Bodegas Real Tesoro, Valdespino y La Guita

Valdespino traces its traditional family origins to 1264, when, according to the history preserved by the house, King Alfonso X granted land to the knight Alfonso Valdespino following the Christian conquest of Jerez. Commercial wine activity associated with the family is documented from 1430, while the modern company, A. R. Valdespino, was formally constituted in 1875. These dates represent different stages in the history of the name and should not be treated as interchangeable foundation dates. In 1999, Valdespino was acquired by Grupo José Estévez, which preserved its historic brands and soleras while transferring the principal ageing operations to the group’s facilities on the outskirts of Jerez.

The identity of Valdespino is inseparable from Macharnudo Alto, one of the most highly regarded historic pagos of Jerez and the source of the Palomino used for the house’s most distinctive wines, including Fino Inocente and Amontillado Tío Diego. Fermentation in seasoned American-oak butts remains one of the defining features of these wines — a practice once common throughout Jerez but largely abandoned as stainless-steel fermentation became standard. Fino Inocente passes through ten criaderas and reaches an average age of approximately ten years under flor; its prolonged biological ageing and its origin in Macharnudo Alto make it one of the most distinctive and mature Finos produced in Jerez.

Eduardo Ojeda played a central role in the modern technical development of Valdespino and supervised the reorganisation of its soleras following the 1999 acquisition. He subsequently became a co-founder of Equipo Navazos. Victoria Frutos Climent joined Grupo José Estévez in 2005 and is now the winemaker most closely associated with Valdespino and the other Sherry houses belonging to the group.

The old-wine portfolio includes Don Gonzalo Oloroso VOS and the VORS wines Coliseo Amontillado, Cardenal Palo Cortado, Su Majestad Oloroso and Niños Pedro Ximénez. Moscatel Toneles occupies a separate position within the collection, drawn in extremely small quantities from an ancient tonel whose age is frequently estimated at close to a century. This should be understood as a technical and historical assessment rather than an exact chronological certification. As a Moscatel, it is not marketed under the VOS or VORS categories.