Hailing from Ewarton, St Catherine, Verbert ‘Jerry’ Sutherland, whose mother ‘Olive’ of blessed memory told him that “anything is possible”, has chosen to honour her by naming his new wine import company Olive International Investments. As many great entrepreneurial stories begin – a chance meeting perhaps – two military men meet while on NATO business in Germany, and Jerry (now with British Military) invites Felix Aguirre (Spanish Military) for a Jamaican dinner. Felix brings a bottle of Spanish wine, which perfectly complements the fare. Jerry gets an idea, and Olive International Investments is born.

Olive International not only has regional distribution rights for the wines of the Los Pozos de Daimiel cooperative from Spain, but also plans to take Jamaican products to the Spanish market. At the launch held last week, at the Bahia Principe Jamaica Resort in Runaway Bay, under the distinguished patronage of Carmen Rives, chargé d’ affaires at the Spanish Embassy in Jamaica, directors Troy Cockings, Verbert ‘Jerry’ Sutherland and their core investors presented the wines that will be offered to the Jamaican market.

The land of Don Quixote

Los Pozos de Daimiel is situated in the Ciudad Real province in La Mancha, the region in which Spanish novelist Cervantes set his famous novel around the adventures of Don Quixote. La Mancha is one of the Denominaciones de Origen (designations of origin) of fine wine in Spain and is the largest continuous vine-growing area in the world. “Los Pozos de Daimiel” was formed by 126 local farmers, with deeply rooted tradition and pride in their lands, as well as a love and care of their own environment.

The wines

The wines of Los Pozos de Daimiel selected by Olive International are well suited for Jamaican and International mass markets. Indeed, most are fresh, fruit-forward with two semi-sweet offerings in the mix. The premium wine will appeal to more serious wine aficionados.

The two entry-level wines are branded as Las Tablas Blanco and Las Tablas Rosado. Las Tablas Blanco has a pleasant balance of acidity and sweetness and pairs well with most spicy foods when served very cold.

It is made with 100% Airén grapes, which in 2004 was the most planted grape varietal in the world; today it is ranked the third most planted. Equally pleasant is the Las Tablas Rosado; this rosé made with 100% Syrah (Shiraz) had a hint of fizz when I tasted it last week. Served cold, it is a crowd pleaser with good acidity and sweetness balance. Next up the totem pole are the wines in the Clavileño family. They tend to be young, fresh and fruity wines with Denomination of Origin “La Mancha”. In other words, all the grapes in these wines come from a specific region and follow growing and picking guidelines. Olive International will import the single varietal Tempranillo – a smooth, fruity soft red wine and a second red wine, the Clavileño Crianza, which is a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, is clean with a tad more tannins and structure. The premium wine in the portfolio is the Castillo de Daimiel – Reserva – an intense medium to full-bodied red blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon with ripe tannins and a pleasant, silky finish.

The Olive International team will be shopping their wines around Jamaica and are also in talks with potential distributors in Jamaica.

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope @chrisreckord and on Twitter: @Reckord