Bodegas El Maestro Sierra

Jerez

Deeply rooted in tradition, self-improvement, and a firm desire to fight for a clear goal even if it means challenging the established norms of the local wine business; these influences are all a part of the history at El Maestro Sierra. Founder José Antonio Sierra, is a master cooper who took the leap forward to realize his passion for sherry and built a small bodega in 1830. There were challenges in an industry dominated by aristocratic families and old labels take a cheeky jab at this; depicting a hunting scene with nobles on horses hunting the “little rabbit”. Doña Pilar Pla Pechovierto was a brave force when she inherited the family business in 1976. She resisted pressure to sell the bodega, kept it going by selling wine to locals in jugs. In 1997, she obtained a permit to bottle under their very own label, a first for an almacenista house (bodegas that buy young base wines, mature them and sell to larger houses), as laws prohibited this at the time. The tradition continues with daughter and current owner Maria del Carmen Borrego Pla and capataza (master blender), Ana Cabestrero. Methods remain very traditional with coopering and barrel repair is done in-house, racking by hand with traditional tools (canoa, jarra, sifón, rocíador), very minimal filtering, and retaining a good stock of soleras with a high average age. Nearing 200 years, the craftsmanship and extreme dedication to quality are unrivalled in the region.