Bristol Vineyard

To understand deeply the culture of Sherry, it is necessary to know the wine ageing process's origin, the raw material; its vineyards.

The Sherry Area vineyard is composed of to big plain parts and soft hills that create extensive countryside of open horizons. The vineyards are located in 'pagos', which are portions of land which a homogeneous topography and characteristics.

Bristol Vineyard is a classic house Vineyard from Jerez, located in Lomopardo 'pago' , besides the district of Cuartillo. The country house is surrounded by 375 hectares of albariza soil vineyards, which gives the variety of grape palomino, that is used to produce the dry wines such as finos, amontillados and olorosos.

The name of albariza soil comes from the whitish color of the land. It is made of a marl white rock and organic, rich in calcium carbonate, clay and silica, made in the Oligocene period by the sedimentation of an interior sea.

During the tour through the vineyards that surround Bristol Vineyard we will enjoy the natural and impressive beauties of the sights, the immensity of vineyards that are lost in the horizon.

Thanks to its location, at 130 metres high over the sea level, we have a privileged sight of both the mountains and the Cadiz Coast. A natural spectacle, enclosed of silence and nature as its finest.

We can know as well the labours that are made in the Vineyard, both the nowadays techniques and the ones made in the past, thanks to an exposition that will show us tools, processes and images from over 40 years ago.

During the visit, we will know the peculiarities of the Vineyards from Jerez, the system of pruning; the method called System of 'vara y pulgar'.

The plantation of the vineyard is prepared by the 'desfone' (dig of soil). For every vine to be planted, a gulley is made, fertilizer is added and it is covered with soil. These works take place in August, when the soil is more dry and it is easy to plow since it is more compact, that is why it is called 'Agostao'. At the end of Frebruary or beginning of March the following year the vine 'portainjerto' is planted, introducing the stick in the soil. The lines of the vines are oriented from North to South, to make possible the maximum sunshine. In August, the graft of the vine is made.

In the first pruning, only the two arms of the grafted vine are left, later they will be used for pruning following the system of 'vara y pulgar' (stick and thumb). These systems consist in leaving in one arm of the vine one stick of eight buds, while the other arm is left with only one bud. From the stick will born the bunches of that harvest, while in the thumb a vine shoot will appear. The following year, the vine shoot that emerged from the thumb will be the stick, while the stick of the previous year will be pruned short, as a thumb. This system of alternate pruning is made between December and January.

To complete the visit to Bristol Vineyard, there are different options.

To start with a country breakfast at the shadows of the vines that surround the main courtyard of the house. An authentic andalusian breakfast with toast of country bread, with virgin olive oil, tomato, Spanish ham, manteca colorá (red butter) ... enjoying in a incomparable framework .

Another option is to enjoy a typical lunch during 'mosto' season. Black pudding, Butifarra (catalan sausage), traditional 'ajo ' caliente with radish, Spanish omelette, fried peppers. . . paired with the 'mosto' of the year. The classic gastronomy of the vineyard houses enjoyed in its natural framework, an unforgettable experience.

At the end of the tour, we can enjoy the different types of Wines that are produced in the Area, with a guided tasting leaded by an expert. In the tasting we can know, taste and pair the wines with the best gastronomy of our region, a wide range of wines from the Sherry Area: Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez.