Jerez de La Frontera, Cadiz, Andalucía
In 1835, Manuel Maria Gonzalez founded the González Byass winery in Jerez de la Frontera. Manuel teamed up with British agent, Robert Blake Byass and so the winery was named. With the help of Manuel’s uncle, José Ángel, fondly known as “Tio Pepe,” they produced their first solera which became commercially known as Tio Pepe. The iconic bottle logo featuring a wine bottle topped with a large red sombrero lugging a guitar on the side, became the classic image of the Tio Pepe brand in 1935. Today it is the world’s most well-known and consumed sherry. From the palomino grape, this fino wine is the driest of the whites.
Sherries have a long aging process rotating in barrels in what is known as the solera system. The youngest of the sherry of González Byass is a biological fino, which must be aged a minimum of 4 years. Other soleras contain wines that may be aged up to 30 years and most in between. The barrels are housed in tall well-ventilated buildings with windows and doors facing the natural breezes for climate control of the winery.
To be called a sherry, the wine must be aged in the Sherry Triangle in points inside Jerez de La Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria and finally Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Any similar style from other areas may not be called a sherry.
In 1998, the Byass family withdrew from the company and today, the winery is still owned and operated by the González family 5 generations later. They offer a wide variety of sherries from Tio Pepe, very dry to Pedro Ximenez, a sweet dark wine made of sun-dried white grapes and wines to discover in between. Many people think of sherries as sweet, González Byass produces wines in all ranges to pair with any meal or tapa. Sherries are an adventure for the palate, not just your grandmother’s sherry anymore.