Urium is a small family bodega run by father-daughter team Alonso and Rocio Ruíz. It produces a full range of classic sherries and two limited productions: fino en rama and manzanilla pasada, and their VORS collection of 30+ year old wines. After briefly meeting Rocio at Vinoble a few months ago, and tasting their 30-year-old oloroso, I was left wanting to know more.

When I got back in touch with Rocio about visiting the bodega she told me they don’t actually do scheduled tours but said her father would be there on Thursday afternoon and would be happy to show me around (unfortunately Rocio wasn’t able to make it). I didn’t know what to expect but certainly hadn’t anticipated Alonso Ruiz’s amazing “vertical tasting” (his term) of all their olorosos through the years, culminating with the VORS 30+ I’d fallen in love with in Jerez, but starting first with two en rama finos. Some friends of Alonso’s were also there and when I asked my (by now) usual question about what differentiates a palo cortado from an amontillado… well, let’s say it provoked some serious discussion. To be honest, I got a different answer to this question at each bodega I visited, and I most enjoyed Alonso’s very passionate version, but it would take far too long to recount here (wish I’d taken a video of it!).

This was definitely more of a tasting experience than a tour, filled with bodega and family histories, personal anecdotes and even poetry. Like visiting an old friend at home.

Bodegas Urium
Muro 28
Tel 956 33 55 97