17.8.17 Lots of Interesting News

New Palomino White from Mahara – and new Bodega

The Gómez Lucas brothers, Miguel and José, have produced their first white wine, made from Palomino grown on albariza and arena soils in Chiclana. It is called Amorro and just over 5,000 bottles will be available. The name comes from the expression “beber a morro” meaning drinking from the bottle and was chosen as the wine is so easy to drink, and the word "amor" is in there too. Their new bodega is in the industrial estate of Polvorines de Fadricas in San Fernando which was once the site of the navy’s gunpowder stores. We can look forward to more interesting wines from this bodega in the future, as they now have the space to experiment.

Universo Santi Restaurant Set to Open Late September

This unique project is located in the Altillo, the former house of Manuel María González Ángel, and will be staffed exclusively by people with some form of disability. Employees have been receiving training in wine from González Byass. Jerez city council owns the building while the project is financed by various charitable foundations and supported by top chefs and sommeliers and is a not-for-profit enterprise, which means that haute cuisine can be offered at sensible prices. It deserves to be a great success as everyone wins – diners and the disabled.

Sherry Sales Surge at Majestic

The UK wine retail chain Majestic Wine has reported huge growth in sales of Sherry with an overall increase of 46% over the last 12 months and an amazing 71% for the dry, more up-market styles. The firm attributes this to “hipsters” who may use the wine for tapas or mixing and also buy craft ales and gins, proving that Sherry is finally moving on from the “drink for grannies” image. Meanwhile, the International Wine & Spirits Record is predicting growth in Sherry sales of 18% over the coming five years. іOjalá! as we say here (let’s hope so!)

6.2.17 Universo Santi to Open Soon

An outstanding new restaurant will open its doors in Jerez very soon. Its name is Universo Santi and it is located in El Altillo, a late XIX century house built by Manuel María González Ángel, in a beautiful finca in what is now fairly central Jerez. The restaurant is dedicated to the philosophy of the famous treble Michelin starred Catalán chef Santi Santamaría (1957-2011) who owned the restaurant Can Fabes at Sant Celoni (Barcelona). He wrote many best-selling books on cuisine and was a great supporter of charities. Without its driving force the restaurant closed in 2013. This commendable new project in Jerez combines not only the philosophy of Santi Santamaría but also some of his dishes and even much of his kitchen equipment.

Santi Santamaria

All 45 members of staff are disabled in some way, and it is hoped to help them towards better social and work integration. Their 3 year contract allows 6 hours work and 2 hours study each working day. The restaurant has a school of haute cuisine and an organic kitchen garden. The head chef is double Michelin starred Óscar Velasco and the sous chef is Semi García while the sommelier is José Antonio Barragán, president of the newly formed Association of Sommeliers of Cádiz which will be based at El Altillo. Naturally Sherry and local wines will be a major feature on the wine list. In an old estate worker’s house by a lake there will be a more casual dining space and in an old chapel they plan to hold celebrations and a Cuban cigar club.

The extensive family of Manuel Maria (centre with stick) at El Altillo

El Altillo was built by the founder of González Byass in a finca of 150,000 square metres surrounded by vines and orange trees, arboretums with a huge variety of trees, and gardens. It even had a small lake with an island. Over the years many family members lived here and as they married they moved on. The last of the family to occupy the house were the seven highly cultured Quintana González Gordon sisters known as the “niñas del Altillo” and devoted to animals and nature. Royalty and aristocracy were entertained here, yet they also had philanthropic leanings, and there was a bench in the garden where the needy could sit and wait to ask for help.

The only sister to wed was Casilda who married the bodeguero Enrique O’Neale Orbaneja, upon whose early death she took control of the bodega before selling it. Jerez city council, under the now jailed mayor Pedro Pacheco, managed to expropriate the property to sell most of it off for building as the sisters’ legal representation was very poor, but they at least managed to get permission to live there till they died. According to the González tradition of longevity the sisters all lived well into their nineties, and when Blanca, the last survivor, died in 2012 the property reverted to the council. Inside nothing had changed since it was built over a century before, and it looked as if time had stood still, but the finca is now considerably smaller. It is not open just yet, but is situated on Avenida de Andalucía, half way between Parque González Hontoria and the Corte Inglés. http://universosanti.com/

17.2.16 New Jerez Restaurant; Antonio Flores Personality of the Year

A new haute cuisine restaurant is to open in Jerez staffed entirely by disabled people. Universo Santi will be sited at the Finca del Altillo, once the home of González Byass founder Manuel María González Ángel, and is named after the famous chef Santi Santamaría who died five years ago. His wife and daughter joined representatives of various foundations which support the initiative to present it at the Consejo Regulador yesterday. It is pretty certain that the restaurant will be open by the end of this year.

Yesterday's presentation at the Consejo

González Byass oenologist Antonio Flores has picked up another award: the Wine Up guide’s Personality of the Year in recognition of his professionalism and being one of those responsible for the #Sherryrevolution leading to the resurrection of Sherry to world status. Antonio gave a Sherry masterclass during the ceremony at the Museo Torre del Vino in Socuéllamos (Ciudad Real).