González Byass

The history of bodega González Byass began in 1835, when entrepreneur Mr. Manuel María González Ángel started a wine bussines named like him, Manuel María González, with the aid of his uncle José Ángel de la Peña (after whom Tío Pepe was later named.) To promote the newly formed company in Britain, Mr. Manuel appointed Juan B. Dubosc, a London resident, general bussines representative. In 1836, the company entered into commercial relations with Byass & Charington, owned by Robert Blake Byass, a prestigous wine and sherry merchant. In 1851, Robert B. Byass was appointed the exclusive seller of Manuel María González in England.

In 1855, Mr. Byass became a partner of the company, which changed the name to González, Dubosc & Cía. In 1861, Juan B. Dubosc passed away. Two years later, the company was renamed González & Byass.

In 1988, the González family purchades all of the shares belonging to the Byass family. Nowadays, bodega González Byass is run by the fifth generation of the founding family.

Bodega González Byass owns 900 hectares of vineyards in the Jerez area. The winery grows mainly the Palomino Fino and Pedro Ximénez varieties, as well as a lesser extension of Moscatel. Located at a distance of 12 kilometres from Jerez, the vines benefit from the western wind, which acts as a cooling agent and hydrates the vines by condensating the water vapor. These vines are the origin of the well-known fortified Spanish wines and sweet Spanish wines of bodega González Byass.

Throughout its history, the technical facilities of bodega González Byass have been upgraded several times. In 1963, arquitect Eduardo Torroja designed Bodega Tío Pepe, an imposing three-storey building with vaulted roofs and a storage capacity for 30.000 barrels. In addition to its sweet and dry wines, bodega González Byass also produces crisp finos, very old soleras and rare collector's items under the Tío Pepe label, named after José Ángel de la Peña, the uncle of the winery's founder. Besides the world-famous Fino Tío Pepe, bodega González Byass produces sweet Pedro Ximénez wines, Creams, and highly sophisticated Olorosos and Palo Cortados. The vermouths, made from old XIXth century formulas kept in the winery's archives, are also worth mentioning. In 1972, an even bigger facility was built, Bodega Las Copas, with a storage capacity for 60.000 barrels and a huge winemaking area.

Besides the Sherry wines, bodega González Byass also crafts high-quality spirits, like the renowned Lepanto, one of the world's best brandies, first made in 1951. Over the last decades, the company has considerably expanded its product portfolio, which now includes other premium spirits, sitll wines and sparkling wines, produced both in Spain ans abroad. As regards Spain, González Byass is the owner of bodega Beronia in the DOCa Rioja, and bodega Finca Moncloa, in Cádiz, which is focused on recovering the indigenous red variety Tintilla de Rota. The names Viñas del Vero, in the DO Somontano, and Pazos de Lusco, in the DO Rías Baixas, are also worth mentioning, as well as Celler Vilarnau, a Cava producer. The latest wine projects of bodega González Byass are Finca Constancia, in Toledo, and Dominio Fournier, in the DO Ribera del Duero. Finally, the company also owns wineries in countries such as Mexico and Chile.

• Year of foundation: 1835
• Address: Manuel María González 12
• City: Jerez de la Frontera
  
• Province: Cádiz
• Zip Code: 11402
  
• Country: Spain
• Phone number: 
  
• www.gonzalezbyass.com
• Guided visits? Yes
• Wine tourism services?  Yes

Designation of origen:

DO Jerez-Sherry

Red wine varieties:

White wine varieties:

Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Alejandría.