I am told that once upon a time there were around 300 bodegas here in town. This little corner of Spain, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Sanlucar de Barrameda and Jerez survived solely on the production of sherry. Everyone was connected to the industry in one way or another and the dusty streets were filled with the sounds of donkeys hooves and the sweet smell of wine. The bodegas (wine cellars) still exist – large sturdy,white buildings stretching for entire blocks – and recall a time when these towns bustled with activity and prosperity as barrel after barrel was loaded onto ships and transported across the world.
Many of the bodega owners were of British origin – Osborne, Grant, Terry, Sandeman, Harvey, to name but a few and their names still grace the walls throughout the area. The British acquired a taste for this wine after pirates seized a Spanish fleet and sold the booty in London. Later, Sir Francis Drake captured about 3000 barrels off the docks and took them back to England, only serving to make sherry – then known as sack- more highly esteemed than ever.
Although sherry might not be enjoying quite the same popularity right now as it did back in Shakespeare’s day, the tradition still remains and September is harvest month. The vines are heavy with ripe grapes waiting to be picked, crushed and added to the barrels. Grape picking, often done by hand, is hard hot work in temperatures of over 35º. At the beautiful Bodegas Baron of Sanlucar, workers fill bucket after bucket working from first light till mid afternoon, only stopping between loads to glug back some water and wipe off the sweat .
Sherry in Spanish is Jerez , a name which originates from the Arabic Sherish and although that’s the name we give to this type of wine, the Spanish rarely refer to it as such. They are much more precise. Each variation of sherry has a different name , as well as a name depending where it is grown. The pale dry sherry is called fino if produced in Jerez and manzanilla if produced in Sanlucar. There is a subtle difference between the two which comes from their proximity to the sea. Then there’s amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado and finally the deliciously sweet raisin based Pedro Jimenez. The variations of colour and taste come from blending one with the other – a complex process that I am not going to go into here right now. But it is this blending that makes one sherry better than the other and not the actual grapes. Unlike the wines of France, these palomino grapes are not affected by the soil they are grown in. The magic happens when the fermented juice is taken to the bodega and mixed into their centuries old oak barrels.
The atmosphere inside in dark cavernous bodegas transports you into another world. Row after row of three -tiered barrels stretch far into the shadows. Each one is constantly and carefully monitored as its contents are passed from one to the other. Bodegas Baron, one of the oldest surviving bodegas, has barrels dating back to the 16th century – barrels that may have nurtured the wine that Shakespeare himself consumed. The nostalgic, romantic part of me loves these connections with the past and makes me feel it is all the more important to keep these traditions alive.
So if you are out and about and fancy a change, pick up a bottle of one of these time honoured wines. They don’t have to be just a tipple before the Sunday roast. They can be enjoyed with a whole variety of main courses and desserts. And if you come to Spain, don’t ask for jerez. They might just point you to the nearest railway station!
judith sharpe says
Hi Sharon,
I will forward this link to our daughter, Holly, who’s in the wine trade. She tells us that Sherry is enjoying a huge revival and is no longer an old lady’s tipple! Love the photos and your writing as ever. Love, Jude x
Sharon says
Thats very good news…it breaks my heart to see a whole way of life disappear…and such a picturesque one at that. I am doing my best to keep the tradition alive!!
judith sharpe says
… it is also very strong as it’s a ‘fortified wine’!
gidon says
very atmospheric
LIz says
And how I love the smell of those white walls as you walk by!
Sharon says
Yes, I know…its wonderful…I should add that!
gila zion says
Another good one Sharon.The photos and the writing.
Thanks. It’s fun to read.
I bet it’s fun to write and do the research.
I have just returned from Crete.
There too, the grapes are being picked.
Hard work for them
Nice to look at
for me
Sharon says
Mmmm Crete. Must have really nice..!
Joyce says
Interesting and informative as always – can’t wait to see these places for myself… 🙂
Eleanor says
Enjoyed reading this post Sharon. Will now be so much better informed as I cruise the aisles of the liquor store, and will have to pretend I am wandering through the dark passages in the bodega. Somehow the fluorescent lights and metal racks just do not have the same feeling!
Diana says
Another wonderful blog and so great to see pictures of sunshine having just spent 3 days at Radium Hot springs in the RAIN!
Brings back wonderful memories of wandering the streets of El Puerto de Santa Maria with you on one of our few sunny days in Spain. I must carry a rain cloud with me!
Will be back for sherry and more in 2015!
Best of wishes
Diana
Sharon says
You had so much rain while you were here and yet since then its been hot, hot ,hot! Make sure you come a different month next time,like now – September/October. Its emptied out of tourists and the weather is beautiful and the rooftop…is lovely!
Fiona says
Great Story and beautiful images as always. Its so important to show before it becomes a thing of the past. The world has become so instantaneous and fast that to see these processes that are slow and considered is a joy. This is what I love about all your blogs, that there is a slow and timeless quality that I believe we all need to re-discover
Thanks
elina says
Y, ahora, ¿que botella abro?
Marianne Sletbakk says
Wonderful Pictures! – makes me remember the year in El Puerto. When I see them and Close my eyes, I can feel the warm air and smell the food, flowers, fiesta, and everything. Good you still keep on taking these lovely and colourful photos.
Sharon says
Marianne? its you? How are you? I never heard from you again after you left but remember you every time I walk past your palacio (which is often!!) Are you coming back at all? Would be great to meet up again…Lets keep in touch!