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The monument on the Tío Pepe Roundabout, designed by sculptor Chiqui Díaz, welcomes drivers and pedestrians overlooking one of the main roads of Jerez de la Frontera. The Mayor of Jerez, María José García-Pelayo Jurado, and the President of González Byass, Mauricio González-Gordon, attended the unveiling of the monument crowning the roundabout. With this donation, González Byass wants to return part of the kindness demonstrated by the city of Jerez in granting the name of one of its major road junctionsto the famed sherry.
The monument at the Tío Pepe Roundabout becomes thus a chief welcome element to Jerez and, at the same time, a symbol identifying the bond of González Byass –established nearly two centuries ago– with the city. Made of high-quality stainless steel and nine metres high, Chiqui Díaz found inspiration for his sculpture in the legendary Tío Pepe bottle and endowed it with extra elegance and movement.
Thanks to the patina process, Díaz manages to give new life to stainless steel through the different colours and sheens of the Tío Pepe sculpture. In addition, its mirror-polished zones make it interact with everything around by reflecting all the things happening at this point of the city.
This monument was chosen by internet users after a vote on the relevant website (www.rotondatiopepe.com and the Bodegas Tío Pepe Facebook page (www.facebook.com/tiopepe). Users from all over Spain –chiefly from Jerez de la Frontera, Madrid, Seville and Barcelona– took part in the election of the best design, which also received votes from outside Spain, especially from the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Ireland.
#SherryRevolution
The unveiling of the monument, together with the appointment of Jerez as European City of Wine, the Sherry Festival, the International Sherry Week or the start of the Tour of Spain in the city shows the resurgence of Jerez in the international arena. It is a genuine #SherryRevolution where this unique wine manages to win more and more enthusiasts every day.