Nevado family

Andalusia, Spain

The Andalusia region in southern Spain is famous for producing sherry. The dry, hot climate increases the sugar content of grapes, resulting in wines with a unique flavor. In particular, Palomino and Pedro Ximenez varieties are used to produce a wide range of sherry styles, from dry to sweet.

The Nevado family's domain and vineyards

The Nevado family is a family that has been involved in grape growing since at least 1764 and winemaking since 1870 in the village of Villaviciosa de Córdoba in the north of the province of Córdoba in Andalusia. In 1988, they were the first winery in Andalusia to receive organic certification.

Sherry is known as a fortified wine, but the Nevado family does not add alcohol. The grapes in the mountain fields are small and low in moisture, and although the yield is quite small, they produce juice with high sugar content and sufficient alcohol content. As the wine is aged in wooden barrels, the alcohol content increases as the moisture decreases, and within a few years, the alcohol content rises to nearly 20%, resulting in a naturally high alcohol content sherry-type wine.

In addition to the dry and sweet sherry-type wines that have been made by the Nevado family for generations, they also grow olives and produce rich, high-quality olive oil. They also operate a farm guesthouse surrounded by fields, and tourists from all over Europe visit to experience living on an organic farm in Andalusia.

Organic history: Certified since 1988

The large letters "No000001" are painted on the wall of the winery, which is built on the Nevado family's vineyards and where more than 2,000 barrels filled with aging wine that will later become Palido and Dorado are stacked. This number tells us that the Nevado family is the first in Andalusia to be certified organic.

Grape and olive pomace, as well as pruned branches, are turned into compost. When the olives reach the end of their life, they are cut down and used as firewood. After the grapes are harvested, sheep are grazed in the fields. Nothing goes to waste, as in the old days, and the soil is naturally fertilized by life activities, resulting in fruit the following year and the year after. This is the way of farming that the Nevado family has continued to do since ancient times.

• White grapes: Pedro Ximenez, Palomino, Airen

Field soil

It is one of the rainier areas in Spain, and relatively green. It is dry and the sun is scorching from June to August. There is a little rain in September.

Characteristics of cultivation methods etc.

• Many of the trees are 90 to 100 years old.
• The grape varieties are 90% Pedro Ximenez, the rest Palomino and Airen. They have been planted since ancient times and are not separated during fermentation, and are harvested together.
• When making a sweeter wine, late-harvested grapes with higher sugar content are used.
• In June, weed around the trees by hand to create a path for air to pass through.

Characteristics of brewing method

• The solera system involves adding wine little by little from the top barrel to the bottom barrel to age the wine. This ensures a consistent quality.
• A minimum of three years, the Dorado is gradually aged from top to bottom barrels over a period of 10 years.
• Parido (Fino)
  • It has a lighter color and a lighter taste than Dorado. It also has a lower alcohol content.
  • Fermentation: 2 years in the first tank, 2 years in the cement tank. The tank is placed in a cooler place.
  • Aged in barrels for a minimum of 5 years
• Dorado
  • The grapes are pressed so that more tannins remain than in Fino.
  • Fermentation: 2 years in the first tank, 3 years in the cement tank. The tanks are placed in a warmer area.
  • Aged in barrels for approximately 10 years
  • Oxidation deepens the color and brings out the aroma.
  • During aging in barrels, the water is removed and the alcohol content becomes higher.

About post-harvest juice extraction

1. The fruit is crushed in an outside facility and then put into a centrifuge to separate the oil-containing paste from the skins and seeds.
2. Perform the following tasks in indoor facilities:

• • There is an oil refiner that separates the oil by weight, and it takes about an hour and a half to separate the oil while stirring it.
  • The separated oil is put into a centrifugal filter, which removes seed fragments, fruit fibers, and water, while the oil, being lighter, is left behind.
  • The remaining oil is passed through three box-shaped machines to remove all moisture.
  • About 15% of olives become oil.