16.8.15 Harvest Underway; Homage to Shakespeare

The harvest has started. A million kilos have already been picked in the vineyards further from the sea- that is the warmer áreas, where the grapes have ripened more quickly without the sea breezes and humidity to cool them. Harvesting began on Friday night with machines and floodlights. González Byass expect to start work in their own vineyards tomorrow, but have already done some harvesting in contracted vineyards.

Teams of people with harvesting knives toiling under the baking sun are nearly all gone now as the machines take over. They work at night as the grapes are cooler and less likely to oxidise and they work much quicker. The grapes have decent sugar levels, some reaching 12ᴼ Beaumé (a sugar level scale by which 12ᴼ Beaumé should equal 12%/vol alcohol in the must). The harvest will get under way generally tomorrow. The Consejo is hoping that each hectare of vineyard will yield 10,000 kilos which would give a harvest total of 70 million kilos. Last year 68 million were picked.

Machine harvesting at night (foto:diariodejerez)

Consejo director, César Saldaña, said that the weather this year had been very variable but that it had helped bring about healthy grapes without insect problems. The biggest enemy is persistent humidity which can set off grey rot and crops can be lost, but this has been a “magnificent” year. The growers are hoping to cash in on that: after a hard year’s work they are hoping to get 58-60 pesetas the kilo. The cooperative Nuestra Señora de las Angustias will also start picking tomorrow. All the “pies de cuba” have been started (small fermentations to get the main ones underway more easily).

The harvest should mostly be over by the end of the month, though there could be pockets close to the sea which will need to wait till the first few days of September, unless the Levante wind appears, something largely avoided this year – much to the gratitude of all.

One of the quieter events of the Fiestas de la Vendimia but no less important is the annual homage to William Shakespeare who did so much to publicise Sherry in his day. Enthusiasts meet at his memorial in Jerez, drink a toast and recite some of his works.

15.8.15 First Half Sherry Sales

During the first half of this year sales of Sherry in Spain have risen by 8.38%. Sales in export markets of the traditional wines continue to fall but there has been an increase in VOS and VORS wines. The traditional markets have seen some serious drops: Germany down 16.06%, Britain down 6.24% and Holland down slightly at -0.86%. Taking Europe as a whole sales were 8,310,021 litres, down from last year’s 9,217,881, a fall of 9.85%.

The Asian market has seen a big increase, up 31.76% or 84,656 litres mainly from sales in Japan. Spain saw an increase from 6,253,535 last year to 6,777,580 this year. The total worldwide figure, however is down 2.35% in the first half.

Study of the figures by the Consejo reveals that a big impulse to the first half figures is the number of ferias: sales take a leap in March, April and May. Fino, Medium and Cream saw the largest increase in sales with Manzanilla slipping slightly.

14.8.15 Harvest Festval 2015

This year’s Fiesta de la Vendimia will be celebrated between the 1 and the 20 September. Those most Jerezano of passions will be at the centre of things: wine, Flamenco and horses, and it is the perfect time to also celebrate the Consejo’s 80^th birthday.

San Ginés, the Consejo’s own bodega, was the scene of the presentation of this year’s more than ample programme of events, and it was attended by the media, the mayor and members of the organisation commission. Among the main collaborators in the fiesta are the bodegas, tabancos, rural and wine tourism entities and the equestrian organisations. The fiesta will cost the council very little as events are mostly organised by private enterprise. This is just as well, as Jerez is the most indebted council in Spain.

This is the longest, most event-packed Fiesta de la Vendimia ever, and is unmissable. For the events programme visit www.turismojerez.com

13.8.15 New Ruta Website; Vintage Latest; Ruta Tabancos; World Venencia Record

The new Ruta del Vino y Brandy Marco de Jerez website is up and running. It is very impressive and using this site you can plan an amazing number of interesting escapades in Sherry country, and even book them. Every aspect of the area has been considered, from wildlife to cuisine, from horses to bodegas, from art to golf, from tastings to Flamenco. If you have ever considered visiting this lovely and fascinating part of the world, it has never been easier or more fun. The site is in Spanish, English and German. All you need to do is type www.rutadeljerezybrandy.es into your browser and let it happen! 

The trade and the Consejo are still optimistic about the quality of the forthcoming harvest despite intense heatwaves and more forecast for next week. The hotter it is, the smaller the crop, yet so far it has not been dramatically reduced and is likely to be between 67 and 70 million kilos, unless the dreaded Levante wind appears which will certainly reduce the crop. The harvest commencement date looks like being the 20^th August and everyone has their fingers crossed.

Another great idea is the Ruta de los Tabancos. You can pick up a leaflet at the Consejo or at the tourist office. Tabancos are the lovely old traditional bars with barrels of Sherry and tapas, and sometimes Flamenco. The leaflet gives a picture of each with details of what they offer, where they are and opening hours. These places have a wonderful atmosphere.

In Tokyo recently the world record for the highest number of people using a venencia at the same time was broken. It happened on the rooftop of a big store in Tokyo, Mitsukoshi de Nihonbashi, and 72 venenciadores recognised by the Consejo took part. Up till now the record has been held by 61 Andalusian venenciadores. All the participants were awarded diplomas. The event was organised by the Consejo and sponsored by González Byass, Barón, Hidalgo La Gitana and La Guita.

Climate Change is Affecting Sherry

This is a worrying article by JA Cañas published in today's La Voz Digital Cádiz:

It is not just another heatwave, it is the confirmation of a trend. It is not just an alarmist assertion, it is a reality proved by various indicators. One of them is also one of the province’s greatest sources of wealth: wine. The bodegas are worried that climate change is causing important changes in the wine which can only be combated with research and the application of new technology.

Carmelo García knows all about it. He is a professor at the University of Cádiz (UCA) and in charge of the Centro Andaluz de Investigaciones Vitivinícolas (CAIV)run by the university in conjunction with the Junta. He has spent many years researching how to save the grapes from the grave problem of rising temperatures. The key is in the vegetative cycle of the grape and its ripening during the summer. High temperatures make the grape ripen more quickly and with a higher sugar content which will ferment out to a higher level of alcohol. This happens with all grape varieties and is forcing bodegas to pick the grapes sooner, like in mid-August.

Harvesting ever earlier (foto:lavozdigital)

You might think that would solve the problem – but for one other factor. As it ripens, the grape converts its acids into sugar, but the aromas also appear. The high temperatures are knocking off balance the development of sugars and aromas. While the sugar content rises rapidly it is not so with the aromas, so earlier picking brings in grapes with less aroma. At least it could be worse for the Sherry trade as they use mainly Palomino which is not the most aromatic of grapes, its aromas develop during ageing.

Sherry is, of course, not the only wine produced in the province. Many table wines are produced from other grape varieties and here aroma is more important. Red grapes present a particular problem as the heat causes the sugars to rise quickly but not the aromas or the colour. Once grapes were picked when they had enough sugar to achieve the intended alcohol level, but now they are picked according to phenolic ripeness as well, that is properly ripe, not just plenty of sugar. If you pick the red grape on say the 20^th August it will already have enough sugar, but very little colour. If you wait longer you will get the colour but the wine will be far too strong. Worse still, the market currently prefers wines with less alcohol.

After years of research, the CAIV knows the climate is against us. Climate change is already obvious and harvests are regularly much earlier than say 30-40 years ago. Furthermore, the CAIV works with predictive models which show that some regions will have serious problems making wine at all in the future, and that the whole of Spain will be affected.

Research is therefore focusing on the grape, its vinification and the wine. They are studying irrigation and the possibility of nutrient supply to compensate for the fast ripening. They are also looking into old grape varieties which are perfectly adapted to vineyards in the province with higher temperatures with the idea of cloning them and planting them more widely. As to winemaking, they are looking into the maceration of the grape skins to extract more colour and aroma. The last option is to reduce the alcohol level of the wine without the loss of aroma; the centre already has a machine which removes alcohol. It is hoped to have all the necessary results in the next three years as they are well aware that this is neither trivial nor an exaggeration, it is a serious and worrying reality and clear results are needed to deal with it.

12.8.15 Fiesta de la Bulería 2015

The XLVIII Fiesta de la Bulería will take place at the Alcázar in Jerez on Saturday 5^th September. Gates open at 20.00 and the fiesta starts at 22.00. Tickets can be bought online at www.ticketea.com, At  last  the festival is in an ideal setting and with a capacity for 2,500 people. Jerez is the home of the Bulería, a wonderfully lively and expressive form of Flamenco.  This is an absolute must!

Sandeman Character Medium-Dry Amontillado 17.5%

Appearance

Deep amber with hints of brown, legs.

Nose

Attractive aroma of old wines in a bodega, the PX is noticeable and also that walnut Oloroso note, slightly savoury with hints of oak, not much Amontillado here though.

Palate

Genuinely medium-dry, not over sweetened, quite full bodied and serious with a gentle tang balancing the sweetness, notes of walnut and damp barrels, all the flavour of good Oloroso and PX yet has a dry finish and good length.

Comments

This is a really good Medium Dry Sherry, it has, as its name implies, Character. The tech specs are: 45 grams/litre sugars, 4.6 grams/litre total acidity, 5% PX, 95% Palomino. It is aged in small casks for about 9 years before the PX is added. The solera dates to 1895. Like the other Sandeman wines it is actually made by Zoilo Ruiz Mateos. While I very much enjoyed this wine, I feel that there is little if any Amontillado in it, it’s mostly Oloroso. If this is the case it only serves to reinforce the consumers misconception that Amontillado is medium. It won an IWC Gold though.

Price

About £ 11-12 Available fairly widely, UK importer is Stevens Garnier