Bodegas la Cigarrera UK | Bodegas La Cigarrera, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar, Amontillado, Vinos del marco de Jerez, Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez

Production

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One of the major parts in the creation of our wines is the production process, which is essential to the production of any kind of product. In our wineries we are aware of the importance it involves and therefore we treat it with special attention and accuracy.

Once the pressed grape juice has fermented, the splitting of sugar into alcohol produces what we call must. At this point, the foreman of the winery decides about the following steps necessary to transform the must into a Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso or Manzanilla.

The foreman adds wine-alcohol to the must with an original alcoholic content of 11 or 12 % Vol in order to reach an alcohol content of 15 % Vol and create the desired product.

For at least 10 to 11 months after the grape harvest, the must remains in this state until it goes into the criadera - several layers of barrels piled up one on top of another. Due to the completely natural procedure, a layer of leavening, called "velo de flor", that prevents oxidation, feeds the must with nutrients, and withdraws alcohol, appears on the surface of the liquid. Consequently, the biological process of maturity takes place.

In Sanlúcar, the Manzanilla keeps its vigour all year.

Following the "Solera system", the barrels are piled up in three to four layers on top of the so called "soleras", the layer at floor level (span.: "suelo"= ground). In regular time lags, ideally every three months, about one third of the wine from the soleras is extracted for bottling. This amount of wine is then respectively replaced by wine from the next layer and new wine is added to the top layer barrels. This process guarantees constant quality and characteristics of the wine as it inherits the characteristics of the respective older blend.

Visit us

09/08/2007 16:50:00

Visits with wine testing are possible all year. Languages: Spanish, English, French.

For visit agreements please call us at (+34) 956 38 12 85 or contact us via email.

Location:
Plaza de Madre de Dios s/n.
11540 Sanlúcar de Barrameda *(at the Plaza de Abastos)
Cádiz - España

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday:
From 10:00h to 15:00h

Saturday:
From 10:00h to 14.00h
* Visits of more than 25 people are possible outside opening hours *

Home

09/08/2007 15:50:00

Our most charismatic wine,

a composition of carefully selected musts from Palomino grapes. The process of maturity in our wine cellars in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, which follows the traditional class system, produces this extraordinarily aromatic and delicate Manzanilla, and several generations of wine breeders with great experience guarantee its appreciated quality

Bodegas La Cigarrera, History

09/08/2007 15:50:00

For years, the family- and artisan-oriented corporate culture of the Bodegas Cigarrera has been passed on from generation to generation.

The origins of the wineries "La Cigarrera" date back to 1758, when Don José Colóm Darbo bought several buildings. They were located between Callejón del Truco and Plaza de Madre de Dios, next to the monastries of Mercedarios Descalzos, Religiosas de Madre de Dios and Santo Domingo de Guzmán, which hosted a wine store.

Today, the ninth generation after the founder directs the winery that has always remained in the ownership of the family.

"La Cigarrera", protected by the guarantee of origin " Jerez - Xérés- Sherry y Manzanilla- Sanlúcar de Barrameda", is a winery for production and sales, where the production process of the Manzanilla strictly follows traditional guidelines.

Tasting our Manzanilla, which made the Bodegas Cigarrera to well-known wineries with a great reputation, you notice how "fine, fresh and aromatic" it is; characteristics, that originate from the natural and biological process of maturity.

After the careful selection of musts from Palomino grapes, which grow in the "white" vineyards called "Jerez Superior", the Manzanilla "La Cigarrera" is the result of meticulous work. This includes manual bottling, which is indicated by the "class system"that prescribes each step until the Manzanilla reaches maturity in our oak barrels.