2.4: Sherry - Wine Law and Wine Business Flashcards
What was the total area of vineyards planted within the Zona de Producción in 2016?
6,989 ha.
What is the average vineyard holdings?
small (just under 3 ha.)
What percent of vineyards are owned by the members of co-operatives?
over 40% (2,935 ha.)
Approximately what is the size of vineyards are owned by independent growers?
1,957 ha.
Approximately what is the size of vineyards are owned by shippers?
2,097 ha.
Name a few shippers.
Gonzalez Byass, Barbadillo and the Estevez Group
Are the shippers who have large vineyard holdings typically self sufficient?
usually not, need to buy from independent growers
What are the 3 categories of companies involved in the production of Sherry wines.
- Bodegas de la Zona de Producción (Production Bodega)
- Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado (Ageing and Storage Bodega)
- Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición (Ageing and Shipping Bodega)
What are the Bodegas de la Zona de Producción?
- production bodegas
- usually large cooperatives
- press grapes and ferment the must into base wine
Where must the Bodegas de la Zona de Producción be located?
must be located in the Sherry production zone but do not need to be located in the Zona de Crianza.
Who typically owns the Bodegas de la Zona de Producción?
- often owned by a company within one of the other registers
- but can be independent and will sell the base wine to stockist bodegas
Can the Bodegas de la Zona de Producción sell their own wines?
may sell their own wines, but these cannot qualify for DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry or DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda
What are the Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado?
- aging and storing bodegas
- almacenistas
- mature the wines
Where must the Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado be located?
must be located in the Zona de Crianza
How much wine do the Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado typically mature?
relatively small in the amount of wine they mature
What must the Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado do with the wines?
wines must then be sold to Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición
What is the Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición?
- aging and shipping bodega
- shippers
- the only register permitted to export or sell DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry or DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda wines to the market
Where must the Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición be located?
in the Zona de Crianza
What are the Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición permitted to do?
- selling the final wine
- mature the wine
Where might the Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición get their wines?
- come as young wines straight from the Bodegas de Producción
- come as matured wines from the Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado
- wines from the almacenistas may be blended with the shipper’s own stocks of wines to make up volumes and add complexity
How are the wines usually sold by the Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición?
- under the shipper’s own brands
Who in particular has suffered from the declines in Sherry sales? Why?
Almacenistas
- demand reduced, the shippers survived using their own stocks, not needing extra wine from the almacenistas, consequently many almacenistas went out of business
What did the Consejo Regulado do to help Almacenistas? When? What did this mean for them?
- 1996
- lowered minimum stockholding for companies to register as a shipper from 12,500 hL to 500 hL
- meant that a number of the biggest almacenistas became shippers and therefore now market their own wines under their own brands
Name 2 almacenistas the became shippers after the Consejo Regulado lowered the minimum stockholding for companies to register as a shipper.
El Maestro Sierra and Bodegas Tradición
When was the Consejo Regulador registered in Spain?
1933
What are the main objectives of the Consejo Regulador?
- maintains vineyard registers
- sets parameters such as maximum yields and minimum alcohol levels for base wines
- oversees rotation of stock in the bodegas
- verifies authenticity of age-dated Sherries
- major promotional body
Give some examples of how the Consejo Regulador acts as a major promotional body.
engaging in many forms of marketing which range from the organisation of events during International Sherry Week to running educational courses for wine professionals
Prior to the regulation of the term sherry, what was the term used for?
generic term for fortified wine made with white grapes
When was the term sherry regulated?
mid-1990s
Who successfully campaigned for the term sherry to be regulated?
the Consejo Regulado
What are the two DOs of sherry?
- DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
2. DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda
What is the general trend of sherry sales?
gradual decline for the last four decades
- 2016: 34 million litres,
- 2006: 56 million litres
- 1970s: 150 million litres
What is the general trend of sweetened sherry sales?
declined dramatically
Which category of sherry used to be the largest category by volume?
Cream Sherries
What is the general trend of fino sherry sales?
decreased sales
What is the general trend of Manzanilla sherry sales? Where is this style largely consumed?
- stayed relatively stable
- most consumed style in the domestic market
What is the biggest market for sherry sales? What percentage of sales are made here? What is the trend?
- Spain
- over 1/3 of total sales
- stable
What is the most popular type of sherry in Spain? The second most popular?
- Manzanilla
2. Fino
What are the 4 largest export markets in order?
- the UK
- Holland
- Germany
- USA
What is the general trend of the 4 largest export markets?
each one of these export markets has seen gradual declines in sales volumes over the last decade
What is looking positive for the sherry industry? What is driving this?
- sales of premium-priced sherries are increasing in some markets (UK)
- hospitality sector (modern tapas bars, use of Sherry in cocktails) and younger drinkers
How have some sherry producers diversified their portfolio? What is the goal?
- producing unfortified wines, often from Palomino or PX, in a range of styles: fresh and youthful; biologically aged; partially oxidative
- hope this will attract new consumers
