At the weekend, the Fourth and Church team will be heading to Jerez, Southern Spain for a whistle-stop sherry tour, taking in the famous wine towns, vineyards and some informative tastings with a handful of our favorite Sherry producers we work with. There will of course be plenty of time for some bar hopping around my favourite hotspots in Jerez, El Puerto Santa Maria and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Mixing up my connections with the local wine business, while exploring the rich and varied culinary landscape, I have become a little obsessed, spending as much time as possible in this southern outpost of Andalucia.
Having been a regular visitor over the last couple of decades both professionally and whilst enjoying leisurely family holidays, I've always enjoyed the simplicity of life and the generosity of the Jerezano’s.
Deep diving into the rich trading history over the centuries, with all its twists and turns, has been a fascinating learning experience, allowing me to explore and really get under the skin of the region, while soaking up the sunshine and marveling in the azureous skies and the wonderful light.
Our whistle stop trip will take in three of the original ‘Sherry Triangle’ towns Jerez, El Puerto Santa Maria, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
I am always super excited when embarking on wine journeys, on this occasion to travel with, host and to offer a snapshot of the the Jerez area, to our wonderful front of house team, is beyond exciting for me.
Our first day will start with a quick drive from Sevilla airport to Sanlúcar de Barrameda for Sunday lunch. Casa Balbino on Plaza del Cabildo to kick off.
An institution on Sanlúcar's pretty main square, extremely busy but well worth the hustle and bustle for a perch inside the bar, to soak up the vibe but more importantly get involved in what's good to eat from the fridges set into the counter and what we can see flying over it.
Re-hydration will be in order, so lots of cold Manzanilla alongside plates of tortillas de camarones, boquerones, and langostinos de Sanlúcar please, a sure livener post our early morning travels.
A perfect introduction to Sanlucar’s bar circuit for the team, but a trick to remember when having a good time, is not to linger too long in one place, however tempting and to move on.
There are so many cool spots to explore that all offer something a little unique. This could be their own Vermut straight from the cask, a small menu offering traditional recipes, such as braised cuttlefish or oxtail, or possibly a selection of Sherry supplied by a smaller family solera rarely seen elsewhere.
With this in mind, the next stop I'm thinking about is the Taberna der Guerrita on Calle Rubiños.
In the lower neighborhood of Sanlúcar, this bar has been quietly doing its thing for over 40 years. On my last visit we enjoyed a couple of great glasses of Vermut, so much so, we broke the aforementioned rule of moving on and parked ourselves for the rest of the afternoon!
A wicked selection of Manzanilla, an extensive and generous offering of traditional regional cooking, with an old school laid back atmosphere makes this the ideal afternoon hangout.
With a loose plan for dinner later, and so not to peek too early, a drive back to Jerez, hotel check in time and a siesta for a couple of hours.
Monday morning, an early breakfast and on the road to El Puerto Santa Maria, a quick 30 mins drive taking in some majestic views of the salt flats in the bay of Cadiz on the way,
Almost a ‘first love’ El Puerto has always been a very special town for me, as my sherry journey began in this town. Cutting a long story short, I got the taste for a glass or two of fino while staying just outside Gaucin, one of the Andalucian mountain ‘Pueblos Blancos’ in the late nineties
I wanted to explore where this wine came from, so the following spring a friend and I headed to El Puerto Santa Maria to see what was going on.
What I love about El Puerto is the faded grandeur of a historical town that has seen the highs and lows of commercial activity and the economics that go hand in hand. Once the home of Cristopher Columbus and his famous ship the ‘Santa Maria’, the discovery of America and trade with the Indies began here many centuries ago.
In later times the 19th century, again saw the rise of the town's commercial activities, with the production, commercialisation and export of wines which has continued to the present day.
Our destination is a visit and tasting with Bodega Gutiérrez-Colosía located right on the mouth of the river Guadalete.
I have tasted with Colosia, many years ago, so it will be fantastic to re-visit with the team in a professional capacity. A personal favourite, their Sherry has always featured on the shelves and wine list at Fourth and Church and their less readily-available Brandy de Jerez and Vinagre de Jerez, a place on my table at home.
The Gutiérrez Colosía Bodegas are part of a long viticulture and wine producing tradition. The first Bodega was built in1838 and it stands virtually unchanged since. Acquired by José Gutiérrez Dosal, the late great grandfather of the current generation of the Gutiérrez Colosía family, at the start of the 20th century.
In 1969, the Gutiérrez Colosía family acquired part of an old palace, built along the riverside during more prosperous trading times that had since fallen into disrepair. This included an original wine cellar, with an additional two cellars added, this now forms the hub of the winery and their current operation.
The only bodega located by the riverside, its unique location provides the perfect humidity level needed for the biological aging of their “Fino” and the development of the fine layer of yeast known as “ flor” that gives Colosias Fino its unique aroma and taste.
A little memory that my kids and I always have a little giggle about, is re-calling their moans and groans on past holidays, when instead of heading straight to our well needed holiday accommodation, I instead pulled up outside the Bodega cellar door, to stock up on a couple of litres of their magnificent cask fino, for all day consumption, a bottle of their Amerigo Vespucci Brandy for post dinner and some Reserve Vinagre for tomato salads! This stop was always a priority and for me meant that we had arrived and the holiday had started!
For our last day, we will start with a little field trip, hosted by our friends at Valdespino. First stop will be the famed Macharnudo Alto vineyard pago/vineyard located just 5 kilometres northwest of Jerez de la Frontera.
The Macharnudo Alto is possibly the most prestigious of all the Albariza rich vineyards within the Marco de Jerez, with a high elevation and a very pure limestone soil, the wines produced express a real chalky character and are excellent for the production of Fino and Amontillado. More than most, Valdespino still produces Sherry using traditional methods while highlighting the importance of single vineyards and terroir.
Following on from the vineyard visit, a tour of the Valdespino (Grupo Estevez) premises in Jerez, to taste their single vineyard and iconic VORS Soleras straight from the cask.
A unique experience for the team, to taste the evolution and to understand the journey of some of the most important Sherry wines on the market today, such as their ‘Inocente’ Fino and Viejo CP Palo Cortado VOS
Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in Jerez, with its history dating back to 1264, when King Alfonso X rewarded the knight Alfonso Valdespino for his help in liberating Jerez from the Moors. Valdespino was given a parcel of vineyards and started making wine.
Commercial activities were said to be started in 1430 and the formal ‘company’ of today was founded in 1875. It quickly gained a lot of fame and became a supplier of the Royal Houses of Spain and Sweden. It has always been known as a traditional house, which stayed in the Valdespino family until it was acquired by Jose Estevez S.A in 1999.
The origins of the Jose Estevez S.A wine cellars (Bodegas) are from the Jose Lena Rendon and Co. enterprise, which was established in1809 specifically for ageing Sherry and Brandy. Since 1974 the Estevez family has managed the entire company and in1984 the name of the company was changed to Jose Estevez S.A.
In keeping with the traditions of a family business, great importance has been given to the care of the aging of the wines.