Falstaff's Love for Sherry & the Tio Pepe in Spain

Those who are familiar with Shakespeare, must be aware of the number of times Sherry wine was mentioned. It is without surprise that this was naturally related to a time when England was one of the largest importer of Sherry wine. It was a time when the British encouraged barter trade, English wool for the wine. The marriage between Catherine of Aragon and King Arthur of England and then later King Henry VIII reinforced and tighten this trade sale.

Catherine of Aragon, used to complain: "The King, my husband, keeps the very best wines from the Canaries and Jerez for himself".

Barrels of Wine with country flags

The Sherry wine is made primarily with Palomino grapes, and only those that are from Jerez region can be called a Sherry. Summer in this region is often dry and hot, with an average temperature of 17 celsius degree. The breeze from the Atlantic Ocean serves as a good moderator of maintaining the level of humidity and temperature that is good for growing the grapes.

The Tio Pepe winery, is one of the largest and most famous winery in Jerez region. It was founded in 1890 and the name literarily means "Uncle Pepe".

You will also find that there will be roses planted in the vinery, right next to the grapes, as they serve as a good indicator of whether the condition is suitable for the grape. If the roses are blooming, so will the grapes.

The Jesus Barrel Room
When Queen Isabel II visted in October 1862, she wanted to the the vendimia festival, but this is way past the grape pressing time. So Sr. Gonzalez went to each household to ask for the remaining grapes to make a press for the queen. The total volume is 33 times more than a traditional cask, and was names the Jesus barrel because he was crucified at the age of 33. They later added another 12 casks to represent the "Last Supper", with its twlve Apostles.

The Royal & the Famous
There is another room that is full of casks that were preserved for the royalties as well as the rich and famous. It reminded me of a Swiss vault, where you can only get the wine that has been preserved only for you. (Too bad we cannot try any of the Winston Churchill wine).

The Mouse
There is a really cute story about this winery is that during lunch hour, a worker had a glass of Sherry beside him, and a mouse came over to enjoy it as well. Amused by its good taste, the worker started leaving out a glass for the mouse every night, and eventually making a mini-ladder for it as well.
The kind of friendship between mice and men.