Bodegas Gutiérrez Colosia, Fino Sherry NV

Since 1838, Gutierrez Colosia has been situated in the mouth of the river Guadalete in the town of El Puerto de Santa Maria. The quality of the Gutiérrez Colosía wines is guaranteed by careful ageing through a process known as "criaderas y soleras", following the region's tradition. The Gutiérrez Colosía wines are produced in "bodegas", or wine cellars, with an architectural style known as "Nave Cathedral" or cathedral like warehouse. These are buildings of significant height and numerous arcs which allow for a better exposure of the wines to the influence of the special climate of the Region. The Gutiérrez Colosía Bodegas are heirs to a long viticulture and wine producing tradition. Their first Bodega was built in 1838 and it has been preserved almost as such to this day. After different ownership, it was acquired by Mr. José Gutiérrez Dosal in the 1920s, the late great grandfather of this last generation of the Gutiérrez Colosía family. In 1969, the Gutiérrez Colosía family bought the ruins of the Palace of the Count of Cumbrehermosa -Cargador de Indias, which also included a wine cellar. Upon these ruins two additional cellars were built. In 1997, Gutierrez Colosia made the transition from almacenista to bottling their own sherries.
As it so often is in the Sherry triangle, it’s all about location. As Peter Liem explains, “The Gutierrez bodega benefits from a prime location, virtually on the banks of the Guadalete River, close to where it empties into the Bay of Cadiz. The winery is separated from the water only by the Avenida Bajamar and a parking lot on the other side of the street, and due to the resulting humidity, the flor is particularly active here.” Juan Carlos Gutierrez goes further, saying “In Sanlucar they talk about being close to the sea, but nobody is closer to the seas than we are.” The resulting wines, from the Fino all the way through the PX, possess a remarkable salinity. And not content to rest on their prime location, Gutierrez Colosia works closely with their growers, paying in advance for grapes to ensure they receive their choice of the best quality grapes.

Owing to their bodega's unique location directly on the Guadelete River, blocks from the ocean, in the town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, Gutierrez Colosia has extremely active flor year-round and a very pronounced saline character throughout their wines. The Fino is aged for a minimum of 3 years under the flor and is bottled to order by the estate, thus preserving freshness.

A classically crisp style of sherry, fino is made from Palomino grapes grown on the chalky soils surrounding the ancient Spanish city of Jerez. According to the ancient solera tradition, the wine is fortified to just above 15%, allowing it to develop flor - a beneficial yeast-like growth unique to the region that keeps the wine fresh - and regularly topped up with younger wine during its long maturation. The Guttiérez cellars, located at the mouth of the river Guadalete, have high, cathedral-like ceilings. These, plus the proximity of the sea, provide the barrels of maturing wine with perfect conditions for producing fino. With its gentle, savoury, nutty flavours, Colosia Fino is superb on its own, with salted nuts or with Asian cuisine.