La Guita
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
La Guita is the top selling manzanilla in Spain, and is made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Founded in 1852 by Domingo Pérez Marin, the estate has long made manzanilla their singular focus. The wine is made in two bodegas, and the smaller of the two, Bodega Misericordia, dates to 1526. Located in the heart of Sanlúcar, it was once the Hospital de San Juan de Dios. The larger bodega, Pago Sancular Viejo, is located on the road to Jerez and accounts for about 80% of La Guita’s production.
There are a couple of iterations of the origin story for the name La Guita, but they revolve around Domingo Pérez Marin’s desire to be paid in cash for his wines. “Guita,” is an old slang word for cash, but also means string. Some have suggested that Marin was happy to part with his wine, but there was “one string attached: cash payment.”
The estate remained in the Hidalgo family until 2007 when it was purchased by Grupo Estevez, who also own Valdespino. Their involvement has been marked by a vast improvement in the quality of La Guita, which they now bottle in order to ensure impeccable freshness.
Wines
Manzanilla
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
La Guita is the manzanilla from Sanlucar and the most popular wine in the region. Aged under highly active flor for four and a half years, La Guita develops intense complexity while retaining beautiful freshness. They bottle six times a year, as opposed to once or twice as many other houses, to capture as much freshness as possible. La Guita is made in two bodegas, and the smaller of the two, Bodega Misericordia, dates to 1526. Located in the heart of Sanlúcar, it was once the Hospital de San Juan de Dios. The larger bodega, Pago Sancular Viejo, is located on the road to Jerez and accounts for about 80% of La Guita's production. While legally allowed to source grapes from anywhere in Jerez, they focus exclusively on grapes from Sanlúcar - specifically from the Milaflores vineyard.
People
Beatriz Caballero - Capataz
Beatriz Caballero has been the Capataz/Cellar Master for La Guita since 2007. She is a chemist by training, and also took over the laboratory in 2020.
Victoria Frutos - Enologist
Victoria Frutos is the enologist and heads the agriculture program for La Guita. She spent her career in the food industry before joining the team in 2005.
