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Sherry

History - Process - Bodegas

The province of Cádiz is famous for sherry, a classification which ranges from the dry, white manzanilla from Sanlúcar de Barrameda to the syrupy Cream sherry traditionally popular in England.

The officially designated sherry-producing region forms a triangle between Jeréz, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. 10,000 hectares of chalky albariza soil between the Guadalquivir River in the West and the Guadalete to the East are dedicated to growing the white Palomino grape from which sherry is produced.

History

It is believed by some that the Phoenicians first introduced sherry to the area. The Romans continued the tradition and even the teetotal Moors took sherry - for medicinal purposes! Sherry was exported to other European countries, including Britain, as early as the 13th century. In early times, it was known as ‘sack’.

In 1587, Sir Francis Drake attacked the port of Cádiz and seized 3000 barrels of sherry as his booty. The drink then became a favourite with the English Court and was even recommended by Queen Elizabeth 1.

Due to the ever growing popularity of sherry, many British entrepreneurs set up their own business in the area during the 17th and 18th centuries. Names such as Gordon, Garvey, Mackenzie and Sandeman became identified with the area.

In the 19th century, many vineyards were destroyed by a virulent fungus. Some vineyards were replanted with plague-resistant stock but some areas never recovered from this disaster.

Most of the famous bodegas such as González Byass, Domecq, Sandeman and Osborne were founded in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today there are 64 registered bodegas, located in Jeréz, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Sherry is still produced in other towns such as Chiclana, but on a greatly reduced scale, in small operations.

In 1967, the Jeréz sherry growers won a resounding legal victory against the British producers of British Sherry. They established from an Arabic map dated 1160 that their area was known at that time as Šeriš, a precursor to Xeres and Jeréz. They were able to claim therefore that the term was a denomination of origin which gave them exclusive rights to the name.

The Process - Interesting Facts

• Vines are planted in north-south rows for maximum exposure to the sun
• Grapes are harvested at the beginning of September
• The Palomino grape is a moderately yielding grape with low acidity. The skins turn a warm golden colour at harvest. The Palomino strains do not make good table wines but are admirably suited to producing sherry
• In Jeréz, there is a special festival to mark this occasion. The first grapes are blessed, then ceremonially crushed by men wearing traditional costume and nail studded boots
• The distinctive character of sherry arises from a combination of the chalky soil of the vineyards, which can absorb large quantities of water, the humid climate which encourages the growth of the yeast flor on the surface of the sherry maturing in barrels and the solera y criadera maturing process which is explained below
• Sherry casks are filled to 5/6 capacity so that the air in the empty area can facilitate the oxygenation process
• Sherry is made up of a mixture of vintages from different years. The solera y criadera maturing process ensures uniformity of quality. Oak casks are arranged in rows in the bodega, the bottom row, the solera holding the oldest wine. When some of this wine is bottled, the casks are replenished from the row above, and these in turn are refilled from the row above them. The top casks are topped up with new wine. The system has now largely been replaced by mechanized processes in the bigger companies
• 80% of sherry is exported to other countries all over the world– the main markets are GB, Holland and Germany
• Sales in Spain in order of volume are for manzanilla, fino, oloroso and amontillado

Types of Sherry

• Type - Description [Maturity - Serve at ALCº]
• MANZANILLA Dry, delicate Fino made from grapes grown by the shores of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and matured in local cellars. Sharp, aromatic – some claim to detect a salty tang. [1 YEAR+ 7º -14.5-15.5]
• FINO Delicate, extremely dry Sherry, pale in colour, fragrant, with a powerful bouquet. [1 YEAR + 7º 15-18]
• AMONTILLADO Fuller and deeper in colour than Fino, with a delightful nutty flavour. [3 YEARS + 12º 16-23]
• OLOROSO Oloroso is naturally dry with a deep mahogany colour and full flavour. [10 YEARS + 12º 17-23]
• PALO CORTADO Somewhere between Amontillado and Oloroso. Although popular in Spain, it is not well known internationally. A good Palo Cortado is clean and crisp and has a deep, subtle bouquet. That drunk in the bars of Jeréz is nothing of the sort [12º 17-23]
• CREAM This type of sherry is more popular outside Spain. Cream sherry is produced by sweetening oloroso, traditionally with Pedro Ximenez. Pale cream is a sweetened Fino. [12º 17.5+]
• PEDRO XIMENEZ A rich, naturally sweet wine from grapes ripened in the sun for longer. Traditionally used to sweeten other sherries. Expensive to produce.
• BRANDY DE JERÉZ 90% of Spanish brandy is produced in Jeréz. The wine spirit is matured in old sherry casks. It is sweeter than French brandy and may be classified as solera, gran solera and solera reservada. 37-40º

La Ruta Del Vino - The Sherry Circuit

This route takes in the sherry-producing towns of the region. You can start in El Puerto de Santa María, the home of fino, and drive along the coast through Rota and Chipiona to Sanlúcar de Barrameda to sample the local manzanilla. From here the route passes through gently rolling chalky hills planted with vines. You will go through the little town of Trebujena, located in the heart of the vineyards as you make your way towards Jeréz, the sherry capital. The tour can be extended south of El Puerto to Chiclana, which still has a few small bodegas.

Sherry Bodegas you can visit

These visits will generally include a film, guided tour of the cellars and bottling area, a sampling session and a visit to the shop. Tours generally last around 1-1.5 hrs. Some companies also arrange visits of the vineyards on request.

El Puerto de Santa María

• OSBORNE: Ctra. N-IV, km. 651 Visits: Mon – Fri (am) By appointment English tour: 1030; Spanish: 11.30, 1200 Tel: 0034 956869100 www.osborne.es
• TERRY: Mon-Fri, 0900-1300: entry 4€50; afternoons, weekends, holidays: group bookings only, Visits by appointment. Includes visit of cellars, horse &carriage museum Tel: 0034 956857700 Domecq
• GUTIERREZ-COLOSÍA:Av. Bajamar, 40. Visit: Sat 1330 Tel: 0034 956852852 Gutierrez Colosia
• LUIS CABALLERO: C/ San Francisco, 32 Visit by appointment. Tel 0034 956851751 Caballero
• 501: C/ Valdés, nº 9 Visit: Mon-Fri 1000-1300 No reservation necessary. Tel: 0034 956855511
• GRANT: C/ Los Bolos, 1. Visits: Mon-Fri 1230 &1330; Sat 1230 No reservation necessary. Tel: 0043 956870406

Jeréz

• GONZALEZ BYASS: Manuel María González, 12 Visiting hours: Monday - Saturday: mornings and afternoons. Sundays: mornings only. Special rate for groups. Gonzalez Byass
• SANDEMAN: c/Pizzarro, 10 From October to March – visits by appointment only advance booking advisable. Tel.0034-956 151700 sandeman.visitors@sandeman.com - Ssandeman
• PEDRO DOMECQ: c/ Sanidelfonso, 2 Visiting hours: Mon-Fri, 0900-1300: Afternoons, weekends, holidays: group bookings only. Tel. 0034 956 151516; email jerez@domecq.es www.domecq.com
• HARVEYS: Pintor Muñoz Severiano, s/n Monday to Friday · 0900-1300 Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays and evenings · 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. Minimum 35 · Advance booking required. Tel. 0034 956 346004 emails: rocio.benitez@adsw.com Harveys USA

Chiclana

• BARBERÁ: c/Ayala, 2, tel. 956 400257 (by appointment)
• ALONSO DE LA SIERRA RUIZ: c/Castillo, 4 tel. 956 400206 (by appointment)
• PRIMITIVO COLLANTES: S.A., c/Ancha, 51, tel. 956 400150 (by appointment)
• BRIONES SAUCEDO: c/Sol,9 tel. 956 400715(by appointment)
• SANATORIO: c/Olivo, 1, tel. 956 532646 Open 8.00-12.00
• BRISAU: c/Sol, 7, tel. 956 400415 Open 9.30-2.30
• SAN ANTONIO: Hoyo del Membrillo, 1, tel. 956 400765 Open 9.00 – 2.00

Wine Festivals 2007

• El Puerto de Santa María Spring Fino Festival - 5-6 weeks after Easter
• Sanlúcar de Barrameda Manzanilla Festival approx 3rd week May
• Chipiona Moscatel Festival August
• Jeréz de la Frontera Festival del Caballo 6-13 May
• Jeréz de la Frontera Blessing of the 1st pressing - 8 Sep 2200

Enjoy your Sherry, it's good for you

The Spanish government passed a new law in 2003, which promotes wine as part of a healthy diet. The Ley del Vino aims to promote the consumption of wine separately from other alcoholic drinks. Funding will be provided for regional and national campaigns, which extol the virtues of wine as an integral part of a Mediterranean diet.

Growers and producers are actively encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly and sustainable farming methods. The traditional and historical perspectives of wine growing will be promoted.