Sandeman’s heritage
In 1790 George Sandeman, an ambitious young Scotsman from Perth, founded a wine business in London trading in Porto and Sherry from Tom’s Coffee House.
By 1795, he had established an agency in Cadiz, Spain and in 1811 he purchased an ageing cellar in V.N. Gaia in Portugal. In the early 1800s Sandeman wines were shipped to countries within Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and even as far as New Zealand.
Sandeman was the first company to brand a cask. In 1805, Sandeman started fire branding their trademark GSC (George Sandeman & Co.) in a crow’s foot design on all pipes they sold, thus giving the wine a name that assured quality. At the end of the nineteenth century “brand” names were largely unheard of but Sandeman wanted to give their customers a guarantee of quality so in 1880 they became the first Porto House to export bottled and labelled wines. The Sandeman brand was registered as a trademark in 1877 (First Trademark Registrations Act) making it one of the oldest in the world.
The very first agent was appointed by 1903 and by 1914 the brand had a network of nominated agents selling Sandeman wines around the world.
The Brand
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Sandeman wanted to tell the world of their fine wines and so became among the first wine companies to label and advertise its wines. In 1905 press marketing began, followed by more substantial advertising campaigns.
In 1928 George Massiot Brown created The Don. Dressed like the Spanish cabelleros de Jerez in a Portuguese student’s cape and wide-brimmed hat, the Don cuts a dark, dramatic figure with his glass of ruby coloured Porto. This powerful image has been an integral part of both bottle labels and advertising since the early 1930s.
Between 1995-1996, The House of Sandeman in Jerez and Porto was officially presented the Certificate of Quality ISO 9002, and became the first company to have their production methods and procedures recognized for their quality.
The 21th Century
In June 2002, Sandeman joined the Sogrape Group. The Sogrape Group portfolio includes leading wine brands Mateus (Rose), Offley and Ferreira (Porto), as well as prestigious brands from important denominations of origin including Casa Ferreirinha (Douro), Quinta dos Carvalhais (Dão), Herdade do Peso (Alentejo), the multi-regionals Callabriga, Pena de Pato and Grão Vasco, the fresh Gazela (Vinho Verde), and finally Finca Flichman (Argentina) and Framingham (New Zealand).
Every minute an average of 21 bottles of Sandeman are bought. Sandeman is a worldwide brand, distributed in more than 55 markets and a leading brand in Belgium, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany & Japan.
The Visit
For the first time in decades, the Sandeman caves are open to the public with a themed exhibition covering the key moments of the evolution of the Sandeman House, the Don and the wines; Sherry, Porto and Madeira.
This visit will be focused in the Jerez Wines (Sherry)and Brandy´s but you will learn also about other Sandeman´s great products like Porto and Madeira wines.
During the visit you will have the oportunity to see how the wines are aged and at the end you will be able to taste them, and, if you want, buy them at the factory store.
There are tours in Spanish (Castelhano, English, German and French).
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
Spanish: 12h15, 14h15
English: 11h30, 12h30, 13h30, 14h30
German: 11h00, 13h00, 14h30
French: 13h30
Tuesday - Thursday
Spanish: 10h15, 13h15, 14h15
English: 10h30, 12h00, 13h00, 14h00
German: 10h30, 12h30, 14h00
French: 14h15
Saturday - Appointed visits only (see exceptions here (
visit link)
Sunday - Closed
Prices:
Visit and tastings of 3 Sherries - 7€
Visits and tastings of 4 old and rare Sherries - 14€
Tour 1790 (Including tasting of 8 Sherries and 1 Jerez Brandy)- 21€
Children (3 to 12 years old) - 1€
(Visit only, no tasting, Grape Juice included)
Teenagers (Less than 18 years old) - 3.5€
(Visit only, no tasting, Grape Juice included)
Download PDF info here: (
visit link)