Poniente

Bodegas Poniente is the brainchild of Alberto Orte, a man of few words and great humility. This taciturn demeanour belies an acute intellect and profound talent for extrapolating what he has learned from history and making it new again. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the wines he makes, which are history projects unto themselves. Resurrecting extinct grape varieties and ancient techniques, and expressing the story of a place with authenticity and purity – this is his hallmark.

Bodegas Poniente is based in Jerez de la Frontera, at Pago Añina where Alberto Orte organically farms the vineyards of San Cristóbal, San José and El Aljibe. It is here where we can clearly see one of the finest examples of the Renaissance of viticulture and wines of the area of Cádiz and some of the most enchanting Sherries, product of the thoughtful blending of precious, treasured soleras and criaderas from the 18th and 19th centuries, refreshed in the traditional method each year with wines from their own vineyards.

In this vineyards one can understand clearly some of the foundations of Alberto´s philosophy: recuperation of almost extinct indigenous varieties, recuperation of traditonal farming and viticultural practices (Top grafting, chip budding, Vara y Pulgar pruning…), organic viticulture, and overall a very sensible work that expands also to the cellar: where wines are gently handled, following traditional and artisanal methods with the final aim in mind of searching for finesse and elegance.

During the course of the years Alberto Orte has done an exhaustive research work that has allowed him to reinstated 26 different native varieties that were extinct in Jerez. Along these lines, Alberto Orte´s colossal viticulture work is coupled with a vegetal material of Palomino Fino and Palomino de Jerez of more than 200 clones that are planted in their vineyards.

The result is some of the finest and rarest Sherry wines produced today. Wines that are worth to re-discover and be amused by.