Equestrian Tourism Centre? Vinoble 2014

The Ayuntamiento (Council) of Jerez planning department has given the green light to a new project in the famaous Macharnudo vineyards, which are situated about 5 km. from Jerez on the Trebujena road. The plan is to set up an Equestrian Tourism Centre, which it is hoped, will give a new image to this agricultural area by demonstrating its beauty while creating jobs.

Existing vineyard buildings can be used without in any way inflicting environmental or urbanistic damage. The project envisages the adaptation of two of the buildings of the Casa de Las Carrenas by doing some construction work in the main building of some 672 square metres, and the bodega section of some1,000 square metres.

Many old vineyard buildings were known as “casas de la vina”. They were places where harvesters could eat and sleep, with attendant winemaking facilities: presses, lagares (treading troughs),mats for drying the grapes, stables and barrels for the wine’s fermentation. It was usually only after the fermentation that the “mosto” (newly made wine) was transported to Jerez for ageing. All that has changed, and nowadays the grapes usually come direct to the main bodegas for processing, (avoiding a lot of oxidation en route!) So no more bullock carts dragging barrels, just lorries and traffic congestion!

Macharnudo vineyards (masjerez.com)

Vinoble, the bi-annual sweet and fortified wine fair which takes place at the Alcazar in Jerez is to receive financial support to the tune of 100,000 euros from the Ministry of Agriculture. There will also be finance from local government. The 2014 edition can now go ahead after lack of finance put paid to the 2012 edition. Furthermore, 2014 will be the 750^th anniversary of the re-conquest of Jerez. The mayor, Maria Jose Garcia Pelayo has confirmed that the state will pay one third of the costs of putting on the event, which will take place in the first week of June.

The mayor now has about 300,000 euros for the event, and the minister of agriculture of the Junta de Andalucia is expected to offer a contribution as well, after all his withdrawal of support was one reason for the event’s cancellation last time. In a recent meeting with the Consejo Regulador, he said he would look at the situation favourably, given the importance of the event.

The mayor hopes to have all the finance in place in order to progress with the programming of this the 8^th Vinoble. She is also thinking of extending the event from four days to up to two weeks, with many spin-off events. She is also keen on the Consejo’s idea that Jerez could go for the European City of Wine designation in 2014. There is a rotating network of European Wine cities, of which Jerez is one, and perhaps it is Jerez’s turn.

Among the other possibilities in play are a congress of winemakers and a congress of Consejos Reguladores. The latter would be for the Jerez Consejo to organise, and they have given full support to Vinoble, along with a contribution of 50,000 euros from their budget. The Council is determined to do the maximum for the minimum, and with cost cutting here and there, they think they can pull it off without losing quality – or indeed improving it.

The notion of "Terroir" and "Noble Wines"

This is very interesting from a viticultural point of view and concerns wines and vineyards from all over the world. Recently the Academie Internationale du Vin (AIV), an august and learned body which counts as members leading winemakers, wine journalists and critics, wine scientists and Masters of Wine, held a symposium in front of invited members of the press on this very subject.

In case you didn't already know, Terroir is a French word (Terruno in Spanish) which enshrines the principle of place in a wine or the environment in which it was made and which gives it its unique character. Different place different wine. Soils can vary in even a small area, so plants will too, so will the wildlife and wild yeasts. Microclimates vary too as does the topography. It is amazing how different two wines made in neighbouring vineyards can be, even when made with the same grapes and methods. The reason is terroir.

So what is a Noble Wine? Well, according to the AIV it is "A natural wine, traditional in concept, from high-quality vineyards which give it an extra dimension of elegance, complexity and personality and perhaps more importantly, capacity to improve over time". France has its Grand Cru and Premier Cru system, Germany its Einzellagen, but does Spain have such terroirs, they asked. Victor de la Serna, a famous Spanish wine journalist, critic, vineyard owner and member of the AIV gave his view. (I have edited out quite a lot which was about other Spanish wine regions, but this is what he said about Sherry - abridged a bit):

Spain has always sold wines either by a brand name or the name of the production region along with the production method (eg Rioja Reserva or Manzanilla La Gitana). Individual terrunos have long been identified, but their produce has traditionally gone into the melting pot with bought-in grapes and so their individual characteristics have been lost. Plenty of good wine, but less personality.

There have always been great terroirs in Spain, which happens to have the greatest amount of calcareous soils, in the world, ideal for wine. There is also a great range of altitudes which often compensate for the southerly latitudes, and, despite much grubbing-up of vines in the 1970s, still some old vines. Another proof of these soils' quality must be the fantastic longevity of Rioja wines. All that needs to be done is to better get to know these terroirs and make more terroir-specific wines instead of blending away their character. The human component is as important as soil and climate in making a Grand Cru.

In the case of Jerez, the great vineyard terroirs have been identified for thousands of years: there is good reason to believe that the great Macharnudo vineyard was already planted 3,000 years ago. A bit before the French Grands Crus!! Roman writer Columela knew all about the quality of the local albariza soil. Different areas of albariza in the Jerez area benefit from the sun's heat, cooling sea breezes, more freshness from altitude, or humid salty breezes depending on proximity to the sea, altitude or exposure. For example the humid salty breezes help the flor, the wines ageing in solera and the finished Manzanilla to develop its unique character in Sanlucar.

Over the last 40 years or so, terroir has largely been forgotten for two reasons: Firstly the long crisis in Sherry sales has seen bodegas close and brought the uprooting of vines to equalise supply and demand, and secondly mechanisation and modernisation, while reducing the price of Sherry, has introduced fermentation in stainless steel and selected yeast. If the region is to be reborn, albeit smaller but with its traditional qualities recuperated, it will be because more bodegas revert to the old ways, only defended still by Valdespino: single vineyard wines, fermentation in butts and natural wild yeast.

How right he is. Sherry, of course has always been a Noble Wine!
Let's drink a toast to Sherry with a glass of Valdespino!!

Bodegas A.R. Valdespino

Certainly one of the oldest bodegas in Jerez, Valdespino gives its date of foundation as 1430. Don Alfonso Valdespino, from Santander, was one of the knights who in 1264 helped king Alfonso X "El Sabio" (The Wise) to defeat the Moors at Jerez. In gratitude the king awarded them lands, and most planted vines.

Thus, Valdespino has been involved with wine for much longer, but it was in 1430 that they started commercial activity, mainly as growers and almacenistas, and not till 1837 that the business was established as a proper shipping company by Antonio Fernandez de Valdespino. By 1883 they already held a warrant as suppliers to the Spanish Royal Household. In 1899 they purchased the bodega of Heyward Wilson & Co in Jerez - whom they had long supplied with wines. As a result they were represented in Britain by Wilson & Valdespino for years till the British end was bought out.

Blending vats at in one of the old Valdespino bodegas

The firm owns important vineyards such as Inocente in Macharnudo Alto, with its attendant casa de vina, El Corregidor Viejo, and San Isidro in the Carrascal. They had many bodegas in Jerez, and famously each has a number which is formed on the lock end of each key. Brandy has also been a feature of the firm's production, and they have been making it since the XV century. A beautiful old copper column still recently disappeared from one of their disused bodegas.

The bodega has always been very traditional, owning large tracts of land in the Jerez Superior zone of Macharnudo Alto, the highest vineyard land in the area (at a staggering 135 metres above sea level!), and fermenting the wines in butts. This latter process has been discontinued by almost every other bodega. The firm has some very old soleras, and even the Fino, Inocente, spends around 10 years in solera - double what many others spend. Valdespino had always had significant connections in Sanlucar, but in 1972 they bought the Manuel de Argueso bodega in Sanlucar which had long supplied Manzanilla for the Valdespino Deliciosa brand.

The Valdespino family was losing interest in the Sherry trade, and in 1999 the firm was sold to Grupo Estevez, owners of  Real Tesoro, Tio Mateo and later La Guita. A whole new bodega complex was built on the outskirts of Jerez, which accommodates the 25,000 butts of these brands - with the exception of La Guita which is in Sanlucar. The wine is as good as ever, however, as Estevez took on the exceptionally able oenologist Eduardo Ojeda, previously with Croft, to supervise the moving of all the wines from the many bodegas to the one (an exceptionally delicate task) and look after the brand.

Range:
The firm has sold an enormous number of brands over the years, but the following are the current ones.
Fino Inocente (a single vineyard Sherry, coming from the Inocente vineyard)
Manzanilla: Senorita;  Deliciosa (also en rama version)
Amontillados: Contrabandista; Tio Diego; Coliseo VORS
Palo Cortado: Viejo CP; Cardenal VORS
Olorosos: Solera 1842; Don Gonzalo VOS; Su Majestad VORS; Cavadonga VORS
PX: El Candado; Ninos VORS (at least 50 years old)
Moscatel: Promesa; Toneles (at least 80 years old)
Cream: Isabela
Pale Cream: Ideal

Visits:
Yes, by contacting Grupo Estevez in advance at following contacts:
Contact
Address: Carretera N-IV, Km 640, 11408 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz
Tel: (+34) 956 321 004
Web: www.grupoestevez.com