Vinegar from Jerez, Spain: The birthplace of sherry vinegar
The story of Sánchez Romate begins almost 250 years ago in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, a city known for its wine exports. Juan Sánchez de la Torre opened a winery in 1781 and quickly earned his stripes, building his reputation as an expert winemaker in Jerez. A century passed, bringing with it many technological advances that winemakers across the region took advantage of. In 1887 the fourth generation of Sánchez Romate developed an exclusive brandy, originally only meant for family and their close friends. This ended up being the beginning of Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva, Sánchez Romate’s flagship brand. In 1909 they were appointed as Official Purveyor to the House of Lords in the UK, followed shortly by their appointment as Official Purveyors to the Sacred Apostolic Palace of the Vatican in 1917.
Today, Sánchez Romate is one of the few wineries in Jerez still owned by a local family. Jerez is included in the region of the Iberian Peninsula protected by the Denominations of Origin label, meaning that only the vineyards in this region that are located on land that the Regulatory Council considers suitable are allowed to grow grapes for the production of Sherry and Manzanilla wines. There is also the Jerez Triangle, which includes Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Maria, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, which are the only cities allowed to age those protected wines. All of this means that vineyard land in Jerez is highly sought-after!
Sánchez Romate has two estates; Pago Añina is located close to the coast and where they make their fino wines, while their olorosos wines are made in the more interior Pago Cuartillo estate. Their Palomino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez grapes grow in white albariza soil amidst the western Andalusian climate. The wines are traditionally aged in oak casks, and the brandies are distilled in copper stills. Sánchez Romate has won numerous awards over the years for their sherries, vinegars, and brandies.
On Our Shelves
We’ve carried Sánchez Romate sherry vinegar at Zingerman’s for many years now. When we first brought it to our shelves, it had hardly been seen outside its hometown. Ari put out a little book about vinegar back in the 90s and wrote about Sánchez Romate. One of the top folks at the company saw this mention and reached out to offer us a chance to sell their amazing, but very rare PX Sherry Vinegar for the very first time in the US. Both have been staples on our shelves for decades.
Sherry Vinegar: A blend of 3 to 50 years old sherries, this is a Reserva vinegar, meaning that it is aged for at least three years. Made from Palomino grapes, which are white wine grape native to Spain. This is our favorite all around sherry for all of your cooking and salad needs. Combine equal parts olive oil and sherry vinegar with some dijon mustard and a pinch of hot Spanish paprika for a delicious, smokin’ sherry vinaigrette for fish or tapas.
PX Sherry Vinegar: The PX Sherry Vinegar is made by adding a small quantity of very old (and very famous) Pedro Ximenez sherry wine to already well-aged sherry vinegar. The resulting condiment is outstanding; really excellent. It’s got a mouth filling richness that softens the acidity of the vinegar. Made with 85% Palomino and 15% Pedro Ximénez grapes, aged for at least five years. This happens to be Ari’s all-time favorite! He recommends using it in Spanish Tomato and Vinegar Soup
In our kitchen
Wine and vinegar naturally go hand in hand! Sánchez Romate’s vinegars are made from their incredible Oloroso sherries. It is made using the unique solera system, a method of continuous blending (much like that done for traditional Balsamic vinegar) of younger vinegars with older ones. This sherry vinegar is one of the staples in our Deli kitchen! You can taste it in Julie’s Farr-Out Fall Salad and Spanish Sprouts.
