The Bodeguero Behind the Cellar

Shepherding a Five-Generation Legacy

Today, fifth-generation bodeguero César Florido continues his family legacy, guiding his winery with a steady hand. César presses his own grapes from family vineyards planted to Palomino Fino, alongside grapes purchased from long-time growers. Utilizing native-yeast fermentation, the young wines rest before entering the solera system, where they gain depth and complexity under the influence of Chipiona’s maritime climate.

César’s role is not only to maintain the soleras and craft the house’s range of Sherries, but also to safeguard Chipiona’s heritage as the birthplace of Moscatel. These are naturally sweet and produced with the moscatel de alejandria grape, which makes up just two percent of plantings in Sherry. The musts are so thick and sugary they hardly ferment, and fermentation is stopped by fortification to retain the sugars.

His Moscatel Dorado is the reference point for the classic, balanced sweet wines of the zone, characterized by notes of orange blossom, jasmine, and a honeyed, raisiny palate. His Moscatel Especial is produced with the ancient method of adding arrope (must reduced through cooking) after fermentation, which can be traced back at least as far as ancient Greece.

From Mosto to Estate Bottling

Crafting Sherry in Chipiona

César Florido presses his own mosto from family vineyards planted to Palomino Fino, alongside grapes purchased from long-time growers. Utilizing native-yeast fermentation, the young wines rest before entering the solera system, where they gain depth and complexity under the influence of Chipiona’s maritime climate. A longtime almacenista, Florido began estate bottling in 1988, marking a turning point in the bodega’s history and establishing it as one of the few independent, estate-bottling producers in the region.

The Cruz del Mar Solera

At Bodegas César Florido, Palomino-based sherries age through the Solera System just steps from the Atlantic. Fortified at different stages depending on style, from flor-aged Fino to oxidative Oloroso, the wines circulate through cascading criaderas and soleras. This infinite process ensures consistency, depth, and a true expression of Chipiona’s maritime climate.

Traditional Moscatel Craft

Late-harvest Moscatel grapes from Chipiona undergo spontaneous fermentation before being fortified to preserve natural sugar. In the Especial, arrope (a cooked, reduced must aged in its own solera) is added for depth, while the Fundacional 1873 uses asoleo sun-drying for concentrated raisin-like character. All age briefly in solera, resulting in sweet, floral, and honeyed profiles.