The triumphant finale of Season 1.

After the devastation left by Rumasa, this episode tells the story of Sherry’s remarkable revival. Christopher traces how producers returned to craftsmanship and terroir, revived historic vineyards, introduced the VOS and VORS ageing classifications, and brought the region back to life through En Rama bottlings, single-pago wines, and visionary almacenistas.

This is the episode where Sherry becomes exciting again — a wine for collectors, sommeliers, and serious drinkers worldwide.

And at the end, Christopher looks ahead:

Season 2 will take listeners deeper — into how Sherry is made, how it ages, and how the solera system creates one of the world’s most extraordinary wines.

A dark and dramatic chapter in the Sherry story.

In this episode, Christopher explores the rise and fall of Rumasa, the vast Spanish conglomerate that took control of much of Jerez’s wine industry in the 1960s and 70s — only to collapse spectacularly when the Spanish government seized over 700 companies overnight in 1983.

From industrialisation and reckless growth to economic ruin and cultural damage, this episode shows how Rumasa nearly destroyed Sherry’s global reputation — and how its collapse ultimately paved the way for a return to quality and authenticity.

It’s a gripping tale of ambition, excess, and the painful lessons that reshaped modern Sherry.

Christopher explores how Sherry lost its prestige in the 20th century. After phylloxera, producers turned to sweeter, mass-market styles like Cream Sherry, which suited changing global tastes but damaged the region’s reputation. As supermarkets pushed volume over quality, Sherry became seen as cheap and old-fashioned.