Back from Jerez: Part 3

The third important bodega visit was to Valdespino, probably the oldest of the Sherry houses, and in family hands until the fairly recent buy-out by Grupo Estevez. The family was losing interest in the firm however, and the bodegas were much in need of repair, so the buy-out could be seen as more of a rescue of the great soleras than just a corporate take-over. The Valdespino enologist Eduardo Ojeda also moved to Estevez.

In Jerez, when a  wine company is taken over the soleras normally stay put; all that changes is ownership. It is a very difficult and expensive thing to do to move entire soleras, but that is what Estevez undertook, and all the Valdespino soleras were moved to the Group's modern - 1990s built, but in traditional style -bodega complex on the outskirts of Jerez. The complex is roughly a square of four buildings: offices; laboratories, bottling and hospitality centre; Bodegas Valdespino and Bodegas Marques del Real Tesoro - which also house the soleras of Tio Mateo.

The Marques de Real Tesoro bodega

Now Eduardo Ojeda must be by far the most expert and the most enthusiastic ambassador for Sherry it ispossible to imagine - only more so! His passion is palpable, and infectious. Not only does he work for Estevez, but he also works for - and is a founder member of - Equipo Navazos along with Jesus Barquin. He has access to the Valdespino wines and also the Manzanilla Pasada soleras of La Guita in Sanlucar, also part of Estevez, and these form part of the ever growing range offered by Navazos.

Part of the Grupo Estevez laboratory

We began with a visit to the state of the art laboratories. Here, apart from testing wines, samples of all sorts of products are tasted, tested and developed, many for future sale in the Mercadona supermarkets with which Estevez work closely. We took a trip through the Real Tesoro bodega and ended up at Valdespino.

This huge bodega holds more precious treasure than the Tower of London! First we looked at the 2012 must which had recently completed its fermentation in butt - the norm at Valdespino. It was highly aromatic, rich and nuanced, with a surprising resemblance to a really good southern white Burgundy. Some of this wine will become Navazos Niepoort. Next we looked at the 2011, now fortified and already with flor. It too was delicious, and, as we progressed through the 10 criaderas the wines slowly came to resemble Sherry - Fino Inocente. It was fascinating to see how the wine develops. An absolute privilege.

Valdespino soleras at night

We went on to look at Amontillados, Pedro Ximenez - well lots of things - and then on to another highlight, the fabulous Moscatel Toneles. This must be the oldest moscatel around, nobody really knows, but speculation is anywhere between 100 and 200 years. The solera consists of one butt, as do the 5 or so criaderas. That solera butt has its bung sealed with a padlock! The wine retails at around 250 euros a bottle, and is worth every penny! It is phenomenal. See Tastings section.

I will be eternally grateful to Eduardo for teaching and showing me so much, and of course, I will be drinking -and recommending them - Valdespino and Navazos wines whenever I can. He very kindly dropped me in the city centre and I made my way home via the Plaza Plateros. This ancient plaza, full of tall trees which ring out with birdsong, was once home to the silversmiths. The attraction for me however, was the Tabanco Plateros. Here one can enjoy the famous and delicious Fino Sin Pecado (Fino without sin) made by the Cooperativa La Angustias (see Tastings) direct from the barrel and served in a chilled glass with some tapas and watch the world go by.

Plaza Plateros, the tabanco background centre

Bodegas: Grupo Estevez

The story of this successful Bodega began in 1809 when Don Jose Lena Rendon set up as a dealer in Sherry wines. He was joined at some point by Don Inigo Ruiz de Villegas y Sanchez de Tagle. Bodegas were constructed in Jerez at No. 8 Calle Lechuga.  By the 1870s the firm had important business in Northern Europe and South America, as well as offices in London run by Antonio Rodrigo Ruiz. In 1894 the principal shareholder, Felix Ruiz y Ruiz a descendant of Don Inigo, changed the company name to Felix Ruiz y Ruiz SA. The name was changed a few times: AR Ruiz Hermanos, J Ruiz y Cia.

Rumasa's first bodega purchase was AR Ruiz Hnos. with its 10,000 butts in 1963, and in 1974 Ruiz was bought by Jose Estevez SA. Jose Estevez de los Reyes was a real entrepreneur, a Jerezano who from childhood was always on the lookout for business opportunities. Among many other things, he was involved in construction, a bottle factory, he worked in the production department at Domecq, studied geology and owned a silica sand mining company at Arcos, the sale of which (for 12,000 million pesetas!) gave him the money to invest in the wine business. He died in 2005 and his son Jose Ramon now runs the business.

 In 1982 he bought a significant holding in the bodega Marques del Real Tesoro, completing the purchase in 1989, merging the companies, for which he spent a fortune building a new bodega complex. 1993 saw the purchase of the ex Harveys fino brand Tio Mateo, along with its soleras, and expansion didn't stop there. Valdespino was purchased in 2002, and in 2007 the group bought Hijos de Rainera Perez Marin,owner of the best selling Manzanilla, La Guita, and Bodegas M Gil Luque.

Grupo Estevez is more dynamic than many Sherry firms, and one of the few with facilities in all three of the main Sherry towns, turning over 103 million Euros and employing 200 staff. The company recently bought 400 hectares more vineyard (ex Domecq) from Beam Global, a very canny move, giving the firm almost 800 in total. The firm is also keen to use fortification spirit made from Palomino in Jerez rather than from Airen in la Mancha, and is now sending Jerez mosto to Tomelloso for distillation and using it in an experimental solera set up in 2015. They are also trying to raise interest in the establishment of a distillery in Jerez.

The bodegas also house an art gallery, a carriage museum and a stud. More recently the firm has moved into spirits, and supplies no less than 48 wine and spirit products to the Mercadona supermarket which has 1500 branches in Spain. The two firms have worked very well together and prospered.

Contact

Address: Carretera Nacional IV - km 640, CP 11408, Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz

Tel: (+34)  956 321 004

Web: www.grupoestevez.es

News from Jerez 8.7.12

Grupo Estevez has just completed the purchase of 400 hectares of vineyard, which used to belong to Pedro Domecq, from Beam Global. Estevez, which owns important brands such as Tio Mateo, La Guita, Real Tesoro and Valdespino has thus doubled its vineyard holding, making it the biggest vineyard owner of all Sherry companies with over 10% of plantations. Because of the recent uprooting and abandonment of vineyard bringing the total down to about 6,500 hectares, Estevez has been intensifying its search for more vineyard to guarantee a bit over half its grape requirements to fulfil contracts.

The firm, which supplies the Mercadona supermarket chain with over 50 brands (not all Sherry) has increased sales to supermarkets such as Tesco, and others whose suppliers had been hit by the Sherry Crisis. Estevez had toyed with the idea of buying vineyard from Zoilo Ruiz Mateos, a subsidiary of Nueva Rumasa-owned Garvey who are in receivership, before opting for the Beam Global deal, and is satisfied with that, as they are not intending to be 100% self sufficient.

The loss of nearly a third of Jerez vineyards and the adjustment between supply and demand coupled with growing demand for table wines presaging a tension in grape and must prices decided Estevez to make the purchase to guarantee future competitiveness. They are hoping vineyards can be made profitable after a decade of grave problems for growers and bodegas alike. They have already made 3-year price agreements with their contracted growers in the hope of preventing further loss of vineyard and employment.