Six curiosities about the most visited Spanish winery in Europe

Every year some 250,000 people come to

, the brandy and sherry winery that is more than 180 years old. Its history, its legends, the beauty of its facilities, the centuries-old

where fortified wines age and its privileged location in the heart of the old town of Jerez de la Frontera, between the Cathedral and the Alcázar, are some of the reasons why it has been become

and the best DO Jerez wine tourism destination on the planet, according to what was published in

last year.

Founded by the young entrepreneur Manuel María González Ángel in 1835 (the name is a tribute to his uncle José María Ángel y Varga, or as he called him,

, for having advised him on a business he was unaware of), the brand is today

and 50% of its wines, including the fine Tío Pepe, the Oloroso Alfonso, the Palo Cortado Leonor or the Amontillado Del Duque, among others, are exported to more than 100 countries. with the United Kingdom in the lead as its main client.

Next, we discover six curiosities of this legendary brand that in 2010 received the award for the Best Winery in the World at the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

A city within another city

Blind Street.

Behind the Cathedral and at the foot of the Alcázar de Jerez, the gate at number 12 on Calle Manuel María González opens to invite the visitor on a journey through time. The seven-hectare site where Tío Pepe is located lacks vineyards (these are on the outskirts), however, in this small

there are old houses with white facades with Andalusian patios, 2,900 square meters of gardens with more than 400 trees and plants of 40 different species, spectacular

centuries-old

age , different wineries, a cooperage and beautiful narrow cobbled streets whose walls and ceilings are covered with vines. One of them is

, a magical corner considered one of the most beautiful streets in Spain.

Integrated into the monumental complex of the 19th century is also the

, a boutique hotel with 27 rooms in a recovered building, more than 150 years old, made up of four houses that were once the home of the workers of the cellar.

From the rooftop pool of the main building, you

the Cathedral of Jerez.

Another curiosity of the Tío Pepe complex is that it houses the offices of the consulates of Sweden, Italy and Denmark, in addition to those of the González Byass group, which brings together Tío Pepe and ten other wineries from different denominations of origin throughout the Spanish geography. .

Roof of the Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe, with the Cathedral of Jerez de la Frontera in the background.

Its revolutionary architecture

At the entrance to the enclosure is the

a spectacular building with a semicircular floor plan and metal structure whose design was attributed (there are discrepancies in this regard) to the prestigious French engineer Gustavo Eiffel.

The large space with albero floors was built in honor of Queen

in 1868. Inside, 206 La Concha amontillado boots are arranged in a semicircle and each one has the flag of the 115 countries to which it belongs. González Byass wine is exported.

Another facility considered to be an architectural jewel is the

, in a modernist style, designed and built by Eduardo Torroja in 1964 in concrete, the only one in the Marco de Jerez with this material.

Up to 15 million liters of fine can be stored in it.

La Concha Winery.

The wine of grapes trodden by a queen

The beautiful room of

, where important receptions and dinners are held, houses huge barrels that are more than 300 years old. The boot of

an immense barrel with a capacity of 16,500 liters (33 boots of 30 arrobas), which was ordered to be built in Germany. The name is related between the capacity of boots that it contained and the age of Christ when he died. Around it, there are another 12 barrels of 6,000 liters each, known as

, although the name of Judas Iscariot was replaced by that of Matías. in

there is fine Tío Pepe from grapes trodden by Queen Elizabeth II herself during her visit to the winery in 1862. Although the visit took place in October, when the harvest had already finished, the founder of González Byass solved the problem acquiring grapes hanging from vines like the ones that can be seen on Unión and Ciegos streets.

A winery dedicated to the kings

is

dedicated to the Spanish royal family and houses the most precious and ancient wines of the brand, such as the Oloroso Matusalén, the Del Duque amontillado or the Pedro Ximénez Noé. There are also those classified as VORS (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum or Very Old Rare Sherry), wines with more than 30 years of aging and exceptional quality. Most of its boots are signed and dedicated by the members of six generations of royalty in our country who have visited the wineries at some time, such as Isabel II (1862), Alfonso XII (1877), Alfonso XIII (1904), Victoria Eugenia (1927), Juan Carlos and Sofía (2000) and the Infanta Elena (2006). Other monarchs who have visited are Edward VIII of England (1927), Naruhito of Japan (1992) and Simeon of Bulgaria (1999).

The custom of 1878 that continues today

In 1878, a custom began in Tío Pepe that shows the relevance of Sherry wines and the importance of friendship throughout the history of the brand.

It was about keeping in a register the signature of the illustrious people who visited the wineries in Jerez, which would later be joined by the tradition of

, specifically those located in the

as a tribute to those guests .

.

Ramón Moreno, bishop of Eumenia, Baja California (northern Mexico), was the first person to sign the González Byass winery's guest book, a habit that remains to this day.

Strolling through the corridors of the cellar you can see the countless barrels signed by personalities from all walks of life, such as the founder of the ABC newspaper, Torcuato Luca de Tena (1789), the novelist Leopoldo Alas Clarín (1883), Isaac Peral (1889), the actor Harold Lloyd (1929), Lola Flores (1951), Paco de Lucía (1975) or even the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1998), among many others.

Another custom that is still in force in La Constancia is to maintain a tiny ladder on the albero supported by a catavinos so that

.

Today, there are no more mice, but it is a nod to José Gálvez Buzón, a venenciador and historic foreman who, seeing that the winery's mice were interested in the wine while he ate his lunch, began the tradition of leaving a catavinos with stairs so that they could reach the liquid when he was not there.

the unforgettable icon

The image of the Tío Pepe bottle

Spanish guitar has gone around the world and has become one of the most internationally recognizable Spanish icons.

The idea came from Luis Pérez Solero, the winery's head of advertising, who decided to humanize the bottle with its already unmistakable outfit

.

Data of interest:

Address:

Manuel María González, 12 (Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz).

Price of visits:

from 18 euros.

More information and reservations here.

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