4.6.16 Vinoble 2016; New Consejo Labels; Estévez Award, Copa Jerez

Jerez City Council regards this year’s event as a success given its difficult financial position. The final budget was some 100,000 euros and income was around 200,000 with the profit to be invested in the 2018 event for which a specific website and improved infrastructure are planned as well as more parallel activities. This year 8,000 people visited, 90% being wine trade professionals, including about 100 important importers/exporters. Local hotels had occupation figures of 80-100%. There were 49 stands showing some 800 wines and 150,000 samples were tasted. Press coverage was good with 170 members of the international media present. Six restaurants from the province put on successful show-cooking stands.

Not everyone was so upbeat about the event. There were fewer non-Spanish stands this year, and there is an obvious need to attract more to give a more international feel. There were long queues for places at the special tasting events which could not be pre-booked and many wasted a good hour of tasting time standing around. This is due to lack of sufficient capacity where these tastings take place, and definitely needs improvement. All in all however, the event was very enjoyable with many interesting high quality wines, some of them new, on offer and the usual friendly enthusiastic atmosphere.

The Consejo Regulador has decided to polish up the image of its generic Sherry labels. In order to be impartial, the Consejo has its own label applied to Sherries used for promotional purposes, and it has announced a competition for the design of new labels. The prize for the winning design will be 1,000 euros, a diploma, and a selection of Sherries, and the deadline is 15^th July. Anyone interested should go to: http://jobs.designcrowd.com/job.aspx?id=1984598

Grupo Estévez has received the Agro-alimentary Excellence Award from the College of Agricultural Engineers ofAndalucía. In recent years Estévez has been focussing on the vineyard and using fortification spirit distilled from Jerez produced wine in its crianza biológica Sherries. The policy aims to provide more wealth for the Jerez area and improve traceability. José Ramón Estévez Puerto, the company president was awarded the prize in a ceremony held at their Viña Bristol vineyard in recognition of their successful international business, their respect for sustainability, skilful management and their contribution to the image of Andalusian agro-alimentary business.

The VII Copa Jerez Spanish heat is now open for entries. The international food and Sherry pairing competition has had great success over the years in attracting attention to Sherry and how well it marries with food.  There are heats in eight countries, and the winners of each will eventually reach the Final in Madrid. Chef and sommelier teams compete for the best match in three courses. Anyone interested should contact: www.copajerez.com by the first of July.

1.6.16 Vinoble Snippets

According to the Diario Jerez a breakdown of Osborne’s turnover shows that their spirits business represents about 55%, the Cinco Jotas ham about 35% and Sherry and wine only about 10%. It is a sad fact that there are many empty bodegas in El Puerto.

Bodegas Tradición held their traditional Evento Gastronomico during Vinoble in which press and professionals are invited to the immaculate bodega to partake of a seemingly never-ending supply of Sherry and gastronomic treats supplied in tapa form by a clutch of top restaurants.

This year’s Vinoble saw fewer foreign wineries represented, and it is felt among professional circles that the event would be better if the Ayuntamiento (town council) left the organisation in the hands of said professionals. It is a very important event for the city as it attracts thousands of members of the press and wine trade who all spend money in Jerez.

Alonso Ruíz, owner of Bodegas Urium, entertained a bunch of us in his inimitable way at the bodega. He was very proud of a single butt, a bota punta of his Fino solera which had lost its flor and gently begun to oxidise for about a couple of years before the sudden and unexpected reappearance of the flor. The result is delicious, a sort of Fino-Amontillado perhaps.

He also had a joke, funny but sad, about three bodegueros out for a drink. The first, from Rioja, asked for a good Rioja from a good vintage since that is what everyone drinks in Rioja. The second, from Ribera del Duero asked for a good Ribera del Duero from a good vintage as that is what everyone drinks there. The third, from Jerez, asks for a beer as that is what everyone drinks there…

There are interesting plans afoot for an international Sherry Marathon next year, the route of which will cover both the historic heart of Jerez and some of the vineyards. This is another way to take the seasonality out of wine tourism and attract more visitors. There are marathons everywhere these days.

1.6.16 Vinoble Pays Tribute to Manuel Lozano; The Flor Show No.1

In “Manolo’s” honour, and in the presence of his wife and three children, the mayor of Jerez and other members of the council, not to mention as many members of the wine trade who could squeeze in, Grupo Caballero offered a tasting of all seven wines of the Lustau Almacenista range.

Sergio Martínez, a pupil of Manolo, led the tasting which was full of fond memories of him, his level of skill and professionalism and his great legacy to Sherry, to which he devoted his whole life. Caballero-Lustau’s communication director, Federico Sánchez Pece, and Manuel Arcila, now retired but who also worked all his life at Lustau, and Lustau director general, Luis Luengo, all extolled his virtues, not only as a true professional, but also as a fine human being.

Lustau themselves began as almacenistas, selling finished wines to the big bodegas for their soleras, but now they are buying almacenista wines - the difference is that they are bottling them as they are, with the name of the almacenista on the label. And they are about to launch a new one: a Palo Cortado from Cayetano del Pino, something to look out for.

Another fascinating tasting was “The Flor Show No.1: Jura comes to Jerez”, the brainchild of Jesús Barquín of Equipo Navazos and Juan Manuel Bellver, director of Lavinia España. They led the tasting accompanied by Laurent Courtial, a Jura winemaker. Ten wines, seven from the Jura, were shown, with two Sherries (Fino Antique, Fernando de Castilla and Tio Diego, Valdespino) and a Fino from Montilla. This tasting was the first of a series to be held in various cities such as London, Lyon, Málaga…

Wines produced by crianza biológica (flor) are mostly associated with the Marco de Jerez and Montilla-Moriles in Andalucía, but there is also an outpost of flor in France: the Jura. This tiny wine region to the east of Burgundy and north of Savoie produces various wines but the star is the Château-Chalon, made from Savagnin grapes and aged under flor, and often referred to as “Vin Jaune”- or “Golden Wine” as Louis Pasteur, who came from Jura put it. While there are similarities, there are also differences. Jura wine is sold by vintage and with more focus on the vineyard, unlike the solera system so widely employed in Jerez. In the end, both wines are absolutely fascinating, and congratulations to Jesús and Juan Manuel for coming up with this great idea.

29.5.16 Vinoble: New Wines from Harveys, Barbadillo; Corpus Christi

It is inside the Alcazar as well, everywhere

Jerez was alive today with visitors to the unique biennial wine fair Vinoble which covers sweet and fortified wines of the world. Needless to say there was a strong Sherry presence and a huge range of wines available for tasting. There were wine producers everywhere! Launched today was a new range of Sherries from Harveys (literally bottled yesterday!) and a couple of really interesting and delicious table wines from Barbadillo.

The Harvey wines were:

Fino: Fresh light and clean, about 5 years old, green label

Amontillado: Amber, dry, light and fresh, about 12 years old, orange label

Palo Cortado: Amber, very nutty and fairly light, about 15 years old, red label

Oloroso: Gold to mahogany fairly crisp, very Oloroso, aged about 12 years, maroon label

Pedro Ximénez: Deep blacky brown, lots of toffee, trace oak, aged 10 years, long, grey label

This is a really good range, I’ll post pictures as soon as I get the promised press release….

The Barbadillo wines were:

Mirabrás 2014: 40 year old Palomino vines from the Cerro de Leyes vineyard fermented in ex Manzanilla butts after a few days’ sunning and aged under flor in butt and tank. Delicious crisp apple and unripe apricot aromas, and might age interestingly.

Tintilla Nude 2015: “Insultingly young red” Tintilla grapes from the Gibalbín vineyard fermented using carbonic maceration. There is no front label, hence “nude”.

Again, these are just released so no pictures yet…

Jerez was also alive with people celebrating Corpus Christi, following the procession of the municipal band and members of the religious brotherhoods carrying altars through the streets in clouds of incense. This year the procession was shortened, but still covered 18 streets. Between the Plaza Arenal and the Plaza de la Yerba huge brotherhood insignias were laid out on the ground in coloured salt. Quite a spectacle, unless you wanted to cross the street.

6.5.16 Jerez Feria Figures; Vinoble

Wind and showers of rain haven’t helped, but the Feria del Caballo has been its usual success. In fact it closes tomorrow, but projections for Sherry consumption have already proved correct, with over 400,000 half bottles consumed and a slight increase on last year. This is not bad when one takes into account that the population of Jerez is just over 212,000. This year there were 202 casetas so consumption per caseta was approaching 2,000 half bottles. After the “Manzanilla-fest” of the Feria de Abril in Sevilla, The Feria del Caballo in Jerez and the Feria de Primavera in El Puerto de Santa María are “Fino-fests”. Tio Pepe sponsored the Feria this year and was widely seen, but Grupo Estévez was also out in force with Tio Mateo and Inocente while there was also plenty of La Ina around. In El Puerto they got through 45,000 halves of Pavón alone. Another Manzanilla-fest will take place at the Sanlúcar Feria de la Manzanilla 25-29 May. Happy days!

(foto:Pascual, diariodejerez, grupojoly)

Jerez city council has approved the expenditure of 30,000 euros as its contribution to the IX edition of Vinoble taking place from 29-31 May. The Consejo Regulador has already contributed 50,000 euros. A new feature this year is the provision of simultaneous translation for the large number of tastings and presentations. The council also has an agreement with Iberia airlines in which the carrier will offer 10% discounts to those flying to Jerez or Sevilla for the event (Iberia.com)

26.5.14 Sherry Heads Andaluz Wine Sales; Vinoble; News from Osborne

The Sherry zone accounted for 86% of total Andaluz wine sales in 2013 according to newly published figures. 102 million euros was earned, 88 million of which came from Sherry. In the years 2009 to 2013, exports were up 5%. Principal markets were the UK with 38 million, the Low countries with 12 million and the USA with 10 million.

Vinoble 2014 kicked off on Sunday and runs till Tuesday, The weather is perfect and there are at least 160 Sherries to taste. There are wines from all over the world as well, so long as they are sweet or fortified.  Elena Viboras, the Junta’s minister for agriculture and rural development arrived to have a look and show support.  Lots of well-known bodega people were there, as were Beltran Domecq and Cesar Saldaña. It was really quite busy at times, but as usual the staff dealing with huge numbers of glasses were excellent. Let us hope this great event is back to stay.

Grupo Osborne has just opened the first branch of its tapas bar chain in Madrid, close to the Royal palace. It is called “Toro Tapas”. Osborne have also bought into the Brazilian spirit, Cachaca, an extremely popular spirit made from sugar cane.

5.5.14 Vinoble; Julian Jeffs; Feria de Sevilla; Moto GP Jerez

The VIII edition of the fortified and sweet wine fair Vinoble which takes place in the Alcazar of Jerez between the 25^th and 27^th May looks to be excellent. There will be 700 of the world’s best wines from 13 countries and 20 international wine producing regions being shown at 46 stands. There will be a further 10 stands devoted to Gastrovinoble which will involve internationally renowned and Michelin-starred chefs. No fewer than 12 Masters of Wine will be present, along with many experts from the producers themselves.

The programme for the event has just been released and includes many tastings, including one on Amontillado by Tim Atkin and Jesus Barquin; Vintage Palos Cortados; Flor, Solera y Caliza; and many others on wines beyond Sherry. There will also be Flamenco. This has to be the best event in the world!

Julian Jeffs, author of one of the best books on the subject of Sherry, is in Jerez preparing for the sixth, revised and expanded edition of his book “Sherry”. Originally published in English in 1961, the book is a marvellous, well-written volume, essential in the library of any Sherry lover. Every ten years or so he revises it, and it would be well worth obtaining an updated copy. Unfortunately the Spanish version which appeared in 1992 has never been updated.

The Feria of Seville, the first major Feria of the season, began today. It is expected that 1.2 million half bottles of Sherry will be consumed in Seville, and that over the whole Feria season, which ends in mid-August, some 12 million will have been sold. This constitutes about 36% of total annual sales in Spain. Why half bottles? Simple. Because they are consumed before they warm up too much! The Consejo Regulador is advising people to check that the guarantee seals are correct, as these occasions can produce some “unofficial” bottles.

Ham and Manzanilla, fare of the Fair (Foto CR Vinos de Jerez)

 Jerez has been playing host over the weekend to around 50,000 motorcyclists who came to watch the Jerez Grand Prix. Despite the numbers, there has been no reported trouble, and a good time was had by all. There were exhibitions of classic old bikes as well as the serious racing. Hotels were at capacity, and Jerez was congratulated on its organisation of the events. Best of all, the Spanish riders showed everyone the way!

4.10.13 Vinoble Dates Changed; Rains Have Arrived; Consejo Budget

The dates for Vinoble have changed. The great fortified and sweet wine tasting event at the Alcazar in Jerez has changed the dates to 25, 26 and 27^th May to avoid clashing with the relocated London Wine Fair.

Autumn rain has arrived. For the last week rain has been falling and causing problems. In Sanlucar, 21 litres per square meter fell in only 15 minutes yesterday, more than the drains could cope with in so little time, and there were scattered floods of a minor nature. 

The Consejo Regulador hopes to triple its budget for the supervision and promotion of Sherry, after its drastic reduction over the crisis years. At yesterday’s plenary meeting, the Consejo discussed the final figures for the 2013 harvest, but the budget took pride of place. It is not really sufficient to take advantage of the recent revival of interest in Sherry, and more money needs to be found, especially from public bodies and increased levies on the trade.

Meanwhile the growers are content with the proposal of a 1 centimo per kilo levy as long as they can get a decent price for their grapes, agreed between them and the bodegas, who would have to double their current contribution of I centime per litre of wine sold. Cesar Saldaña, director of the Consejo, thinks this formula, along with increased public funding, could raise about 2 million euros, especially for generic promotion and education.

10.7.13 Independent visits Jerez; El Trovador; Vinoble

Journalist Katie Manning, who contributes to the Independent and various other publications, is visiting Jerez to write an article on what the city has to offer tourists. She will be visiting the Arab Baths, the Alcazar, the Real Escuela and a couple of bodegas; Tradicion and Diez-Merito. She will also be visiting some of the tabancos on the Ruta de Tabancos, and have a look at the Sherry Cooking Classes iniciative. Antonio Real, local tourism councillor will be assisting her in her visit.

The original signed manuscript of El Trovador by Antonio Garcia Gutierrez has come home to Chiclana, where he was born, for exhibition along with other works and letters celebrating the 200^th anniversary of his birth. The exhibition is called Garcia Gutierrez – the Triumph of Romanticism, and is at the Chiclana town museum. El Trovador, written in 1836, and which formed the basis of Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore,  has been stored at the Real Academia Española in Madrid.

The Mayor of Chiclana can't wait to open El Trovador

 Vinoble 2014, which will take place once again after missing out on 2012 due to lack of funding, will be reduced from four days to three. The event will take place from the 1^st to the 3^rd June. This reduction is the result of sounding out exhibitors and visitors, 80% of whom felt 3 days were better than 4, rather than for money reasons, although the Ayuntamiento de Jerez is still trying to put a final funding package in place. I would urge you to go if you can; it is a great show, in a great place.

8.6.13 Vinoble; Manzanilla Cocktail Competition; Fedejerez

Vinoble, the biennial exhibition of sweet and fortified wines is to be held once again in Jerez next year, as previously reported. The dates have now been decided, and they are the 1,2,3 of June. As usual, this fantastic event will take place at the Alcazar in Jerez.

(Imagen MasJerez)

 Bodegas Delgado Zuleta, in collaboration with the Hotel School IES El Picacho and the local tourism authority, hosted the 3^rd Manzanilla-based cocktail competition on Thursday, timed to coincide with the Feria de la Manzanilla. The competition was open to students and professionals alike, and 25 people entered. The winning cocktail was a Sing de Sierra, by Daniel Campon.

Fedejerez yesterday reiterated its desire to “resolve the (Fino/Manzanilla) problem, not shelve it”. The Junta felt that postponing the matter, at least while Europe was dealing with other aspects of the modifications to the Reglamento, would allow time for reconciliation. However the president of Fedejerez, Evaristo Babe, wants to press ahead, “in the interests of both DO’s: Sherry and Manzanilla”, and feels that there is some cordiality between the two. Miguel Perez, of Coag and the Coop Virgen de la Caridad in Sanlucar said it would suit all concerned to get on with the dialogue and put the matter to rest. The Junta does not really want to get too deeply involved, especially in the core question as to whether Fino can still be aged in Sanlucar. They would prefer to wait to see what Brussels says and not create any more problems.

26.11.12 FEE to Hold Congress in Jerez

Jerez is to be the meeting place in May 2014 of the Spanish Federation of Enologists. The biennial meeting will bring together over 300 wine makers. The president of the board of the Federation is from Jerez and he has made arrangements with the Mayoress. This is a great tourism opportunity for Jerez:  the wine must be good if 300 professionals want to meet there. The enologists are hoping that their meeting will coincide with Vinoble (a biennial sweet and fortified wine fair held in Jerez). The city will organise other events as well.

News from Jerez 1.6.12

Things are not happy in Jerez. The town council has run out of money, and health workers as well as public workers have taken to the streets to protest about more than a year of cuts, delayed pay and the threat of redundancies. Even the annual Feria has been scaled back.

The fantasticVinoble international sweet and fortified wine fair which takes place every two years in the Alcazar has been cancelled due to lack of council funds.

The Consejo Regulador of Jerez is looking for a new president as a result of the resignation of Antonio Fernandez, and is hoping to appoint somebody by the end of June. Sr Fernandez, in his other role as a minister of employment in the Junta de Andalucia, has been charged with certain falsifications and is in custody after bail was refused.

All this, and the woes of Nueva Rumasa and the potential redundancies....me hace llorar!