comes from a solera established in 1862 to celebrate the visit to the bodegas of Queen Isabel II. The Queen was keen to see the pressing of the grapes, but as her visit was in October, the harvest was long over. Manuel Maria Gonzalez sent people out to buy any unused grapes they could find and organised a pressing at the bodega of the large quantity they had managed to obtain. The quality of the resultant wine was so good that it was housed in an enormous specially made butt holding the equivalent of 33 butts. This butt, which is still there, was named El Cristo, as Christ was 33 years old. It is flanked by the Apostoles soleras. The solera consists of 12 butts, each with the name of one of the Apostles - except Judas, whose butt is kept in the vinegar store! After 15 years ageing as a Palo Cortado, some of which is sold as Leonor, the wine is transferred to PX butts and slowly absorbs  about 13% of the PX from the butts. Palo Cortado is normally 100% Palomino, but, well this is special.

Price
£17-19 per half bottle. Fairly widely available.UK distributors Gonzalez Byass UK

Lost Bodegas: Croft

Unlike the history of many Sherry bodegas, that of Croft lasted only 32 years, but in that short time, a whole new style of Sherry came about. Croft was – and is – an important Port house, and one of the oldest, being established in Vila Nova de Gaia in 1678 (although established in York in 1588). The firm began in Portugal as Phayre & Bradley, two expatriate Irishmen, but as was the case in those days, the name changed fairly frequently as partners came and went. In the XVIII century it was called Tilden &Thompson when John Croft, from York, married Frances, Thompson’s granddaughter, and joined the firm in 1736. The first ever Vintage Port was produced by the firm in 1781. By 1827, the firm, now known as Croft & Co. was the 4^th largest Port shipper, continuing to grow with the acquisition in 1889 of the Quinta da Roeda estate, which is still central to the firm.

Meanwhile, the Gilbey brothers, Walter and Alfred had come home from the Crimean War in 1857 and joined with their older brother Henry, a wine merchant in London. Together, they were extremely successful, shipping wines from South Africa, and expanding into many other styles of wine, including Bordeaux (where they bought Chateau Loudenne), Madeira, Port and Sherry. They were soon distillers as well, producing Gilbeys Gin and later acquiring two Scotch Whisky distilleries. In Jerez, they kept extensive stocks of Sherry, looked after for them by Gonzalez Byass. The connection between the two families was close, and various Gilbeys intermarried with the Gonzalez family.

Gilbeys had enjoyed great success with their Invalid Port brand, and later Triple Crown, which were supplied by Croft, and in order to guarantee future supplies, Gilbeys bought half the shares in Croft in 1892, and bought the rest in 1911 on the death of John Frederick Croft. As for Sherry, they marketed brands such as Gilbeys Listan Pale Dry Amontillado, and Bonita Medium-dry. They went on to merge with United Wine Traders in 1962, forming International Distillers and Vintners (IDV). Soon, they bought another old Port firm, Delaforce. The IDV brands are world famous: J&B Whisky, Smirnoff Vodka and Baileys’ Irish Cream Liqueur are amongst the best known. In 1972 the brewers Watney Mann bought IDV, and the combine was bought by Grand Metropolitan Hotels shortly afterwards. Then in 1997, Guinness, who had already bought the Distillers Company (DCL) merged with Grand Metropolitan to form what is now known as Diageo, the world’s largest drinks company.

During the IDV days, the firm was based at Harlow in Essex, where they had an office which spent its time thinking up new brands. In the late 1960’s, when Sherry was still selling like hot cakes, they had observed that Sherry drinkers erroneously assumed that dark Sherry was sweet and pale Sherry was dry. They also noticed that it was regarded as more up-market to be seen drinking dry Sherry. Following the notion that one should find out what the consumer wants and then make it, they therefore set about creating a pale sweet Sherry. This would become Croft Original Pale Cream. In order to do this, they needed to re-organise their Sherry interests and it was decided to use an existing well-known brand name, and so Croft Jerez SA was constituted on 25th May 1970.

Part of the Rancho Croft bodega complex

At first the firm rented bodegas near the bullring, close to Williams and Humbert in Calle Circo, until a top architect, Vicente Massaveu, was commissioned to design a new bodega complex, which was completed in 1979 just outside Jerez on a 300,000 square metre site on the Carretera de Circunvalacion. It was impressive, with all modern conveniences inside, while keeping a traditional appearance on the outside, and was christened Rancho Croft. It had two of the latest continuous presses, refrigeration and filtration equipment, as well as ranks of stainless steel tanks. No less than 50,000 butts were stored here, and yet the plant was so efficient that only 60 people were needed to run it. The company also owned 370 hectares of vineyards as well as buying in grapes from growers.

The wines came from three sources: the old Gilbey soleras, such as Doña Gracia, Picazo and Los Graciosos; wines which were bought in, some possibly from Diez Hermanos, who had a stake in the firm until 1977; and those they produced themselves. As to winemaking, the firm was progressive, introducing not only the first Pale Cream: Croft Original, but also the first Pale Medium: Croft Particular. They were made in roughly the same way, by blending Fino or young Amontillado with concentrated must which had been charcoal filtered to remove any colour. These wines were new and could be served chilled, and soon developed a huge market. Before long, nearly every other bodega felt the need to introduce a Pale Cream to their range. Croft Original soon became the world’s second best-selling Sherry after Harvey’s Bristol Cream.

Croft did produce other Sherries, however. There was a very refined and elegant Fino called Delicado, Croft Classic was a traditional and very good Amontillado, a good Palo Cortado, and an old Oloroso from a 140 year-old solera. There was also a good brandy.

The end of the 1970’s saw the beginning of a long and painful decline in the fortunes of Sherry, and many multinationals began considering their position. By the end of the 1990’s, Diageo was known to be keen to divest itself of its fortified wine interests, and to raise cash for a deal with Pernod Ricard to buy parts of Seagram, and in September 2001 they sold Croft and Delaforce. The Port interests went to Taylor Fonseca, and the Sherry interests went to Gonzalez Byass, who felt the deal would help to increase sales in the UK and beyond. They paid 9 billion pesetas (54 million euros) for the bodegas and wines, which were transferred to the GB bodegas, with the exception of certain anadas which were bought by Javier Rivero for his Bodegas Tradicion. GB really wanted the Croft Original. They already had their own brand of Pale Cream, San Domingo, but Croft had a much larger market, especially in the UK, and San Domingo was quietly dropped. Of the original brands only the Particular and Original survive, now made in GB’s facilities, though they do market a Fino Delicado under the GB name. Croft Original is still, however, to be found in nearly every wine shop in the world, some measure of the brand’s success.

The magnificent Rancho Croft, also owned by GB was sold for 6 billion pesetas (36 million euros) to a property developer in 2004 but it was left abandoned till a plan to build 600 dwellings on the 30 hectare site was approved, and that only happened in 2009. It seems to have fallen through however as more recently there have been plans to use the site as a new location for the law courts, though that has also seen unproductive comings and goings....

13.2.14 Toast to City of Wine; GB Deal; Ruiz Mateos; US Navy in Rota; Weather

Festivities begin on the 21^st with an official gala and a host of events with Sherry at the centre. Jerez city council’s tourism councillor, Antonio Real, and Beltran Domecq, president of the Consejo, yesterday presented the programme of events after a meeting of the organisation committee. Real remarked that the gala coincides with the I Ibero-American Wine Forum and the start of the Jerez Festival. There will be many events open to the public, such as the toast to Jerez City of Wine 2014, which takes place on Saturday at 1.30 in the Calle Larga, to which he invited locals and tourists alike to join in with a copita of Sherry.

The official programme begins with the signing, at the Atalaya, of the protocol of adhesion to the European programme “Wine in Moderation”, and those present will be the Jerez Council, the Ruta del Vino y Brandy de Jerez, representatives of RECEVIN (the European City of Wine people), The Spanish Wine Federation and the Foundation for Research into Wine and Nutrition.

On Friday afternoon, the Consejo is holding an event at their premises, and a visit and dinner at Gonzalez Byass can be enjoyed too, as well as the first spectacle of the Festival of Jerez: a Flamenco ballet at the Villamarta theatre. On Saturday at 10.30, the RECEVIN president, Pietro Ladanza, and the mayoress of Marsala (last year’s City of Wine) will deliver the City of Wine flag to the Council. Members of the European Cities of Wine Network will then have lunch at Bodegas Lustau. In the afternoon, they can see a horse show at the famous Real Escuela, and go to the Atalaya in the evening for dinner and a show.

Many bodegas are holding doors open days; there are guided city and vineyard tours, tastings in tabancos, while the Alcazar, the Archaeological Museum and the Cloisters of Santo Domingo have programmed events connected with wine, some aimed at educating children. There will also be an exhibition of old Sherry labels at Bodegas El Maestro Sierra, as well as an exhibition of the paintings of Jose Bastos at his studio in the Plaza Domecq.

This is only some of the programme planned for the year, and the full programme can be obtained from the websites of the town Council (Ayuntamiento), the Consejo Regulador and Turismo Andaluz. This is really a year to visit the Jerez area, and I urge you to go!

Gonzalez Byass has signed a 60 million euro joint venture deal with Philippines drinks giant Emperador for the production of brandy in Spain. Emperador will buy 50% of GB spirit production subsidiary Las Copas, which owns 275 hectares of vineyard near Toledo, a distillery in Tomelloso and brandy production facilities in Jerez, for 60 million.

Emperador Brandy is the second largest selling in the world with sales of 270 million litres, and could now get involved with Jerez Brandy production, as it only has to be aged in Jerez.

Jose Maria Ruiz Mateos (Nueva Rumasa) is to appear in court, yet again. He and his sons, Zoilo, Javier and Pablo – who have already appeared, are accused of paying large sums of cash under the table to a man to obtain them EREs (Expedientes de Regulacion de Empleo – a legal way of getting rid of workers when a company is in trouble). Nueva Rumasa collapsed and was sold off long ago, but its ramifications persist.

American naval ships are arriving at Rota as part of the Anti-Missile Shield. The first of four destroyers has already arrived, and these ships will be based at Rota, a joint US and Spanish naval base for the last 60 years, where, it is hoped, their crews and families will give a boost to the local economy – as well as protect it. Another recent arrival is an American ship loaded with Syrian chemical weapons, which it will destroy out at sea.

High winds and heavy rain have caused all sorts of problems in the Jerez area, especially towards the coast. One bridge is down, football matches have been postponed, trees down everywhere.....At least it should avert a drought such as that experienced in 2012.

PX Nectar 15%, Gonzalez Byass

Appearance
Very deep transparent blacky burnt umber through to yellow at rim, pronounced legs.
Nose
Very tangy and rich with raisins and lots of dried fruits, figs, dates, Christmas pudding, a hint of walnuts, then a savoury note and touches of coffee with milk, caramel and rum and raisin chocolate, not especially complex, but very good for its age.
Palate
Intensely sweet and fruity with lots of dried fruit texture, tangy dates and figs, and the more phenolic notes of mocha, chocolate, but less phenolic than older examples. This is exuberantly youthful, light, very smooth - almost creamy - with a long tangy finish.
Comments
Previously known as Nectar Cream, this is a classic young PX, and is the entry level PX from the firm, and contains about 370 grams per litre sugar (some contain nearly 500!) but this is fructose. Aged for 8-9 years this is a youngster, but one with immense potential. Some of the wine drawn from this solera then goes to other soleras, such as Noe.
Price
 £12-15 UK Distributor Gonzalez Byass

30.1.14 Barbie at Gonzalez Byass; Domecq to Visit China

Barbie, the biggest-selling doll in the world, will be present at the forthcoming Mercedes Benz-sponsored Flamenco fashion show to be held at Gonzalez Byass on 6^th February.

There will be a special exhibition of around 400Barbies in a variety of Flamenco costumes and in a variety of scenes, such as a bodega, El Rocio, at the bullfight, at the Feria etc. She will, of course be accompanied by her long-term boyfriend, Ken, who will be dressed as a bullfighter, a horseman etc.

The exhibition can be seen for 2 euros at the Sala de Arte in Gonzalez Byass from the 6^th February to the 8^th of March, coinciding with the end of the XVIII Festival de Jerez.

(Imagen: + Jerez)

The Consejo Regulador has its eyes set on the Asian market, where Japan is already a major – and growing - customer for Sherry, and sees similar possibilities in China. According to Beltran Domecq, they have already been working on China for a while, but he is going there in March to do his bit to promote Sherry there. 

An “important” plan is already underway for extra promotion in the existing major markets:  Spain, UK, Holland, Germany and the USA. South America has distinct possibilities, like Mexico, for example, but it will need more time.

Beltran Domecq closed the big wine and gastronomy fair Enofusion yesterday with a top level Sherry tasting, where he promoted the forthcoming wine fair in Jerez, Vinoble, which will be taking place on 25-27 May.

13.12.13 Flamenco Fashion Show 2014; Vendimia Posters at Consejo

The 2014 Mercedes Benz Flamenco Fashion Show will take place in Gonzalez Byass on the 6^th – 9^th of February.  This will be the 7^th year of the successful show which keeps getting bigger despite the crisis. Eighteen brands will present their wares which include jewellery and leather goods. The Flamenco costumes represent the south and its people at their best – at the Fiesta, but at the same time they provide work and fun in difficult times.

The Bodega of San Gines next to and belonging to the Consejo Regulador in Jerez is, as of yesterday, the new home of a collection of original old Fiesta de la Vendimia posters from 1948 – 1985,  a golden age for Sherry. The posters have been given to the Consejo by Fedejerez, the bodegas’ association so that the public can see them, as they form a part of the patrimony of Jerez. Evaristo Babe, president of Fedejerez, said that the values of the past which the posters represent will give us inspiration for the future.

29.11.13 International Shery Week; Gastronomes Visit Gonzalez Byass

World Sherry Day, which began last May and saw people getting together with Sherry and food around the world, has been transformed for 2014 into International Sherry Week.  A new website is being created (www.isherryweek.com) and new dates have been arranged. The 2014 edition will take place between the 2^nd and the 8^th of June.

According to Chelsea Anthon of International Sherry Week, last year’s one day affair was simply not long enough, and a week is a more suitable period for all the worldwide events. They might, however change the word “international” for “world”. It is all still on the drawing board, but Jerez council has been busy.

A whole series of events will be taking place next year in Jerez, European City of Wine 2014, most notably Vinoble, from the 25^th till the 27^th May. Events of all kinds are being arranged to take advantage of the city’s new status. Wine is, obviously the protagonist, but there will be many horse and flamenco events, and motor racing. 2014 is definitely a year to visit Jerez.

Fifty members of the Andalusian Academy of Gastronomy and Tourism paid a visit to the Gonzalez Byass vineyard of la Canariera yesterday to celebrate the end of the fermentations. Saint Andrew’s Day (actually the 30^th) is an important day in the viticultural world, when the fermentation ends, and the musts become wine. As the popular saying  in Spain goes:  “Por San Andres, el mosto vino es”. (The must becomes wine on St. Andrew’s Day.) This was the first such celebration in the province, and there were various well-known chefs as well as the GB directors, led by Pedro Rebuelta who enjoyed some good food with GB wines.

Palo Cortado Leonor 20%, Gonzalez Byass

Appearance
Bright yellowy amber, legs.
Nose
Clean, fresh, fairly tight and quite amontillado: lots of faintly sweet lightly toasted hazelnuts and almonds, slightly yeasty traces of fino origins and a certain gentle crispness along with tightly controlled oxidation and the slightest hint of oloroso.
Palate
On the light side, with an attractive and gentle tang, but still quite amontillado, traces of dried fruit such as apricot, quince and raisin, but no sweetness other than that slight glyceric feel, not at all woody, just fresh and very attractive with good length.
Comments
The first bottling of this wine was released as recently as 2010, though it comes from an old solera. Leonor is over 12 years old and is produced from Carrascal and Macharnudo vineyards. It won a gold in the International Wine Challenge 2011. It is named after the Infanta Leonor, born in 2005 to Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia. The alcohol content is high for a Palo Cortado of this age, but is the result of natural evaporation in the bodega's particular microclimate, no further fortification having been done. Leonor forms the base wine for the much older VORS Apostoles: after around 15 years of ageing, the wine joins the 1862 Apostoles solera, laid down in honour of a visit to the bodegas by Queen Isabel II.
Price
£12 - 15 Imported by Gonzalez Byass UK. Reasonable distribution.

4.9.13 Parker Points for Gonzalez Byass

At the press Sherry tastings held recently at the Consejo Regulador, at which Estevez did so well, Gonzalez Byass also received some very high scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate tasters as follows:

Cuatro Palmas: 97

Tres Palmas: 95

Dos Palmas: 91

Una Palma: 90

Amontillado del Duque: 94

Matusalem Oloroso Dulce: 93

Palo Cortado Apostoles: 92

PX Noe: 91

Tio Pepe en Rama: 92

9.8.13 Consejo Agreement with Cadiz University; Harvest; GB Buys US Distributor

An important agreement has been signed between the Consejo Regulador, The University of Cadiz (UCA) and the Andalusian Industrial Heritage Foundation (FUPIA) to collaborate in the development of training and educational activities, aimed at raising awareness of the viticultural heritage of Jerez. The agreement complements others with a similar aim, which have been developed by UCA, either through the Andalusian Centre of Viticultural Research (CAIV) or through the development of specific courses such as the degree in oenology (the only one in Andalucia,) and the Master’s Degree in Viticultural Practices in Warm Climates.

As a long-established industry, wine making in Jerez has a unique heritage which should be preserved and promoted through training, educational, touristic and investigative activities. Consejo president, Beltran Domecq, was delighted with the agreement as it covers the entire Sherry process.

(Imagen CRDO)

 The harvesting machines are being fired up already in the Gibalbin area near Arcos. Some inland vineyard areas are a week ahead of the coastal areas in terms of ripeness, and need to be picked now. If the weather stays as it is, the Sherry harvest as a whole will probably start around the 20^th, when the sugar levels should reach the required 10.5 Beaume. That said, the harvest for other types of wine is already underway. Many bodegas also make table wine, for which the grapes need to be picked earlier.

In the lagares (vineyard winemaking facilities), the “pie de cuba” (starter fermentations) are being prepared, so that when the main crop comes in it will ferment without complications. This year the weather has been much better than last year, when extended drought drastically reduced the crop. This year rainfall has been good – 650-800 litres/square metre, and the harvest yield should be normal.

(Imagen Diario Jerez)

 Gonzalez Byass has bought a distributor in the United States. Vin Divino deals with wines from Chile, Italy and Austria, to which will now be added wines from Spain. The US is the world’s largest wine market in terms of both quantity and value, and has seen a 30% increase in sales of Sherry, and is the 5^th largest importer of it. GB will also be selling its other wines from Somontano, Rioja, Castilla, Cadiz and Penedes.

14.6.13 Gonzalez Byass to Release New Tintilla

Gonzalez Byass is preparing the second release of their Tintilla de Rota, a fortified sweet red wine from the Tintilla grape, at their Finca Moncloa estate at Arcos de la Frontera. The grape has largely fallen into disuse, and GB claim their Tintilla de Rota is the only such wine made from 100% Tintilla on the market. They also use the grape to improve other table wines produced at Moncloa, for its intensity, colour and aroma.

Jaime Carvajal (imagen Diario Jerez)

GB has a history of Tintilla, having been suppliers of it to Queen Isabel II in the XIX century. More recently, at the Decanter World Wine Awards, the Tintilla won the gold medal for the best Spanish fortified wine over £15. Jaime Carvajal, director of Moncloa is especially pleased, as it is recognition of hard work well done. The award was for the last vintage of the wine, 690 half litre bottles, now all long gone. This presented a problem for Jaime Carvajal, as they wanted to show it at Vinexpo and eight bottles are needed, so he had to buy it back from people. For notes on the last release, see Tastings)

The new release should be available in July, and there will be about 2,000 bottles. It will be on show at Vinexpo. At Moncloa there are barely 3 hectares of Tintilla, the other 39 being for table wine grapes, Syrah, the two Cabernets, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Tempranillo. These wines are showing very satisfactory sales as well.

Tio Pepe En Rama 2013 Release 15%, Gonzalez Byass

Appearance
Bright pale strawy gold, slight legs.
Nose
Forthcoming, extremely yeasty and quite unlike the 2012. Not particularly saline - though slightly, but plenty of bitterness - almond, freshly sawn oak, traces olive brine, hay and bread dough, dry, soft and very slightly humid, interesting and complex.
Palate
Lovely, fresh and yeasty, similar to nose, but slightly more bitter, that trace of freshly sawn oak again, low acid gives a breadth, softness almost wine-like fruitiness toward the finish, then a bitter tinge at the end.
Comments
Bottled on 8th April 2013 - in Spring - so that the flor is at its thickest. Last October, Antonio Flores, capataz at Gonzalez Byass, selected 100 butts from the Constancia and Rebollo soleras. Since then, Jerez has had a mild winter with plenty rainfall, which has led to amazingly healthy flor. In the end Sr Flores selected 67 butts for bottling without stabilisation nor filtration. There is therefore not much of this wine to go round, and the bodega recommends a drinking window of only about 3 months. So don't hang about!
Price
£15.95 from Vino, Stockbridge, Edinburgh

24.4.13 Latest Tio Pepe En Rama Released

The 4^th in the series, the 2013 Tio Pepe en Rama has been launched in the UK at the Big Fortified Tasting in London today. En rama Sherry undergoes the least possible stabilisation and filtration, leaving the wine in a state similar to that in the solera, and far more complex than the normal wine. Chief winemaker at Gonzalez Byass, Antonio Flores, describes it as “untamed Tio Pepe”. This year’s release has  more flor character than usual, due to the mild and wet winter and spring which makes the flor grow thicker. The wine was bottled on the 8^th of April, and being en rama, should be drunk sooner than the normal wine, ideally about 3 months.

 RRP is £14.99. Only 10752 bottles have been released along with a few half bottles, so don’t hang about!!