Among the functions of the Consejo Regulador of the Denomination of Origen “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry” are the representation, defense and quality guarantee of the wines it protects as well as the defense and authorised protection of each and every term which comprises the names of the Denominations of Origin, including the term “Sherry”.
In the exercise of these functions, the Consejo Regulador registered the brand “Sherry Cask” in 2015 with the purpose of using it to identify the use of wines from vineyards registered in the Denomination, and even specific protected types of wine used in the business of seasoning casks. It is particularly important for the defense of the legitimate interests of the title holders of the Denomination of Origin to ensure that the goodwill built up over centuries of tradition and good practice cannot be fraudulently usurped by operators with no right to it.
To this end, the Consejo Regulador has developed a special regulatory document called “Espicificación Tecnica de Envinado” or Technical Specification of Seasoning, the rules of which must be complied with in respect of every cask for which use of the mark Sherry Cask is desired.
Verification of compliance with the Technical Specification will be conducted by the control and certification body of the Consejo Regulador – the OECCA Foundation (Organisation for the Evaluation of Agro-alimentary Quality and Certification) – which authorises any operators who so desire the right to use the brand Sherry Cask and issues the specifically designed cards for attaching to the casks.
To sum up, the Consejo Regulador is providing the trade – both cooperages and those who season casks – the opportunity to offer their customers a seal of guarantee which can be attached to casks of various capacities which are later used for the ageing of other alcoholic drinks. The seal covers the use of specific types of wine for seasoning while at the same time protecting the name “Sherry”.
The certification process is based on the requirements of the regulation UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17065 and can be consulted on the website of the OECCA Foundation at: www.oecca.es
Here the Especificación Técnica can be consulted, which was developed by the Consejo Regulador to provide access to use of the “Sherry Cask” brand as well as the technical instructions “Auditoría del Proceso de Envinado de Vasijas”, of the OECCA Foundation.
Data can also be consulted about the various operators who are currently using the Consejo Regulador’s “Sherry Cask” certification system
When casks fulfill the requirements of the Technical Specification of Seasoning of containers, and those who season them are certified by the OECCA Foundation, the Sherry Cask compliance seal can be used in the form of a guarantee label identifying it as a unique Sherry Cask.
The guarantee label consists of a card made of a plastic material which is attached to the butt and has dimensions of 85 mm x 55 mm and on which the Sherry Cask logo features prominently along with two numbers: the registration number of the butt and the certification number. There is also a QR code which contains the following obligatory information:
Optionally it can contain any of the following information:
