Be it an exhausting day at work, a bad day or an occasion to celebrate wine and an exotic chocolate box always
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Be it an exhausting day at work, a bad day or an occasion to celebrate wine and an exotic chocolate box always
If you love Sherry (Jerez) you have certainly tried at some point some Fino made by Bodegas Tío Pepe. But you should also definitely go visit this beautiful and historic winery located in Jerez (Andalusia).
Jerez is one of the three cities making part of the ‘Triangle of Jerez’ concentrating the world Sherry production. The other two are Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda where you can also find high-quality Sherry wineries.
Bodegas Tío Pepe was founded in 1835 by Manuel María González Ángel who worked on creating a Fino Sherry named after his uncle ‘Tío Pepe’. As the company started growing, the Sherry was exported to Great Britain and González Ángel signed a partnership with agent Robert Blake Byass and how is the company González-Byass was born.
In 2010 Bodegas Tio Pepe celebrated its 175th anniversary and was awarded the prize of the Best Winery in the world by the International Wine and Spirit Competition.
In 1869 Gustave Eiffel, the world-famous French engineer, designed the Real Bodega de la Concha, one of the several wineries that one can see at Bodegas Tío Pepe. It was built in honour of Queen Isabel II who visited the premises in 1962.
It contains 214 casks where Sherry Amontillado La Concha ages and 115 of them exhibit the flags of countries where Gonzalez Byass exports its wines.
We started the visit with a tour in a cosy train around the premises. We also visited the different ‘Bodegas’ (cellars) including the Real Bodega de la Concha.
Our guide explained historic facts about the winery and also described the winemaking process for the different kinds of Sherry: Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez.
The darkness of the several Bodegas where the wine is kept in ‘Soleras’ and ‘Criaderas’ for the ageing process, contrasts with the brightness of the sun and the blue sky in Jerez where summers are generally very hot!
Visiting Bodegas Tío Pepe in Jerez is going back in time to the 19th Century when the city was the wine capital of the world and is also a beautiful reminder of the mix of cultures historically present in the Andalusia region where the ‘Mudejar’ art (a meeting point between Christianity and the Islam) played a fundamental role.
Antonio Flores has been working as the oenologist of Bodegas Tio Pepe since 1980. He has been awarded twice (2009 and 2016) with the Prize of ‘Best Winemaker of Fortified Wines of the World’ by the International Wine Challenge.
His extraordinary work of wine classification within the cellars at Bodegas Tio Pepe and his decisive contribution to recover and promote Sherry gems such as the Finos Palmas Collection and Tío Pepe in Rama have ensured his worldwide recognition as a mythic winemaker!
Tío Pepe dressed in his hat and red jacket with his guitar has become one of the national symbols in Spain. One can admire the giant bottle-man at the winery in Jerez and also as a neon sign in Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
In 1935 Luis Pérez Solero dressed the bottle with a short red jacket and a hat, creating the logo which is nowadays very popular around the world.
From 10th to 18th August 2018, the Tio Pepe Festival will take place in the city of Jerez showcasing the best of the gastronomic scene in Spain. Michelin-star Chefs will cook special menus paired with different kinds of Sherries.
Each evening there will be concerts of renowned Spanish singers and musicians followed by wine and food pairing experiences. For the entire programme, click here.
If you have found this article interesting and would like to make a trip to Jerez (Cádiz, Andalusia) to discover a bit more about the Sherry world, stunning wineries, wonderful gastronomy and breathtaking landscapes you can contact us for a Spanish wine tour!
Bodegas Andrés Morate is another gem among our Top 52 Spanish wineries belonging to the Designation of Origin ‘Vinos de Madrid’, the first winery within this DO having acquired the ‘Organic Certificate’ for its wines.
When we first visited the winery, we were welcomed and guided by Esther Morate, oenologist and second generation of the family who explained the organic techniques they use in the vineyard for a healthy grape-growing system.
Esther, the oenologist, showing us their Tempranillo vinesThey currently grow Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Airén and Moscatel. Andrés Morate own several parcels of vines. The winery produces only 20,000 bottles per year using exclusively their own grapes which are entirely harvested by hand. The winery makes great quality white and red wines at a really affordable price.
No chemicals or pesticides are used in the vineyard and vines are not irrigated, following the ‘secano’ system (dry farming) which is an extremely impressive exploit since it rains very little within the Madrid area. Thanks to the age of vines (60+ year old), roots have gone very deep into the ground benefiting of all nutrients they need to produce high-quality grapes with wonderful concentration of flavours.
Take for example these very old ‘Airén’ vines belonging to the winery Andrés Morate: some of them are pre-phylloxera meaning that they are more than 100-year-old! Airén is a white grape variety giving white wines with fruity aromas of bananas, pineapple and grapefruit and is widely planted in the areas of Toledo, La Mancha and Madrid.
Bodegas Andrés Morate is located only 35 minutes away from Madrid in Arganda, one of the 3 sub-regions belonging to the DO Vinos de Madrid. A wonderful winery to discover if you visit Madrid!
We are embracing the challenge of reviewing 52 fabulous Spanish wineries in 2018, starting by a jewel located within the Designation of Origin Ribeiro, in the region of Galicia.
Ramón Do Casar is a family-owned winery founded in 2000. They own 13 hectares of vines and produce white wines, primarily from an emblematic and indigenous grape variety called Treixadura, giving high-quality wines with lots of elegance and structure showing white floral notes along with persistent citrusy and herbaceous hints. They make monovarietal Treixadura-based wines but also a coupage using the three Queens of Galician white grapes: Albariño, Godello and Treixadura. Their first vintage was 2013 and since then, they have won several wine awards.
We visited the winery last August and met Javier, oenologist and second generation of the winery. He showed us around and explained the origin of their beautiful wine labels. Ramón, his father, emigrated to Venezuela in the 50’s and for several years exchanged letters with his mother, who remained in Galicia. Part of these love letters are printed as labels of Ramón Do Casar wines, as well as photos of those goodbyes among people from Galicia leaving their country to cross the Ocean.
Apart from producing high-quality white wines with lots of character, perfect to match seafood based gastronomic specialties from Galicia, the vineyard is located in a privileged spot, surrounded by beautiful landscapes, just by the Miño River bank; a Spanish winery definitely worth visiting when in Ribeiro.
Have you tried Ramón Do Casar wines yet? If you love whites as we do and like to be ahead concerning Spanish wine trends, this is a must! You might also like visiting the winery and we can organise a wine tour specially for you. Here is a bit more about us! Cheers!
