Bodegas: Luis Caballero

It all began when Don Jose Cabaleiro do Largo and family decided to get involved in the wine business in Chipiona in 1795. The Cabaleiro family hailed from Vigo, Galicia, and were already known in the Jerez area as wood suppliers. A major step forward was the purchase, in 1830, of the old bodegas of the Dukes of Medinaceli in El Puerto de Santa Maria, which contained valuable old XVII century soleras of Amontillado and Oloroso. They acquired vineyards in Sanlucar and set up a still to distill the wines of Sanlucar and Chipiona. Since that time the company has been involved in the entire production process of wines and spirits.

By the 1870s the firm was expanding, having begun exports to Britain and America and bought two important vineyards totalling 33 hectares: El Benito and Las Cruzes. In 1908 the firm launched Conac Caballero and concentrated its export efforts to  Britain. At the end of the 1930s they opened a glass factory Vidrierias del Guadalete  mainly to supply America as the War had put Supplies from England out of reach. By the 1940s the firm became a Group with interests in glass, farming and wines and spirits. They acquired the bodegas of Jose de La Cuesta and John William Burdon in 1932, becoming Grupo Caballero. In the 1970s the company bought the old bodegas Sancho opposite the Puerto de Santa Maria bullring and restructured itself featuring its brands and there was strong growth in sales of both wines and spirits, especially for Ponche Caballero, the leading brand of its type.

This growth funded the acquisition of bodegas from outside the Sherry zone: Marques de Irun in Rueda; Vina Herminia in Rioja and Santuario in Toro, and in 1990 the best acquisition of them all, Emilio Lustau. The traditional old Cazalla distillery joined Grupo Caballero in 1996 and proceeded to successfully launch Miura liqueur, and a distribution company Europvin was established, based in Bordeaux and run by Christopher Cannan. In June 2008, Caballero acquired four of the famous Pedro Domecq brands: La Ina, Rio Viejo, Vina 25 and Botaina, which are marketed under the Lustau brand, yet keep the old Domecq appearance.

Caballero’s San Marcos bodegas in El Puerto de Santa Maria are integrated with the old XIIC Castillo San Marcos, and every summer a musical cycle of concerts is held in the patio which is one of the best cultural events in the town.

Castillo San Marcos

Bodegas San Marcos (formerly Sancho)

The Group products include:

Ponche, Liqueurs and Cream Liqueurs, Brandies, Table wines from Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Rioja and Distribution of others companies' brands.

Apart from the Lustau and Domecq brands, the bodegas own Sherries are:

Fino Pavon

Amo Don Luis

Oloroso Real

Manola Cream

Padre Lerchundi Moscatel de Chipiona

Address: Calle San Francisco, 32, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz

Web: www.caballero.es

Tel: 956 851 751

Visits: yes but phone in advance to arrange