Two weeks ago, after a very relaxing holiday in Galicia, we chose to make our way home to Jerez via Portugal, stopping off for two nights in Oporto on the way. I’ve been to where they make Madeira, I live where they make sherry but I had never been to Oporto, so this was an exciting opportunity to visit the place where they make Port. For me, the “traditional” fortified wines are madeira, sherry and port so in a way this completes the circle.

What struck me immediately on arriving at Vila Nova de Gaia, where all the port lodges are, was how geared up they are for visitors. This is starkly different to the experiences to be had at the sherry bodegas in Jerez. I’m being general here, so there are exceptions, but I think the sherry trade could learn a lot from their cousins in Portugal. But of course that’s only if the sherry trade sees any benefit in visitors to their bodegas. I often wonder if they really do.

If I were a winemaker and someone made the effort to turn up at my cellar door, interested in my product, I’d be more than happy to show them around, give them a taste and hopefully sell them a bottle or, even better, a case or two. Surely, that’s good PR? Is there any point in catering for wine tourism? Is it worth opening up to visitors? Actions speak louder than words, so the port companies obviously think wine tourism is a …

Hey Everyone!

You know how we’ve been chatting about our Sherry experience in Jerez, spending 3 days completely immersed in information about Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado and Oloroso? Well, guess what? We, evidently, weren’t there!

I assume that you’re scratching your head right now saying, “Uh, Gabriella, I’m a little confused. You’re saying that the articles you’ve been writing over the past two weeks have been fabricated? Phony? Fictitious!?” In theory, I am, because according to Wines of Spain, a government funded organization to promote Spanish wine, we never spent any time in Jerez.

“Russian, Hungarian and Japanese sommeliers graduate in Jerez”, reads the Wines of Spain headline.

According to their article, there were no Americans present at the seminar, nor were there French, German, Dutch, British, Irish, Danish or Spanish either. Seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t you want to promote the amount of cultural diversity represented at the event, specially, considering that there were only 23 attendees covering 12 different countries? The numbers alone are astounding! We had the rare opportunity to share our combined knowledge with wine professionals from all over the world gathered together for one united goal: to promote sherry internationally. This is interesting. This is newsworthy. This is what Wines of Spain should be covering, but ironically, we were never there.

But the tale continues as Wines of Spain reports that only sommeliers were present at the seminar, another major editorial error. In truth, there were also microbiologists, wine teachers, retailers, writers, reporters and winemakers as well. I might emphasize that limiting your breadth of factual information is rather like shooting yourself in the foot, because …

And…..we’re back after 5 days and 4 nights in Jerez de la Frontera, the defacto capital of all things sherry related. As many of you know, we were in Jerez to learn all about Sherry. The D.O. of Jerez for the past 3 years has been working to educate writers, wine educators, wine lovers and sherry nuts about this elusive and mysterious beverage. Sticking to the policy of full disclosure in blogging, the rules to participate were simple. You find a way to get there and they in turn, took care of lodging, food and transportation. Seeing that this was a great way to deepen our understanding about Sherry, while becoming certified as Sherry Wine Educators, we took the opportunity and booked a flight to see what the excitement was about. Turns out we were glad we did.

We flew down on Tuesday night, a day before the seminar, so that we could explore a bit of the city. This was a great idea because our first dinner showed us why this seminar is so important to the region and its wines. After wandering the city, we sat down and ordered a few of Jerez’s infamous seafood treats alongside a bottle of Fino sherry. We thought it was a perfectly reasonable request seeing that we were in the capital of the sherry world. To our waiter, however, it seemed as though we had martian antennas sticking out of our heads and funny space suits on. His response was simply, “Do you mean a white wine?” To which we, somewhat confused, replied, “Yes, we want a white Fino sherry.” The volley continued, “Do you know what a Fino is? Are you sure you don’t mean a white wine?” It was at …

As your read this, we’re learning the intricacies of Sherry with 24 other students from around the world in Jerez de la Frontera. From how the grapes are grown to the traditional use of the solera system, we’ll have been required by DO to comprehend and memorize each and every nuance! Ooooh, how exciting!

So in light of our adventures, we’ve included some interesting documentaries on sherry. Upon our return, we’ll be sure to let you know how accurate they really are.

Cheers!

Gabriella and Ryan

As a customer in a foreign wine shop, I believe that you can communicate your needs and wants using very basic gestures, in combination with contextual cues. But it is also my opinion that the true signature of a quality store is that the experience is effortless. The store is organized logically, the staff is attentive to my needs in a language I understand, and I walk away feeling that the store not only is fair but truly has passion for their product.

Located in the heart of Barcelona, Celler de Gelida almost reached my definition of excellence. Upon entering the store, I felt as if I walked into someone’s home who just so happened to have a few thousand bottles lying around for special occasions. Each bottle was clean, facing front and gently balanced upon century old shelves bowed from the liquid weight. The history that seeped into every nook and crevasse was only emphasized by the slightly dimmed lights casting shadows across brown tiled floor.

I liked the feeling. I enjoyed seeing the kitschy plastic grape vines hang from the corners of the ceiling accompanied by an array of painted porcelain Bacchus masks that somehow make the room look authentic and festive. It felt as if a grandmother thoughtfully hung every grape related gift they received at Christmas on the wall, over the counter and from the ceiling. With five generations passing on their trials and tribulations, successes and failures, it is no wonder their is a beautiful dichotomy displayed throughout the store between intimacy, tradition and vision.

The story begins in 1895, when Ton Falgueras first open the Cellar with only a handful of wines. Although the store grew, it reached a lagging point where …