10.11.12 Estevez signs permanent contract with Covisan

Covisan cooperative with its 170 members has agreed a “life” contract to supply grapes and musts to Estevez, to whom they are already the main supplier. Jose Ramon Estevez said that this was a joint project for the future in the hope of reducing production costs and improving quality, one which guarantees grape sales for the growers and supplies for the bodega. This latter point is important as not every bodega secured enough this year to replace stocks, what with the recent grubbing up of vines and the small harvest.  Now that balance has been restored work can begin on improving the image, the prestige and the price of Sherry. If the growers and bodegas work together they can both make a profit. As the president of Covisan, Antonio Palacios, put it, “there is hope”.

Covisan bodegas in Sanlucar

9.11.12 Palacio Domecq is sold

Juan Rodriguez, a Jerezano with interests in bars and catering in Jerez is to buy the historic old seat of the Domecqs from Beam for 4 million euros. The deal was signed yesterday after 6 months of negotiations.  Sr. Rodriguez is involved with Alta Cazuela, a catering firm (which provided the food at the Alcazar recently for the Grand Tastings for the Fiesta de la Vendimia), and the famous traditional Bar Juanito. He sees great possibilities in the building for hotel and up market catering, creating another top quality venue in Jerez.

What held up negotiations for so long – six months – was the question of what was to be done with the contents of the palace; numerous works of art including paintings, tapestries, photographs, and all the trappings of the Domecqs’ position in Jerez for 300 years.

The fact that the palace is a listed building (a Bien de Interes Cultural) and is so centrally situated (in the Alameda Cristina) appealed to Sr. Rodriguez, and keeping it open to the public features in his plans. The building dates from the XVII C, was renovated in the 1970s and is in excellent condition. It is listed for domestic use which restricts but doesn’t impede its use for weddings for example.

Interior Patio of the Palacio Domecq

Wine Tourism in Jerez

The Sherry bodegas were the first to offer wine tourism in the 1960s and it is much more sophisticated now.  Sherry bodegas are the most visited wineries in Europe.  Wine tourism is always a pleasure and now it has gone beyond simply getting to know the wines, it means soaking up the culture of the place. Now you can stay among the vines, learn the art of tasting, and matching each wine with the local gastronomy. Local wine bars as well as bodegas offer great tutored tastings.

Here in the quiet of cathedral like bodegas you can feel the art of generations, the wisdom of centuries combined to produce unique wines of exceptional quality, many of which are extremely old. The countryside and towns are dotted with the classic bodega architecture of soaring pillars supporting high roofs, some resembling cathedrals, others mosques. Some bodega families collected art, such as Bodegas Tradicion, with works by great artists like Velazquez, Goya or Zurbaran. Estevez has a collection of Picasso engravings and works by Dali and Miro. Others have stables of thoroughbred horses, museums of old winery tools, or old labels. And the vineyards themselves offer beautiful views, be they of hills and castles or of the Atlantic horizon.

The Patio de las Armas, Alcazar, Jerez, home of Vinoble
the biennial sweet and fortified wine fair

The Sherry zone is a beautiful place, steeped in history, culture and tradition, which makes the world’s most unique fine wine and a wide range of gastronomy to accompany it. Now is the time to plan your trip - you'll never regret it! Go!

Go to: Turismo Jerez

           Rutas del vino

           Sherry.org

As You Like It 20.5%, Williams & Humbert

Appearance

Quite deep amber fading through yellow to green tinged rim, some age apparently, legs.

Nose

Fragrant amontillado, quite nutty, a curious interplay between that implicit sweetness of amontillado and real sweetness harmonised in the wine over decades, beautifully aged - fresh with minimal oxidative or woody notes, a certain tang with slightest traces of dried apricot, vanilla and raisin, complex, lovely.

Palate

Medium sweet - if not sweeter -  but the sweetness is balanced by that tanginess and traces of tannin from the wood. It could do with less sweetness but it was made when this style was more the norm. Nonetheless, the flavour is not masked, and is that of genuine amontillado, with the characteristic toasted nuts flavour and terrific length.

Comments

W & H are famous for their excellent sweeter wines, usually made by solera ageing the blend. Many "Medium" Sherries are horrid pre-bottling blends made to a price. This is not. All that went into this blend was quality wine. And time. The blend was introduced by Carl Williams, second generation of the family, in early 1900. It comes from a solera of only 27 butts which has a bit of a story. In the days when the bodega was still family owned, it was decided to de-list the brand, but the then capataz, Manuel Offerrall, liked the wine so much that rather than dispose of it he had it hidden in among the Canasta soleras. His deception was only discovered 25 years later when the new owners, Rumasa, moved all the soleras to the new bodega. Francisco Salas Lopez, the "nose" of the bodega sniffed out these special butts which were obviously exceptional and not connected with Canasta, and informed the new capataz, Jose Luis Moreno Garcia. They figured out what had happened and a new brand was born. The wine is not sold as a VORS, but probably could be. It is certainly expensive enough! More than many VORS in fact, but it is lovely. And it is nice to see a more traditional label. 

Price

£ 23.99 (per half bottle) from Waitrose, also available from the Wine Society.

8.11.12 21 New Sherry Educators

The Consejo Regulador reports that last month 21 people from various branches of the wine and food trade and from 13 countries have achieved Sherry Educator status (Formador Homologado del Vino de Jerez), bringing the total number of Educators to over 300 since the initiative was established in 2004. Every year there are two courses; one in Spanish and one in English.

After an intensive 3 days of total immersion in theoretical and practical seminars, tastings, visits to vineyards and bodegas they underwent a final evaluation to obtain their title. 

Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana 15%,Hidalgo La Gitana

Appearance

Pale to mid strawy gold, slightest trace brass tinged with faint green, legs.

Nose

Typical manzanilla pasada - complex and interesting, strong flor notes; saline, dry, with hints of dried flowers and scrubland under the Andalucian sun, resin, slight autolysis and sourdough. There is also a slight trace of dried fruit and nuts. It is quite tight and very clean  and fresh with lots of character.

Palate

Fairly low acidity but still fresh and tangy, quite light, but the depth is in the flavour, very much as above. It is fairly soft but has great presence, with a long, very slightly bitter finish. Very elegant.

Comments

From a single vineyard, "Pastrana" in the Jerez Superior area of Miraflores and aged in the Bodega San Francisco with 31 solera butts. This wine was conceived by Javier Hidalgo and his old friend Cristiano van Zeller (of Quinta do Noval Port fame) as recently as 1997. They tried endless wines and came up with this one, (and an old amontillado) and it's a cracker. From the label you would think it had been around for years. The bottle has changed since this Majestic photo was taken, and is now the same more elegant style as La Gitana with more sloping shoulders and a low, nipped-in waist.

Price

Majestic have it on offer just now at £9.99 (UK RRP £12.99) - worth every penny. I bought two - you can never have too much Sherry!

7.11.12 57 DO's meet with other countries to discuss EU plantation rights

An international meeting of European wine regions convened today in Brussels to defend the current system of plantation rights in Europe.  71 wine regions, including Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Portugal and Austria, comprise the Association of European Wine Regions and are unanimously against the proposed reforms. Many a politician will also attend, representing both the EU and the wine regions. The meeting was arranged with the High Level group meeting of the 14^th December in mind, which was set up to report to the Comission with recommendations.