We visited a Bodega in the town we are staying in, El Puerto de Santa Maria. Here, we learned that Bodegas are not “wine houses” where they manufacture, mature or bottle the liquids, they are simply “maturing houses”. The freshly pressed grape liquids have not yet been fermented and are placed into the oak barrels to ferment naturally and mature with age. However, as they empty from the bottom, fill from the middle then add the fresh liquids to the top barrels, no-one can genuinely say how old a sherry is!

Bodegas in this town have a unique qualification – they are ON the Guadalette River, literally some of the storage areas are on old Roman roads above the water bed. This location gives rise to the need for stone floors (very uncommon, usually sand or soil which retains the water that is added to create humidity). The stone floors become moist with the sea water which in turn creates a natural humidity within the storage area which is needed for nurturing the wines and as the barrels are open (not hermetically sealed) they absorb the sea humidity which gives the wines a destinctive salty edge.

The bottom barrel starts off as a fino (dry light yellow in colour) and they drain from the bottom; the 2nd criadera (middle level) is used to top up the bottom barrel. The top barrel is used to top up the middle barrel. The top barrel is finally filled with new wine.

The town has a restaurant who’s chef has 3 Michelin stars and he visits the Bodega simply to buy the sherries from this supplier – Gutierrez Colosia. This Bodega was built in 1838 to supply major sherry houses in the area (they blend within their own Bodegas) but started their own label in only 1998. Dry sherry is made from only Palomino grapes grown locally which also have a saltiness to them and sweet sherry is made from Moscatel grapes, again locally grown, but 20% are taken off the vines and left in the sun to dry (they become raisins) before being added to the grape juice.

Here, they also produce 6 different varieties of sherry, as well as making brandy, and sherry vinegar.

The alcohol evaporates and creates the black marks on the ceiling/roof.

We were invited to smell the “flor/yeast” in a barrel – it was disgusting…similar to rotten eggs or a dead animal!!! Apparently, this is a good smell as the flora is active.

This is a display of their oldest and original brands, approx. 140 years old! The barrels are still full.

Finally, we were invited to sample their products!

Left to right: Fino (very dry almond flavour); Amontillado (very dry nutty flavour); Oloroso (dry, mahogany colour, oak taste); Cream (semisweet, sweetened with Pedro Ximenez, easy texture); Moscatel (Sweet, sweetened by adding sun dried grapes, dark colur, raisin flavour); and finally Pedro Ximenez (very sweet using sun dried grapes, flavours of fig and candied fruit)

We all tried out 6 different sherries, followed by a glass of brandy, before tottering off to the local bar for something to eat!!! We returned back to the trailer for a 2 hour nap – I think that’s officially known as a “siesta”!!!

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