COVIJEREZ ~ Where Mosto Happens

As harvest in the sherry region is in full swing and the Vendimia festival is around the corner, I think about my friends at Covijerez.

La Cooperativa Vitivinícola Ntra. Sra. de las Angustias COVIJEREZ was not even on my radar when I came to Jerez. Upon my arrival, I came across a new sherry bar advertising 1€ glasses. I asked the bartender which bodega was on tap. Since the bottles were unmarked growlers, he said he was pretty sure it was Las Angustias. He let me sample them all. They had such a unique citrus finish to them that I really enjoyed.

I went online to seek them out. I found their Facebook page and sent a message explaining I’m a sherry blogger visiting from the US, found their sherry at Bar Camachuelo and would be interested in visiting their winery. The reply came from Salvador Espinosa, the coop’s president, stating he was not familiar with Camachuelo nor was he certain they carried his wines, but would love to invite me to the bodega.

Suddenly I had second thoughts about reaching out to someone I didn’t know. I even dodged his messages a couple times before he finally convinced me that my travels had already taken me to the vineyard and to several bodegas large and small, but I was missing a key piece of the process. I needed to see where they made the mosto.

This wine cooperative was established as a partnership between winemakers and their farmers. Essentially, if you have grapes to press into must, this is the place to have it done! I met with Salvador and Gonzalo Monje, the capataz who led the visit.

They took me through the grounds showing me the huge machinery needed to process truckloads of grapes. They get crushed, filtered, and eventually put in tanks to start fermentation. Thank God I’m not afraid of heights as they took me up to the catwalk to get a bird’s eye view of the empty tanks waiting for this year’s harvest. They have large AC units to keep the rooms cool during process. Off in one wing is the small bottling room and a storage area for casks prepped for whiskey.

After we left the main building, I was led into their wine cellar to sample from their barrels: Fino en Rama, Palo Cortado, Amontillado VORS and Oloroso. Then Salvador led me into their sacristia – the special tasting room full of old photos and memorabilia.

As I was looking around, I turned to see Salvador holding out a piece of chalk to me. To sign a barrel is a total honor for someone like me who still feels like a total nobody in the sherry world! My mind went completely blank. He took a video, as I tried to remember the date or even how to spell correctly. I was overjoyed!

As I left the Coop, Gonzalo handed me a beautiful gift box with three of their sherries to take home: The Sin Pecado Fino en Rama, the Oloroso and their Pedro Ximenez, which is by far my favorite when it comes to PX styles. Unlike others that are too thick and sweet to my liking, this one converted me with its lighter body, pure raisin flavor and orange blossom finish. I’ve been pouring it on all my desserts this summer!

I truly hope I’ll be able to return in the near future to share harvest with this group of the sweetest people who made me feel like royalty!

If you are interested in visiting the vineyards or winery, don’t hesitate to contact them by email at visitasangustias@covijerez.es or by phone at +34 617 229 782. You can also click here for the Turismo Jerez website.

Si estáis interesados en realizar una visita a nuestros viñedos y a nuestra bodega no dudéis en poneros en contacto con nosotros mediante email a visitasangustias@covijerez.es o por teléfono al numero 617 229 782.

Aquí tenéis el enlace de la web municipal de turismo para ampliar información.