Over the years, I’ve slowly been developing this insatiable appetite for sherry. It started around five years ago when I began to study wine. I hated even the smell of sherry at this point but through rigorous tastings, education and knowing exactly how this drink is made, I fell head over heels with what is an astonishing tipple. Along the way I also fell in love with a few bodegas in particular, one of them being Bodega Emilio Lustau in Jerez. With such scorching heats during the summer in Jerez, bodegas are also a great way to hide away from the midday sun – they’re so cooling inside and of course refreshing if you include a good tasting at the end. Bodega Emilio Lustau was founded in 1896 by a Mr.José Ruiz-Berdejo.
From the moment you enter any bodega, the first thing that will hit you – is the smell. The sweet smell of sherry lingering around the room, slightly damp floors and maturing wood all around. If you smell an Amontillado sherry, I always say it’s the one sherry whose aromas are most comparable to the antique bodega smell. The tour here at Bodega Emilio Lustau starts with an explanation of the full sherry making process from start to finish. Sherry is essentially a fortified wine made from grapes harvested from vineyards within the sherry triangle of southern Spain. Depending what sherry you’re making, the fermentation process differs, but one similarity is that it all happens in a solera/criadera system, moving the wine around from one cask to another. Once the fermentation process has reached the desired level, it then goes through something called fortification (the addition of spirit once fermentation is complete). The end result is a magnificent fortified drink which with the exception of Fino – has tremendous longevity and stability. It’s part of the reason the British first learnt to love it, as it could travel well due to its stability and we did all like a drink or two back then and still do today!
After a rigorous introduction to the sherry making process, we were guided around the rest of the bodega, looking at some of the tools which were originally used for sherry production and transportation – including some ancient looking barrel scales to weigh the contents and tools used to aid in the production process. We really loved the old rickshaw which was used to transport the sherry casks – you realise just how labour intensive it all once was. That’s the one thing that makes you fall in love with sherry, is the production. Unlike most wineries, sherry is still very much hand cared for and looked after even with technology being so readily available. To make a good sherry you need love and a human touch. Bodega Emilio Lustau for that reason make some of the best sherry in the world.
After our tour we made our way to the tasting room. We choose the full tasting which includes the tour itself and priced at a 25 euros per person – an absolute bargain which lasts around two hours. You get to taste twelve wines including brandy & vinegar. There is also the option to match the sherry with regional tapas for 35 euros. I’ve visited Bodega Emilio Lustau twice now over the past few years and yet each time I’ve visited, it still excites me. From their dry Fino, to the nutty Amontillado and right through to that lusciously sweet Pedro Ximenez – there is something for everyone. If you’re planning a trip to Jerez and want to visit a bodega, make this your first stop – it truly is spectacular.
Bodega Emilio Lustau
C/Arcos 53, Jerez de la Frontera,
11402 Cádiz
Tel: +34 956 34 15 97
Email: lustau@lustau.es
