Sherrymaster by Tio Pepe 2015 Outstanding success

González Byass has hosted the most popular Sherrymaster by Tio Pepe ever. The third edition of this exclusive, educational two day seminar into the world of Sherry attracted top sommeliers, mixologists and journalists from nine different countries worldwide. The third annual Sherrymaster by Tío Pepe, hosted by Antonio Flores, Master Blender at González Byass, and Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros, has been deemed as the best yet. Mixologists, sommeliers and journalists from Austria, Germany, the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland participated in the 2015 Sherrymaster by Tio Pepe. Welcoming wine industry professionals and journalists from around the world to Jerez, González Byass put on a packed schedule for their guests this week, who were given an in-depth insight into Sherry from grape to glass and even beyond. This year’s Sherrymaster was not just about how these unique wines are made but also about the key influencing factors that make Sherry so different from any other wine in the world. The participants learnt about the importance of the environment and climate in the making of Sherry, about the soil, micro climate and the specifics of water and rainfall, as well as learning about the different styles, how the wines are classified, aged and made. Guests had the opportunity to see an demonstration of traditional grafting and pruning techniques used in the vineyard, see one of the only soleo processes taking place in Jerez, accompany Master Blender Antonio Flores during a classification of casks in the winery and taste historic wines dating back to the beginning of the century, described as liquid archeology by Antonio. Commenting on the event, Antonio Flores, said, “It is an honour to have been able to work with Pedro Ballesteros MW on this year’s Sherrymaster and give it such an interesting focus. There is so much that goes into making a good Sherry and we wanted our guests to learn about the elements at every stage of the process in order to give them an exhaustive understanding of the whole process.” Flores continued, “This two day seminar is intrinsic to our commitment to furthering knowledge and education about Sherry around the world. González Byass, owner of the world’s best known Fino Sherry Tío Pepe, is at the forefront of extending the reach of this fascinating wine around the globe and we are dedicated to investing our time and efforts into helping professionals and consumers alike learn more about our wines and those of Jerez.”