Despite the seeming ‘anti-culture’ of the large,
international sherry producers, a very human affair
often exists behind the scenes. The almacenistas are the
families responsible for making and maturing some of the
most distinctive and individual wines in Jerez.
A
character in TS Eliot’s The Family Reunion
declared that ‘All that a civilised person needs
is a glass of dry sherry or two before dinner.’ In that case, he
might well have been thinking of the Andalusian’s
favourite tipple, fino, where the heat
beads the copitas chilled contents with condensation and
the tasty tapas soak up the alcohol. Those in the know
maintain that however much you drink, you get no
hangovers from fino, so pure is the wine.
Visitors to Jerez are always struck by how different it
is to any other town in southern Spain. Majestically
circling the edge of town, canopied seas of dark green
leaves clothe the knotted vines, their growth sustained
by the parched, chalky white soil.
Among the town’s cobbled streets, tree-lined
boulevards and whitewashed houses with their
geranium-filled flowerpots cascading from wrought-iron
balconies, tower the monasterial bodegas.
Their stuccoed white walls enclose a country house
setting of elegant green-lawned gardens and formal,
flagged courtyards. It is all a bit reminiscent of old
England -and for good reason, for it is here that the
sherry barons have set up shop and here that the fusion
of Spanish and British blood works its magic. Add to
this the stunning legacy of Moorish architecture and the
liquid gold from which it takes its name and Jerez has
an unbeatable combination of attractions.
Operating in the region alongside the multinationals
are some 40 small, traditional, family-owned almacenistas – a
word of Moorish origin from al majzan or
‘deposit’, now meaning warehouse or stockholder.
The role of a quarter of these families is to make,
look after, nurture and mature Sherries until they are
deemed at
their peak and sold
for bottling by the big sherry houses. In turn
their livelihood has been assured by the inspired
marketing brainwave of the century-old sherry house,
Emilio Lustau. By linking its label with the name of
each particular almacenista, Lustau has moved to ensure
that the danger of losing these distinctively individual
wines to the blends of the major producers – or forcing
the almacenistas to sell their land if the going got
tough – has been avoided.
Lustau operates as the sole marketing, distribution and
bottling agent for ten almacenistas: these sell half of
their output to the company, which then finds a suitable
market in Spain and abroad, thus acting as a sort of
co-operative. The almacenistas, own names are stamped
beneath the Emilio Lustau brand, together with the
sherry’s origin, style and the number of butts of the
solera from which the wine is drawn off.
‘The beauty of this system is that family-owned
businesses can continue to survive, as they have done
for decades, and concentrate on what they do best –
tending and harvesting their vines and maturing their
sherry – without being swamped by the big players,’ says
managing director Manual Arcila. ‘As the only bodega
to commercialise the almacenista wines unblended, we put
in an enormous effort into maintaining these different
styles, because so many of them have already
disappeared. If we didn’t, the consumer would lose out,
because there would be no range and no choice,’ affirms
export manager Jane Ward.
The Manuel Cuevas Juardo bodega in Sanlucar de Barrameda
is one of the oldest, formed in 1889 as Nuestra Senora
de Pilar. Fifty years ago, Don Manuel Cuevas Jurado
purchased the bodega with profits from his grocery
wholesale business. It is quite natural for a grocer to
become an almacenista in Sanlücar and for centuries
local inhabitants even paid for their groceries with
wine.
The thick walls and high vaulted roofs of the three
cellars ensure good air circulation and a cool, humid
environment for its precious cargo. Set high up near the
roof are shaded openings which let the air circulate but
keep the sun out. The floors consist of hardpacked soil
and are sprayed with water on the hottest summer days,
to keep the temperature down and the humidity up.
Since his 92-year-old father passed away, Manuel Cuevas
Galvez, a spring chicken at 66, has taken over the
running of the bodega with his younger sister -assisted
only by his cellar master Pepe and five harvesters who
pick the grapes. Accommodated within the 7,000 square
metres of cellarage are between 2,000-2,500 butts of
grape must.
Manuel can recall
that, 20 years ago, the bodega pressed its own grapes.
with the juice filling 15 butts a day. Nowadays, though,
economies of scale have necessitated the formation of a
farmers’ co-operative, which buys all his grapes and
from which, in return, he buys back new wine. The
quantity Manuel is allowed to buy is related to the
amount he sold the previous year, so that his stocks are
maintained at a consistent level.
Manuel insists that to produce a good sherry, maturation
techniques are as – or even more – important than the
quality of the grapes. Maturing the sherry is a very
delicate process,’ he emphasizes. You have to be
alert all the time, constantly examining the butts to
ensure the flor (the film of yeast that covers
maturing finos and manzanillas,
giving them their distinctive rancio
character) is right. If it isn’t growing properly,
we have to move the butts to a different part of the
cellar, where the conditions might be more favourable.
Its no different to nurturing my own sons – they all
demand continuous care.’
50% per cent of Galvez’ yearly output of 700 butts is
committed to Lustau, a further 25 % goes into unbranded
wine boxes for home
consumption and the remainder is sold to other bodegas
for their own blends. The almacenistas retain an
admirable loyalty to their marketing parent. Manuel
tells the story of a Swiss buyer who rang him under the
assumption that he could buy his wines cheaper direct.
‘I told him our wines were very expensive because they
were the best, so they should go straight back to Lustau.’
Bodega tours are an important feature of cultivating the
taste for sherry among foreign visitors, who on
returning home – it is hoped – will boost export sales.
Manuel recounts a visit from some 60 members of the
Nippon Bartenders Association, who after three hours of
sampling his manzanillas, six-year-old manzanilla pasada
and rare 20-year-old manzanilla
amontillada, ‘rolled out like one of my barrels,’
and much in need of their supper to follow.
The straw-coloured manzanilla is particularly
delicious: bone
dry, light and fresh with a salty tang that
comes from the moist sea breezes that fan the skins of
the ripening grapes. Oriental tourists have long been
attracted to both fino and manzanilla
because of their similarity to rice wine and sake. With
the growing popularity of eastern cuisine – particularly
Japanese – in Britain, Europeans are discovering how
perfectly its lightness and dryness are suited.
In Jerez, one of the most historic almacenista bodegas
is Pilar Aranda y Latorre. Its round pillars, kerosene
lamps and butt-branding irons are souvenirs from a past
age. The bodega is named after the gran senora,
Dona Pilar, who took over the family business after
the death of her father in 1946. Don Fermin had trained
her well and she was renowned for her ability in
selecting the best mostos and
nosing wines.
By all accounts, she was a great character and a very
strong woman – staying at home was definitely not for
her. She also knew how to select people who could help
her in the business, such as Manuel Gonzalez-Gordon. Her
grandson recounts the story of a client of Domecq’s who
sent his son along to buy some wine promised to Domecq.
The son bragged that he could tell the difference
between their wine and that of any other producer. Dona
Pilar, complimenting him on his impressive powers of
distinction, responded: ‘There’s as much difference
between this wine as there is between you and your
father!’
To commemorate her lifelong dedication to enhancing the
quality of sherry, the consejo regulador. the region’s
governing body, named her capatáz de honor
(honorary cellarmaster) at the I975 harvest
festival.
Dona Pilar’s grandson, 34-year-old Fermion Garcia
Villaescusa, manages the family business now, in between
doing PR for bars, teaching art and his other passion –
oil painting. ‘Painting is creative, but the bodega is
conserving someone else’s creation,’ he declares. Fermin
is well qualified to carry on the family tradition,
having studied oenology and with 15 years of hands-on
practical experience behind him. The family owns seven
bodegas, three of which are rented out; the rest house
700 butts of must purchased from Gonzalez-Byass. 85% of
his yearly output is resold to Gonzalez-Byass for their
own blends and the remainder goes to Lustau for
unblended branded bottling.
Pilar Aranda y Latorre is renowned for its unblended
vintage Pedro Ximenez (PX), a rare dessert sherry, made
from a single grape variety of the same name, that has
matured for over 100 years, and looks and Pours like
black treacle. A single sip from the four PX butts is
enough to die for – Fermin says he could sell it for
over €60 (£48) a bottle, but he won’t.
However, he does sell the prized Amontillado Fino under
the Lustau label.
Latorre’s grandmother was equally famous for her
vinegars, which register 13 degrees of acidity. ‘In the
old days we used to turn the spoiled wine to vinegar,
and I can also remember the mules bringing in the butts
by cart,’ recounts Fermin. ‘Now we use the same must as
for the sherries, to ensure the best quality. For me,
the most important purpose is to defend my grandmother’s
heritage and conserve the beautiful wines of Jerez.’
Susan Wolk
|