When looking back over 2014 we have to say that things have
improved dramatically to previous years. Sales are well up, long term rentals
are doing well but the holiday market has been a bit slow.
What do I think will happen next year? Well, I am hopeful
that we can maintain and build on the bricks of recovery we have laid this
year. Whether the upturn for 2015 will be as pronounced as it was for 2014
remains to be seen but hopefully we will see things continue to improve and
perhaps even be able to start to raise the prices a little, but that will take
a lot of confidence and I am not sure it is yet there. Basically, it is a wait
and see scenario.
When looking back over 2014 we have to say that things have
improved dramatically to previous years. Sales are well up, long term rentals
are doing well but the holiday market has been a bit slow.
What do I think will happen next year? Well, I am hopeful
that we can maintain and build on the bricks of recovery we have laid this
year. Whether the upturn for 2015 will be as pronounced as it was for 2014
remains to be seen but hopefully we will see things continue to improve and
perhaps even be able to start to raise the prices a little, but that will take
a lot of confidence and I am not sure it is yet there. Basically, it is a wait
and see scenario.
In this month´s issue, we have a great article from James
Baxter at Foremost Currency on the money markets, plus a lovely insight to the
Bodega ETU at Patria just outside of Vejer. As always we are trying to keep you
up to date on new rules and regulations so we have a piece on Inheritance Tax
and the newly introduced plans to lower income tax and an article on the
discovery of the exact spot where Christopher Columbus left for the New Worlds
in 1492.
As we always do at Christmas, we would like to give you the
opportunity to sponsor Spanish Stray Dogs. A great charity who do so much to
save abandoned dogs, get them off the streets and rehome them all over the
world. Have a look at their website, a wristband is only 2.50€ or a calendar
6.50€; both can be bought on line. The donations are vital if they are to keep
working so it´s only the price of a coffee or a glass of decent wine, please
help them if you can.
All that remains for me to say is have a wonderful Christmas
and New Year and we hope to see you here on the Costa de la Luz in 2015.
Lesley McEwan - Managing Director, Cadizcasa
STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS
A trendy beach bar in Zahara de los Atunes has been at the
centre of a massive drugs ring. The ring included a Guardia Civil officer, a
municipal policeman, a former Socialist councillor and three members of the
military. In total 56 have been arrested and 716 kilos of cocaine plus 4 tonnes
of hashish have been seized.
The ringleader, nicknamed El Longui, owned the bar in the
popular resort, frequented during the summer months by both Spanish and
international celebrities. He is said to have had contacts in both Morocco and
the Zahara area. Recreational vessels were used to transport the drugs under
the protection of the Guardia Civil officer and the municipal policeman who were
both on his payroll. If there was too much surveillance in the area, the
transport would be diverted to Punta Camiral, a military base, where the three
servicemen would unload the drugs. In May of 2014 another delivery was
attempted at Caños de Meca where investigators were able to take surveillance
photos of the group at work.
An investigation began 11 months ago into the ring following
drug seizures involving other law enforcement officers. Around 30 homes were
searched in Seville, Cadiz and Valencia and firearms, 32,000 euros in cash and
over 100 mobiles phones were seized.
Both El Longui and his top aides were said to have lived
lavish lifestyles on their illegal wealth.
A COMEUPPANCE FOR THE SPANISH TAXMAN
We all like to have a bit of a moan about government
taxation, a necessary evil without which, no country could function, but it has
long been known that Spain likes to tax people and tax them heavily. The sums
paid in Spain are considerably higher than in many other more prosperous
countries but their comeuppance may have arrived regards inheritance tax. That
said, they are biting back on second hand property sale tax.
It has been the custom in Spain to charge different rates of
inheritance tax for residents and non-residents but the European Court of
Justice has ruled against this system and say that non-residents who have been
discriminated against by being asked to pay more tax than Spaniards for
inheritances or gifts of property are likely to be due a refund on the
difference taken from them.
Residents enjoy a very complex set of tax relief options
which can in some cases reduce the tax paid to almost nothing but these options
have not been available to non residents who may own, for instance, holiday
homes and spend less than the required 183 days per year for residency in
Spain.
The EU reckon that this disparity in charging goes against
the spirit of the EU and they found that Spanish legislation was discriminatory
and there was no justification for inheritance tax to be charged at a higher
rate to non residents.
The case was originally referred to the court in 2012 after
they decided that the legislation was incompatible with the free movement of
people and money within the EU. The difference can be substantial, in some
cases around 80%. The inheritance and gift tax is called succession tax in
Spain and is governed by both the state and the 17 autonomous communities.
Some of the communities have already amended the state rules
to make them more beneficial but only for residents, not non residents, and in
order to classify as resident for this purpose, you have to have lived in Spain
for 5 years.
As an example, in Murcia, Madrid, Valencia and the Balearic
Island, up to 99% of the estate assets can be exempt from succession tax if the
beneficiaries are children and/or the spouse of the deceased, but in Andalucia,
175,000 euros can be inherited by the spouse or children tax fee. In Catalonia
this rises to 650,000 euros for the spouse and 400,000 euros for the child.
The current figures suggest that around 60,000 UK families
have been hit for inheritance tax amounting to some 400 million pounds. Meaning
that the recent verdict could lead to thousands of claims by ex pats. So far,
the Spanish government has kept silent on the ruling but they have 6 months in
which to make the changes to their laws, so standby for fireworks.
Claims need to be perfect regards paperwork as the tax
authorities will certainly be looking for ways to wriggle out of this one.
There will be time limits to making an appeal but the amount outstanding if
repaid will be repaid with interest.
But, before we all crack open the bubbly to celebrate the
thought of the Spanish Tax Authorities raiding the office petty cash to drum up
enough money to replay all the over payments, consider the following:-
A new tax on property about to come in to effect stands to
have a significant impact on the property market. Some will gain but some will
most definitely lose.
The new law is set to get rid of the restatements and abatement
coefficients which were previously applied to the IRPF for the purpose of
calculating capital gains generated in the sale of a property. The new law
effective from January 2015 will especially affect those who bought the
property prior to 1994.
A rough example of the difference this new law makes was
produced by Cinco Dias, the Spanish newspaper. A property bought in 1976 for
12,020 euros and sold now for 220,000 euros would, under the current
legislation attract a tax of 10,869 euros but under the new laws, this would
rise to 43,995 euros, a considerable difference of 33,216 euros.
The new reforms will see the disappearance of inflation and
abatement coefficients which effectively meant that a property acquired before
1986 would not pay tax for capital gains and those bought between 1986 and 1994
would benefit from reductions in their tax liability.
With the coefficients and tax reform of 1996, capital gains
generated by the sale would be reduced by 11.1% for every year after the second
year. This effectively meant that after 11 years, no tax would be due.
The new ruling means that taxes applied to capital gains
from 31 December 2014 are indirectly increasing. Another example given is a
property acquired in 1980 for 9,000 euros and sold in 2015 for 245,000 euros
would attract a tax of 55,520 euros but if the buyer and seller could bring
forward the sale date to within 2014, the tax paid would drop to 15,359 euros.
So all those sitting on inherited property which they have
owned for many years are about to get a nasty shock when deciding to sell. Even
a house bought in the year 2000 for 150,000 euros and sold now for 200,000
euros will be paying 8,220 euros more in 2015 than if sold this year.
Will this help the Spanish property market, NO, I am afraid
it is back to the gun and foot days which all agents hoped to leave behind in
2014. What will people with old property most likely do? I suspect they will
just hang on to the family inheritance and hope that when the government
changes this law might get kicked in to touch.
Feeling a bit depressed? I can´t leave you like that just
before Christmas so here is some good news about income and corporate tax. Of
course, it only helps you if you work or own a company but we must be thankful
for any allowances.
The Economy Minister Luis de Guindos has given his support
for plans to lower income tax. That said, his government did say when they came
to power that no increases would be made in the first place but then
politicians have short memories for such things, as we all know. He says that
he aims to make income tax “much more reasonable” in the future and to get the
government to remove as he describes them “disincentives” for economic growth.
He then went on to say that saving should be encouraged and the tax burden
lowered.
In an aim to achieve this, they are looking at reducing
corporate tax from 30 to 25% by 2016 and those earning less than 12,450 euros
per annum would see their tax reduced from 24.75% to 19% in the same time
period. Initial reductions coming in during 2015 with a final reduction in 2016
to take us to these figures.
Tax brackets will reduce from 7 to 5 under the new reforms
to simplify matters and make income tax calculation easier and it is thought
that 62% of tax payers, i.e. those earning less than 24,000 euros per year will
see a tax rebate of 23.5% by 2016.
So a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS
It has been claimed that inexperienced and newly qualified
nurses were recruited to deal with Ebola patients and threatened with the loss
of their career if they refused the work.
The report has been made by the Madrid Area North Healthcare
Workers Board. It says it was ordered to draft in brand new professionals
straight out of college on the nurses jobseekers register.
There are further claims that existing nurses were to be
threatened with disciplinary proceedings or sacking if they refused to carry
out duties for Ebola patients, even if they insisted that they did not have the
required knowledge or experience. It is unclear whether these instructions came
from the regional or national ministry of health.
The register is used for newly qualified doctors, nurses and
other professionals such as teachers. A points system operates and when, either
permanent or temporary jobs arise, they are contracted in order of the highest
points first. Anyone refusing to take up the post offered are normally removed
permanently from the list, effectively ending their chances of working in their
chosen profession.
According to the Madrid Area North Healthcare Workers Board,
the medical authorities were relying on these newly qualified professionals
desperation not to be delisted to force them to bolster staffing levels to deal
with treating Ebola patients.
The need for the extra staff has been due to the mass
redundancies at the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid which has Spain´s only
specialised tropical and infectious disease unit. The staff cuts were made in
May two months after the Ebola outbreak had been identified in West Africa.
Criticism has been damning in Spain about their handling of
the outbreak, with claims from one nurse, about to treat Teresa Romero, who
contracted the virus while nursing the missionary Manuel Garcia Viejo, that she
had not even been taught how to put on and take off the bodysuit supplied to
protect her. The bodysuit itself has come under criticism with claims that it
falls far short of the World Health Organisation required standards.
EXCHANGE RATE OUTLOOK
It’s been an interesting three months for the GBP/EUR cross,
with sterling reaching a near 6-year high against the floundering single
currency. In the weeks that preceded the Scottish referendum the pound was sold
off as speculation mounted over the future of the United Kingdom, as momentum
behind the ‘Yes’ campaign grew. Investors feared the economic impact of a ‘Yes’
vote and the pound dropped as a result. Following the vote, confidence in the
pound was restored and the GBP/EUR pair subsequently soared to the mid-1.28’s,
a level not seen since August 2012.
Recently, the strength of the pound has been determined by
the Bank of England’s ever-changing stance on monetary policy, particularly
when the UK will see the much anticipated interest rate rise. Earlier in the
year there had been speculation that this may come towards the end of this
year. Over the last few months inflation in the UK has slowed significantly,
forcing the Bank of England to push back the rate hike, which is now not
expected to happen until the last quarter of 2014 at the very earliest. In the
Bank of England’s latest quarterly inflation report Mark Carney said he expected
inflation to fall below 1% in the next six months, well below the bank’s 2%
target.
With inflation slowing, the Bank would be unwise to raise
interest rates. In fact, the European Central Bank and the Swedish Riksbank
have both just cut their interest rates in an attempt to combat the inflation
problems they’re facing. If the Bank were to raise interest rates now, people
would be encouraged to save rather than spend. With people spending less,
prices will fall as retailers try to encourage spending. Mortgage and other
debt repayments would also increase after an interest rate hike. This too would
compound the problem of slowing inflation as consumers are left with less real
disposable income. All of this would be made worse as real wages continue to
fall.
As it now looks as though we won’t see interest rates raised
until late 2015, the pound has started losing ground against its major
counterparts, dropping from 1.2850 to the high 1.24’s against the euro, and
from 1.71 to 1.56 against the US dollar. The potential interest rate hike had
been supporting sterling, but the pound has now weakened accordingly.
It’s a rosier picture in Spain at the moment, with figures
in October showing the Spanish economy grew for the fifth consecutive quarter,
despite economic growth in the rest of the Eurozone remaining subdued. The
Spanish economy, the Eurozone’s fourth largest, has been growing modestly since
pulling itself out of recession last year and is now one of the fastest growing
economies in Europe. The Bank of Spain said that consumer spending has been
driving the economic growth, coupled with falling unemployment and an increase
in consumer and business confidence. Mariano Rajoy will be breathing a sigh of
relief as Spain seems finally to be over the worst of it.
The relatively strong pound and the improvement in economic
conditions in Spain, not to mention rock-bottom property prices, should surely
be a mouth-watering prospect for Brits looking for that place in the sun,
either as an investment, holiday home or a place to retire. For those looking
to repatriate funds to the UK after selling in Spain, the recent movement in
GBP/EUR should be seen as a good opportunity to make the most of that currency
conversion after the pound lost three pence to the euro in November.
STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS
Isidoro Alvarez, the Chairman of El Corte Ingles, aged 79,
has died following his admission to hospital with breathing difficulties.
Isidoro has always kept out of the press and is widely credited with making the
brand a household name across Spain. The privately owned company had sales of
14.2 billion euros in 2013 and employs 93,000 staff. Isidoro only turned to the
financial markets in 2013 for help, having run the business through the economic
down turn in Spain.
His death comes days after Emilio Botin, the Head of the
Banco Santander. Both men died while still controlling their companies and it
is widely thought that his successor will be his nephew, Dimas Gimeno. Also
recently appointed to strengthen the board is Manuel Pizarro the former
Chairman of ENDESA.
Isidoro took over the business from his uncle who started it
as a tailors in central Madrid in the 1930´s. The company grew to be the
darling of Spain in the 1970´s with its ground breaking promise of a no
questions asked product return policy. The company operated as a department
store but also expanded in to insurance, travel, information technology and
ticketing for concerts and theatres.
If any criticism was to be levelled at Isidoro´s running of
the empire it was that he had been slow to implement a more professional
corporate structure such as Amancio Ortega had done at Zara.
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS OR CRISTOBAL COLON AS WE LIKE TO
CALL HIM HERE
Could archaeologists have found the exact spot where
Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon, as the Spanish call him, set sail for
the New World in 1492? Well, Professor Juan Manuel Campos, of Huelva University
who is leading the archaeology team certainly believes that is what they have
found in the Huelva town of La Fontanilla de Palos. The excavations have been
ongoing for some months and their discovery is hailed as one of the most
important and significant relating to the history of the day.
The port did come to light in the last century when Enrique
Martínez Iruño, the Argentinian Consul to Spain, settled in the town and his
passion for the town lead him to speak of searching for and restoring the
historic port as early as 1908 but various factors put the project on hold for
nearly 80 years. By 1992, researchers had deduced, through indirect data, that
the port was located somewhere in the “vaguada” or trough area but it took another
24 years and Professor Campos to confirm that the hunch was indeed correct.
Columbus set sail to find an all water route to China and
India with their lucrative spice trades, with his ships the Niña, the Pinta,
and the Santa María from Palos on the river Tinto where they had been fitted
out. A slight incentive for the voyage might have been his elevation by the
Spanish monarchs to ´Almirante Mayor del Mar Oceano´ and being granted
viceroyalty and governorship of any lands he might discover. He also bore a
letter address to the Grand Khan of China from the Spanish monarchs, a sort of
early day, “hello we are your neighbours why don’t you send us over some of
your wealth as a goodwill gesture”.
A consortium put together by a royal treasury official and
made up of mainly Florentine and Genoese bankers in Seville provided at least
1,140,000 maravedis, or gold and silver Iberian coins minted between the 11th
and 14th centuries, to fit out the expedition and Columbus supplied more than a
third of the money contributed by the king and queen. Queen Isabella did not
have to pawn her jewels to finance the voyage as was claimed by Bartolome de
Las Casas in the 16th century.
Columbus captained the Santa Maria and the Niña and Pinta
were captained by the Pizon brothers, both natives of Fontanilla de Palos, who
were wealthy and expert ship fitters, sailors and explorers.
The fleet set sail on 3 August and Columbus took the
decision to sail southward to the Canaries rather than due west to the islands
of the Azores. The westerlies which prevail in the Azores had been the
defeating factor in previous attempts at this route but Columbus picked up the
northeast trade winds at the Canaries which took him on to the Bahamas and the
island of San Salvador. Sailing on, Columbus made it to Cuba and sent two men
ashore to investigate, feeling sure that he had now reached China. They were
Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres. Far from finding The Emperor of China as
instructed, they encountered a native Taino village where the locals were
smoking tobacco, a habit they quickly caught on to. Getting back under sail,
Columbus made landfall on Haiti, but on Christmas day the Santa Maria ran
aground and had to be abandoned.
Columbus then took over command of the Niña having become separated
from the Pinta. The separation was short and the Pinta caught up allowing the
two ships to return to Spain together via Portugal. Why Portugal well,
unfortunately, he had managed to sail through their waters violating the treaty
of Toledo made in 1480. Employing some considerable diplomatic skills, Columbus
squared things with the King of Portugal and returned to Palos. Having failed
to find China and its great treasures, Columbus said that he thought the
natives of the islands he had visited were the greatest treasure he had found
and was rather disappointed when Queen Isabella, would not allow him to
commence slave trading from the New Worlds. Columbus did bring back a few poor
souls on this voyage as a “test sample” but the majority died during the
voyage.
The setting off point for such a famous expedition could not
lay undiscovered for ever and the archaeologists have located several key areas
including, the public fountain from which the ships were filled with fresh
water prior to their long voyage. This is one of two ancient fountains in the
town, the other lying nearer the centre but this one lies where the estuary of
the Rio Tinto comes practically to its base and according to history there was
a pier located beside it that provided direct access to the town from the sea.
There is little doubt that this pier provided a loading facility for Columbus
boats. Also located in this area were storage rooms and a tavern, both vital
areas around a harbour, The tavern was where the sailors could meet and spend
time before setting off on their long voyage. An area of seven pottery furnaces
have been unearthed, with remains of ceramics, bricks, tiles, quicklime and
even baked goods. The one place they have so far been unable to pin point is
the shipyard itself but the discovered structures collectively identify the
area where this would have been.
One of the most important finds has been the reef, as this
allows the archaeologists to determine the exact location of the port, of which
there has been no material evidence to date. It is thought that the reef was
the port´s customs area and the place where Columbus negotiated and made
arrangements for the voyage. Professor Campos said that it was “the most
satisfying discovery we´ve made”.
Still further excavation is required and many months of lab
based work sifting through the thousands of artefacts and material taken from
the dig but Palos is already planning on a revival of these landmarks starting
with a virtual recreation of the port area.
STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS
The UK department of work and pensions have launched a new
campaign to tackle “abroad fraud”. This is where people living abroad are still
claiming UK benefits and the UK reckon more than 100 million pounds was lost to
benefit cheats in this way last year alone.
So now, new and improved methods have been put in place
specifically to target Britons who have moved to Spain and are still cheating
the benefit system.
Recently Briton Peter Fisher, received a suspended sentence
of 15 months after being found guilty of claiming benefits while living in
Spain. Mr Fisher was working not only in Spain but also in Britain and owned an
undeclared property in Spain.
Likewise, Dennis Troubridge was jailed for 16 months in
September of this year for living in Murcia since 2008 but claiming 170,000
euros in benefits from the UK with the assistance of his daughter.
In both cases the fraudsters had been claiming Income
Support, Pension Credit and Housing Benefits, none of which can be claimed
while living abroad.
APPEAL FOR SPANISH STRAY DOGS
Spanish Stray Dogs is a wonderful charity who rescue and
rehome dogs from Spain to all over the world. Their work is life saving for
many animals abandoned, sometimes injured, sick or pregnant. There is no
financial assistance for this type of work so in order to keep helping
abandoned dogs, they need funding. Please give a little if you can. At their
facebook page, you can buy wristbands for 2.50€ or calendars for 6.50€. The
Spanish Stray Dogs Christmas fundraiser will be held this year in DUSK in the
Ocean Village, Gibraltar. Tickets are on sale now, please, please come along
and support them. For ticket enquires, raffle and auction prize donations
please email
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Now to the really big way in which you can help them –
Sander is just one of many beautiful dogs that are available
for adoption through Spanish Stray Dogs or Spanish Stray Dogs UK.
Please consider giving a stray dog a forever home. Email
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for more info or check out facebook
www.facebook.com/spanishstraydogs or the UK website www.spanishstraydogs.org.uk
So, everything from a whole dog for the rest of your life,
to a party night, to a calendar or a wristband. No excuses to say NO, please
help them if you can.
STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS
Following research by the telecommunications operator
Quantis, it is said that at least half a million Spaniards still have no
internet because there is no signal in their area. The majority of these
citizens live in rural areas with low population density or areas difficult to
access resulting in the major suppliers considering them to be uneconomical to
provide cover. In the majority of cases only about 10% of coverage is available
in these areas.
The result being that small to medium sized businesses in
these areas find it hard to expand their business as they are left behind when
it comes to modern day technology with little or no internet access.
These internet black spots are found in every province and
include industrial estates, suburban districts and even medium sized towns
where broadband connections are poor or do not exist. Galicia currently has the
highest number of residents not able to connect to the internet with a total of
126,378 followed by Castilla Leon with 117,167 and Andalucia with 49,436.
It was found that only 60% of Spanish homes were connected
to an internet speed of 30MB or above. 95% of Spaniards can enjoy an ADSL speed
of 2MB and 82% can access 10MB. The widest cover available is for HSPA, or 3G
and UMTS, which is available in 99% of Spain but the service is irregular and
patchy, particularly in rural areas.
The General Law of Telecommunications dictates that access
to 10MB should be universal by 2017 and 30MB by 2020.The problem is that if
things do not change by 2020, then there will still be households which cannot
get an internet connection and by 2020 when the “universal” speed is 30MB, the
service is likely to be very out of date meaning that much of Spain will still
be left behind. The only real solution is satellite technology which can reach
everywhere.
UTE WOULD BRING TEARS OF JOY TO THE EYES OF BACCHUS
We all like a bit of the old crushed grape in a glass but do
we give much thought to how it got crushed and got in the bottle in the first
place? The years of work, planning, love, sweat and tears that go in to making
a truly great wine…. ? Not really, generally, we just drink it and enjoy it but
in the little village of Patria, there is a truly magical wine maker called Ute
Mergner. What that woman can do with a grape would bring tears of joy to the
eyes of Bacchus.
Ute Mergner from the ETU Bodega in “Patría” outside of
Vejer, hailes from Munich in Germany and was working as an Interior Designer on
projects for clients such as IKEA, when the wander lust came upon her and her
partner Hans Nerlinger, an Architect. Having searched worldwide for a place to
settle, Ute and Hans found themselves in the Andalucian pueblo blanco of Vejer
de la Frontera sitting in Plaza San Francisco. It was a eureka moment and the
pair settled in Patría where they bought 10 hectares of land.
Ute and Hans came to Andalucia to do something different,
not to grow vines and make wine. In fact, it was the last thing on their minds
as they settled in to their new environment. But of course, they always loved
good food and excellent wines.
Then one day in August, Ute was looking at their
surroundings and said to Hans “gosh it’s a bit colourless now the heat of the
summer has taken over, we need to get some green out there to look at” She
started to think, “what is green but does not need water”? Low and behold,
vines came to mind. So, really as a greenery project, Ute started to grow 1
hectare of vines. She knew nothing about it and had never been involved in vine
growing before, nor did she come from a wine family, but as she says “I thought
let´s try it and at least we will have something pretty to look at and maybe
something good to drink”.
Ute started to research. With the land being so close to the
Atlantic it has very special properties not seen in the normal wine lands
further north and inland. Ute started to experiment with Sauvignon Blanc, Siraz
and Tempranillo varieties of grape and then added Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
and Tintilla de Rota. The latter being the only grape exclusive to the Cadiz
area.
The Atlantic influence prevents the grapes getting heavy on
sugar and therefore, alcohol, as they do further inland and the resulting wine
is light, elegant, fruity and fresh. The wine was a very acceptable by-product
of the greenery project but soon those little seeds of invention started to
germinate in Ute´s mind and she thought “why not make wine on a small scale,
it’s a good project and we have to do something with the grapes”.
The learning curve for Ute was steep to say the least. She
does not come from a wine growing family and prior to settling in Patría, wine
came in a bottle. She had never planted vines so thought getting a bit of local
know how would be useful. She approached some vineyard workers in Chiclana who
came to help her but their experience had been with the Palomino sherry grapes
rather than wine grapes and the result were initially disappointing. The vines
had been trained low down as you would with sherry vines but of course, wine
vines need to be higher up. The vines voted with their feet and failed to
deliver a bountiful harvest. Over the next four years, Ute took a lot of advice
and took over control of the planting, getting the workers to train the vines
so they grew higher up. Eureka! The vines did much better and they were off the
starting blocks.
Vines are fickle and prone to all sorts of infections. Wine
production dates back five or six thousand years to Georgia and Iran but in the
late 19th century it was nearly curtains for the wine industry when the
phylloxera epidemic destroyed most of the vineyards for wine grapes in Europe.
Some estimates say that between two-thirds and nine-tenths of all European
vineyards were destroyed.
So it is an industry fraught with dangers from nature. Ute
was always firm that she wanted to do everything ecologically. The Cadiz region
and particularly the coastal area can be damp during the winter and spring
months so Ute uses sulphate and copper to stop fungus and mildew. Other than
that, the vines get nothing more. They take all their goodness from the soil.
Absolutely no pesticides go near the vines; Ute is very firm on that!
Getting the vines in the ground and the grapes off the vines
is really only the first stage in wine making, you then have to press the
grapes and that was a slight stumbling block. Their first thought was to take
the grape harvest to a cooperative but co-operatives tend not to be very ecological
in their approach.
I suspect old Bacchus must have been watching over our Ute
though, because she found the “El Rancho de la Merced” and especially Dra.
Belén Puertas in Jerez. El Rancho de la Merced is a centre set up by the
government to assist and provide technical expertise to the natural industries
in this part of Spain. They investigate and research in to improving and
disseminating information on new technologies about wine growing and the
cultivation of other native crops such as hard and soft wheat and sunflowers,
to the local growers and producers. As part of their work, they have an
experimental bodega which makes small amounts of wine. They work tirelessly and
constantly to improve the wine and their focus is on quality and improving eco
friendly wine production techniques. This small and highly specialised unit was
just what Ute had been looking for and “El Rancho de Merced”, takes in grapes
to press to help supplement their government grants. Where better to produce a
quality wine?
Ute has also had a lot of help from Dr. Víctor Palacios,
Professor of the University of Cadiz and many of her competitor wine growers.
Wine from the Cadiz area is relatively new, only going back about 10/15 years
so all the wine growers are new young outfits and are a happy to help each
other and learn from their joint experiences.
So now Ute had the vines and the ability to produce wine but
what about the bottling? Well, sadly that is mostly down to Ute and when Hans
has time off from his day job running the Fly In Spain Flight Training Academy
at Jerez airport, he too gets involved in filling, corking and labelling the
bottles. No mean feat, as the ETU bodega produces around 3,500 to 4,000 bottles
per year of white, rose and red wine.
Many people ask where the Bodega -Etu get its unusual and
easily remembered name, well quite simply it is Ute spelled backwards and of
course, it means “and you” in Spanish and their most popular wine is called
SONRISA, which means “smile”.
Ute and Hans have no desire to be big wine producers, their
business growth will come naturally as the years pass and their very select
product becomes better known and more sought after.
Currently you can sample ETU´s wines in some of the local
restaurants of Patría and a small selection of bars. If you fancy a bottle to
take home, it is available from select shops in Tarifa, Conil, Vejer and
Benalup, or why not get a group of friends together (minimum 10) and get in
touch with Ute to arrange a tour of the bodega and a wine tasting. You are welcome
to bring your own tapas and make a day of it and you can of course pick up a
couple of bottles to take home. The price of this great product is very
reasonable at 7 – 15 euros depending on which of the wines you fancy.
These artisan bodegas are worth their weight in gold, these
are the people who bring us new and exciting products. They are not scared to
try something different and they are not set in their ways, only looking to
produce large quantities of mediocre wine which sells in the local supermarket.
Ute and her kind are pioneers and personally, I take my hat off to her. Long
may Ute work her magic with those grapes and long may Bacchus watch over her.
All photographs used in this article are by kind permission
of Christoph Kern and Miguel Ángel Castaño
To contact Ute at the Bodega ETU
Telephone: +34 696967630
or email for Bodega ETU:
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Facebook https://www.facebook.com/etuvino
STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS…STOP PRESS
A 94 year old British acrobat spent 25 minutes strapped to a
biplane doing a loop the loop across Gibraltar. Mr Tom Lackey, a retired
builder, from the West midlands, first undertook the stunt several years ago
for charity following the death of his wife, who´s picture he always carries
with him, and it has now become a hobby for Tom.
Tom appeared calm and collected as he was harnessed in a
standing position to the wing of a Boeing Stearman as the plane crossed
Gibraltan airspace twice and undertook a number of somersaults en route.
Fabian Picardo, the Gibraltarian head minister was waiting
on the runway to wish Tom good luck before take off and congratulate him on his
return.
Tom appears several times in the Guinness Book of Records
for his stunts. At 86, he broke the world record as the oldest person to loop
the loop standing on the wings of a plane and last year aged 93, he achieved
the record as the oldest person to cross the channel from Dover to Calais and
back and the most senior person to cross the Irish Sea while harnessed to the
top of an aircraft.
A man of some substance is out Tom, who knows what he will
get up to next
Thank you for reading our Newsletter, the next edition
will be out on 1 March 2015.
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