The Bullfight
Although the English translation of the Spanish term corrida de toros, is bullfight, the ritual is not really a fight. Correr in Spanish means “to run”; hence the more correct translation is the running of the bulls.”
The idea behind the corrida de toros probably dates back to about 1200 B.C when there was a cult of the bull in the Mediterranean. In Crete, under Minoan rule, a game involving humans and bulls was developed. As the interest in bulls spread throughout the Mediterranean, the forms of “games” became more diverse with each country. The first recorded incident of tauramachy in Spain is from the 13th century. Much later, in the 16th century the practice of using a lance was introduced and even later, the man would “fight” the bull on horseback, (rejoneo). It was at this time that the spectacle took on the connotation of a battle between a man and a bull.
The 18th century saw the end of bullfighting as a noble sport. It passed on to the common people and the art of one man on foot fighting a bull was born. It soon became a “sport” for professionals with the Romero family being the first to lay down the rules of combat. Francisco Romero was born in Ronda in about 1700 and he and his son, Juan, and grandson, Pedro, made the town famous. Juan introduced the cuadrilla or supporting team and Pedro (1754 – 1839) became one of Spain’s greatest bullfighters. During his long reign he founded the “Ronda school, still known for its classicism, strict observance of the rules and the estocada a recibir, (the phenomenon of the man receiving the full force of the bull’s last charge upon his sword). The rules of bullfighting have remained basically the same, without great changes since the time of Pedro Romero.
Some famous toreros have been Pepe Hillo (1754 – 1801) who created the spontaneous Seville style as opposed to the solemn and less spectacular Ronda style. Following him came the Cordobans, Lagartijo (1841 – 1900), renowned for his elegant passes and Guerrita (1862 – 1941) who remained supreme in the ring until 1899. In this century there have been the Sevillans, Joselito (1895 – 1920) rival of Juan Belmonte, killed in the Talavera de la Reina ring and Manolete, born in Cordoba in 1917 and killed at Linares in 1947. Manolete was famous and greatly admired for his moments of dramatic stillness in the ring and his clear-cut gestures. The renowned E1 Cordobes (Manuel Benitez) has again retired after making a less than spectacular comeback several years ago. In the 1960’s, he was called the Beatle of the Bullring as his sensationalist style was criticized by the classical toreros.
Fighting bulls are raised on vast ranges by the Guadalquivir in Andalucia and on the plains of Castille between Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo. Selection for the ring and for breeding is based on the tienta or bravery a bull shows in the domain’s trial ring, (cortijo), and provides the form to be analysed on the day of the fight by aficionados.
The corridas de toro take place during times of ferias and other holidays with major cities having bullfights every Sunday of the season. Many of these corridas are novilladas, in which the bulls are not more than three years old and the toreros are not yet professionals. The capeas de pueblo are the popular festivals at which young amateurs match their skill against bulls in village squares.
The plaza de toros is a large amphitheatre ‘ where the corridas are held. (The Plaza de Toros de las Ventas in Madrid can hold up to 25,000 spectators.) The price of tickets to a bullfight varies with the distance of the seat to the ring and the location in relation to the sun or shade. The aficionados consider the best seats to be those closest to the ring (the delanteras) and if it is a hot, sunny day, they prefer the shade to the sun. For a better view of the bullfight in its entirety, it is wiser to sit further away from the ring in the grados or tendidos.
The Corrida: Traditionally the bullfight begins at 5 o’clock sharp; however, in recent years, due to daylight savings time and the brutal Spanish sun, the corrida may not start until 6 or 7 p.m. The program is made up of two kills, each by three matadores. (A bullfighter is called a torero, matador, or espada, but never a toreador. The term toreador was invented for use in Bizet’s opera, “Carmen”.) The action begins to the tune of a paso-doble with a paseo or grand entry led by two mounted alquaciles (servants of the corrida president in 17th century costume). These are followed by the toreros or ring contestants: the three matadores (matar: to kill) each in his costume of lights (traje de luces) leading his cuadrilla or team. The contests (lidia) are divided into three acts or tercios, marked by trumpet calls.
1) Suerte or tercio de varas
The cape (capea) – Peones or foot followers begin by attracting the bull’s attention and concentrating its attention on the cloak. The matador enters and plays his wide cape before the bull to gauge its intelligence and swiftness of turn. This exercise also gives the matador the opportunity to display his style and perform formal figures such as the veronica in which the cape sweeps as close to the bull’s head as St. Veronica’s veil did to the face of Christ.
The pikes (varas) – Picadores on their heavily padded horses wait with pikes ready for the bull to charge. They then thrust their weapons into its withers; this breaks the bull’s speed and reveals its prowess. The bull is normally spiked four times. If the bull appears cowardly, the president of the bullfight, by waving a red kerchief, can ordain that the banderillas that are placed next shall be black.
2) Suerte or tercio de banderillas
The second part of the ritual is placing the banderillas, beribboned darts about .90 m long, into the tossing muscle of the bull. The banderilleros, with a quick, agile jump, skilfully avoid the approaching bull and usually place three pairs of the banderillas in the bull’s withers.
3) Suerte or tercio de muerte
La faena de muleta – This, the deft work with the muleta, the red cloth bound to a stick, opens the last act in the drama. The matador salutes the president, dedicates (brinda) the bull to a particular person or the crowd, throws aside his hat, and faces his adversary. With his sword (estoque, 90 cm long) in his right hand and his muleta in his left, he plays the bicho (insect), winning applause for the grace, originality and boldness of his passes.
The estocada – Finally the bull stands still! head lowered. The matador advances, his sword straight before him, and aiming between the shoulder blades thrusts to the bull’s heart as his body brushes the right horn of the animal still fascinated by the muleta. The estocada a volapie, when the matador throws his weight onto the standing animal, is the more common action. The estocada a recibir is a much more difficult feat.
The Trophies: A particularly brilliant faena de muleta, or a courageous and swift estocada, will be greeted by the crowd with a rapturous applause and the bestowal on the matador of one or both of the bull’s ears and very occasionally, the tail also. If the man makes a poor show with the muleta or fails to stop the bull for the kill, the president may wave his green kerchief, imposing the insult of letting the bull leave the ring alive. The blue kerchief salutes the bull’s prowess and signals the mules to drag the carcass on a lap of honour.
Flamenco – Origins
Flamenco was born in Andalusia, the “Kingdom of the Guitar”. Yet no one knows for certain how it was born. Some say the gypsies invented it: and the fact is that today Flamenco has become almost a gypsy monopoly, with gypsies providing the best dancing and singing.
Others say the Moors invented Flamenco – and this seems closer, to the truth. The Flamenco song, which at times becomes a long drawn-out cry, at the top of the lungs, resembles the Moorish muezzin, the cry-to-prayer from the top of a minaret.
Suffice it to say that, like everything else in Spain, Flamenco is a “melting pot” of influences, and has evolved with the country as a whole.
After the Reconquest, the great Moorish universities of Andalusia, especially Cordoba, were destroyed. Only the common people kept alive the Moorish heritage, and this evolved in the following centuries. At first, Flamenco was merely song; the guitars and dancing were added centuries later.
There are three elements of flamenco: song dance and guitar.
Song
This was originally all of flamenco: simple ballads sung around the fire, in the home, at the tavern. These songs were not “written” by musicians and then sung. The singer improvised them spontaneously. They always described highly personal emotions of the singer: joy, sorrow, hope, lost loves, memories, etc. Usually, though, the emotion was sad, and the tone of the song wistful. Flamenco has been called “A publication of the bad news of humanity”. It’s almost always “serious” things that are described – not light-hearted, carefree moon-in-June sentiments.
Since the Flamenco song is personal, the words are important. Originally the “song” was nothing but a little spontaneous poetry half-spoken, half-sung, with no accompaniment. There is nothing “literary” about Flamenco; Flamenco singers won’t touch anything concocted by an academic writer. However the study of Flamenco has become recently a literary subject. At the University in Jerez de la Frontera there is a professorship of Flamencology!
The condition of the singer is important: his best singing is done in a trance-like state, induced partly by Andalucian wine, by tapas, by the intimate surroundings (preferably a small room), and by the women in the audience. The Oles shouted by the onlookers, their clapping, shouts and laughter contribute to the singer’s inspiration. Singer and audience create a mutual feedback situation; which is why Flamenco could never be sung in a concert hall.
Dance
Some say that the word “flamenco” comes from a Spanish word for “slender” alluding to the figure of the dancers. And certainly today, the dancing is the most conspicuous aspect of the performance. The dances are of various sorts: fandangos, Sevillanas (coming from patio-dancing in Seville), tangos, or romeras; and there are many others. The vigour and rapidity of the floor stamping originated in the attempt to express physically the intensity of feeling in the singer-composer.
Foreign visitors tend to look only at the stamping feet. But hands, fingers, and wrist movements, while less spectacular, tell you more of the story being sung.
Guitar
The guitar keeps the melody going amid the floor pounding of the dancers. In Flamenco it is not the “leading” element but only an accompaniment, though occasionally the guitarist will perform a solo number while the singers are resting between stanzas.
Sherry
Over the centuries, sherry has been pirated and pillaged, has seduced conquerors and defeated an invading army – a colourful history that you would expect from a wind of Andalucia. Noah’s vineyard is reputed to have started the flow of wine, but it was the Greeks, responsible for most cultivated tastes, which made an art of winemaking and brought it to Jerez, the birthplace of sherry. Jerez is in the southwest corner of Spain and the vineyards here produce a wine distinct from all others, a wine created by the natural elements of its Andalucian environment and shaped by its history. Jerez was to be invaded again and again, by Romans, Vandals and Visigoths, by “infidel” Moors and the battling armies of Napoleon and Wellington.
When Andalucia fell to the Moors, the prospect for winegrowers was gloomy all round as the Moslem religion forbade all alcohol. Yet the sherry makers were to be grateful to the Moors, for their conquerors, suddenly thrust into the midst of the most productive vineyards in the world, found temptation irresistible. Before long, they discovered the secret of distilling alcohol from the grape, which was quickly assimilated by the Jerezanos into their sherry wines. Even the name has a Moorish ring, for the area was called Sheres, corrupted by the Spanish into Jerez and later by the English into Sherry.
The Moors were expelled in the 13th Century by Alfonso the Sage, who made Jerez his frontier fortress. Proudly renamed Jerez de la Frontera, it was never to fall again.
Alfonso was a great patron of the sherry wine trade and the vineyards flourished under his rule. The first English merchants to settle in Jerez went there in the 15th Century, when there is a record of sherry being shipped to Plymouth. Elizabethan England loved its old Sacke – which it dubbed sherry, a name taken from the Spanish word for exporting – sacar. Sacke was the most popular and trustworthy wine of its time; the wine of Elizabeth’s court and Shakespeare’s tavern. Falstaff roars out its praises in Henry IV, and Drake pirated 3,000 butts of Sherries sack when he “singed the Spanish king’s beard” by setting fire to his fleet in Cadiz.
In the 19th Century, Andalucia was devastated by the peninsular war. While Wellington was enjoying sherry on his campaigns, the vineyards were laid waste and thousands of gallons pillaged by the French.
Few shippers survived the war and its depredations but the recovery of the sherry trade was rapid, especially as in England the Prince Regent swore he would drink nothing but sherry. Even in Victorian England, notoriously prudish in most ways, a decanter of sherry was the fashionable way to greet guests.
Supplies of sherry were nearly cut off altogether, however, when in 1894 a deadly pest, Phylloxera, struck the vineyards. Originating in America and transferred to France, it was carried by itinerant labourers into Jerez, where it brought devastation.
Only the vast quantities of wine in the bodegas tided shippers over the lean years. But the winegrowers were not defeated; they grafted their vines on to new stock from American vines immune to the disease, and soon they were producing sherry as good as ever.
Throughout the turbulent history of Jerez – the invasions, the war, the pirates – the sherrymakers of Jerez have stubbornly survived and gone on producing their magnificent Sherries. Today, over 70% is shipped to Britain.
Various Types of Sherries
Generally, Sherries are divided into two main families; finos and olorosos. There are numerous variations, depending on age and qualities. All styles are basically dry, and if a sweet sherry is required it is obtained by blending.
Finos are light dry Sherries. They are pale straw colour, delicate and refreshing to taste. Amontillados are old finos, richer and more distinguished. They are amber-coloured and have a dry but very mellow flavour.
Olorosos, literally mean fragrant. They have more body and density. Generally, they are stronger and darker in colour before they are blended. They are dry on the palate. Medium Sweet Sherries are olorosos blended with sweet wines pleasing to a northern European palate.
Cream Sherries are a blend of the above Sherries with varying degrees of the sweet Pedro Ximinez wine, to produce velvety smooth Sherries.
Brown Sherries are very sweet, dark sherries, extremely rich and excellent after dinner when served as an alternative to liqueur. These are much richer and darker than the cream Sherries.
The Making Of Sherry
Jerez has a unique soil and the finest climate imaginable for growing vines: plenty of rain in winter and spring, with hot continuous sunshine throughout the summer to ripen the grapes. There is no vintage year, as the French know it. Practically every vintage is good both in quality and quantity.
Viticulture is the cultivation of the vine and covers every stage until the grapes go into the press, when “viniculture”, the vintage or actual winemaking, begins.
New vines take 3 to 4 years before yielding a vintage and over 43 tasks must be carried out from the time a new shoot is nurtured until the first bunch of grapes appears. The main labours are loosening the ground, killing weeds, destroying pests and pruning.
The Vineyards
Jerez covers only a small triangular coastal area, bounded by two great rivers, the Guadalquivir and the Guadalete, and the Atlantic Dunes. The vineyards are no more than 20 ½ miles long and less than 15 miles wide.
The Land
The soil in the vineyards is the famous Albariza: white as a snowdrift and womb-like in its nurturing of the vines. In the Spring it absorbs the rains like a sponge and then in the blazing heat of summer, over 100 degrees F., hardens into glass-like armour, deflecting the beating rays, while the vine’s lengthy roots feed from the reserves of moisture which lie beneath the crust.
The Albariza soil hardens to its protective shell, the vine roots feet the growing grapes. Two months under the scorching sun turn the grapes golden and ripe for the gathering in September.
The Sherry Grapes
Sherry is made from two varieties of grapes; the Palomino, believed to be the fruit of the primitive oriental vine, whose grapes are pale green and translucent, and are used as a base for all the sherry wines. And the Pedro Ximenez, an exceptionally succulent and sweet grape, which when blended, produces the sweet Sherries.
The Vintage
For the gathering of the grapes the vineyard are filled with the Vendimiadores, the vintage workers, who cut off the bunches of grapes with broad blue‑bladed knives. The grapes are then taken in straw baskets to the Almijar, a broad flat space in front of the pressing house. Here the grapes are stacked in miniature pyramids, each on its round esparto mat, in the classic fashion of Homer’s “Ideal Vineyard”.
Sunning the Grapes
The heaps of grapes vary in size according to the type of wine. For the basis of sherry – the f inos and olorosos – they are usually sunned for 24 hours to reduce the moisture and increase the sugar content. For the sweet wine from the luscious Pedro Ximinez grape, the fruit is left out in the sun for a fortnight. At night, the piles of grapes are screened by mats from the dew, which would undo the work of the sun.
The Press House
The grapes are pressed in a modern press that avoids the lengthy traditional foot pressing yet which in no way damages the wine. The grapes are fed into a large rotating press, which extracts the juice without pressing pips or crushing the stems, so that the “must” is tannin‑free. Water is then added to the residue and another pressing made. This diluted grape juice is called Aguape and is distilled into pure spirit.
The Bodegas
Vinification – the actual winemaking takes place in the bodegas. These are tall spacious stone halls, with lofty ceilings supported on pillars. Sherry, unlike most other wines, is matured in contact with the air, which must be circulated freely. So the bodegas are shaded and always cool. Here the infant wine or “must” is taken and put into new casks, made of the finest American oak. The “must” seasons the casks and they in turn help to mature the wine.
The Fermentation
After a few hours in the bodegas, yeasts in the air and the bloom off the grape skins set off a series of fermentations. In the first fermentation, the “must” reacts vigorously for three or four days, when practically all the grape sugar has changed into alcohol. Then the enta or slow second fermentation begins and the wine develops steadily until December or January, when the opaque “must” “falls bright” and becomes wine.
The Sherry Floor
Suddenly and spontaneously, the new wine develops the sherry Flor – a unique phenomenon possessed mostly by the finos. The flor literally means a flower, but in reality it is a film of living yeast cells that cover the surface of the wine. The wine is said to flower because the sherry flor is pure white and occurs twice a year, coinciding with the blossoming of the vines in the spring and autumn vintage. This sherry flor absorbs oxygen, protects the wine from vinegar microbes and is the factor that determines the special character of the finos.
Classifying the New Wine
In the first three months of the year, the new wine is classified. Sherry wine, when new, is capricious and two butts from the same grapes standing side by side can turn out quite differently, one a fino, And the other an oloroso. Sampling is a skill on its own. The Capataz or head cellarman goes round with a Venencia, a long stick of sprung whalebone with a silver cup on the end, which he plunges into the butt. Drawing up the new wine without disturbing the surface and pouring the contents of the cup demands considerable dexterity. The Capataz tells the wine by the “nose” or aroma, and chalks the classification on each cask.
The Fortifying
After classification the wines which will develop into Olorosos will be fortified with a mixture of spirit and must be between 16% and 17%. The finos, on the other hand, will be fortified to 15% as any higher alcohol than this would kill the flor and the wine would not develop – but prior to shipment, after they have matured, all sherries are brought up to the required strength for export.
The Criadera
Each cask is matured separately as an anadas the wine of that year, which comprises the criadera, the nursery. Here the sherry wine rests, gaining in age and smoothness for a year or two, when it is judged to be ready to enter the Solera.
The Solera
As older sherry has a curious way of assimilating less mature sherry completely, the sherry makers blend them together in the manner of the Solera, which consists of tiers of butts. The finally matured sherry ready for drinking is always drown from the bottom tier. One third only is tapped from each cask and this amount is refilled from the second tier, which is not so old. In their turn these butts are refreshed from the third tier. This top tier is then filled up from the Criadera. By continually refreshing the casks, the solera maintains a constant flow of high quality sherry.