Next summer sees the return of the 7th TÍO PEPE Festival. This will be the 7th edition of the event that combines the best music, food and wine to create unforgettable evenings at the Tío Pepe winery.
Some of the music stars who will be performing have already been announced and include international bands such as Simple Minds and Kool & the Gang. Simple Minds, the Glasgow-based band formed by Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, will be at the González Byass bodegas on 1st August, as part of their 40 Years of Hits tour.
The Scottish band made a name for themselves in the complex international scene of the early 80’s thanks to a. string of hits for soundtracks, the best-known being Don't You (Forget About Me), from the soundtrack of the film The Breakfast Club. The band still perform, reinventing their direct hits and touring the world.
Legendary R&B band Kool & the Gang is another of the first acts to be added to the bill. About to celebrate a 50-year career, the American band has become a musical legend that has influenced three generations with well-known hits such as Celebration and Jungle Boogie, which they will be performing live on 10th August.
As to Spanish artists, the first to mention is one of Spain’s top singers, José Luis Perales, who will be performing at the TÍO PEPE Festival as part of his farewell stage tour “Ballads to say farewell by”. This very special concert is on 7th August and tickets sold out in just a few days, but a second date has been confirmed: 26th July.
Another big name joining the Festival this year is Víctor Manuel, one of Spain’s best singer-songwriters and composers. The list of records he has made is as long as it is highly regarded, both in Spain and internationally. Víctor Manuel will be performing his classic repertoire at the TÍO PEPE Festival on 5th August along with Casi nada está en su sitio (Almost everything is out of place), the first album of original songs he has released since 2008.
Córdoba-born singer India Martínez pays tribute in her latest album, Palmeras, to the neighbourhood in which she grew up. Her launch tour for the album will be bringing her to the TÍO PEPE Festival. The album oozes femininity, strength and talent and as an expression of the fusion of flamenco and pop that has catapaulted her into being one of the major exponents of “racial pop” in Spain, is a consummate success. Ana Torroja is also billed to appear at this next TÍO PEPE Festival, as part of her Volver 2020 tour, in which she will be performing all the hits from her time as a vocalist with legendary Spanish pop group Mecano, as well as hits from her solo career.
Tenor Juan Diego Flórez will be back again this year, following his success at last summer’s TÍO PEPE Festival. Considered to be one of the great operatic talents and lauded as one of the best tenors ever by the BBC, he debuted at La Scala in Milan aged just 23 and has since performed regularly in all of the world’s major theatres and opera houses alongside internationally acclaimed conductors. Flórez will be performing his Bésame mucho album on 3rd August.
Tickets for performances can also be purchased at www.tiopepefestival.com
But there is far more to the TÍO PEPE Festival than music. To make the summer evenings truly unforgettable, some of the country’s top chefs will be coming along to create their “Dining by the Stars” menus. This time and to give these gastronomic events the prominence they deserve, “Dining by the Stars” is being scheduled separately from the concerts. We already know who three of the chefs charged with filling the festival experience with flavour will be.
Francis Paniego heads up El Portal de Echaurren, the first restaurant in La Rioja to be awarded a Michelin star. His signature feature is his deep connection with the land he was raised in and an indomitable passion for offal. The flavour of memories and respect for local, seasonal produce and the natural surroundings are ever present in his cooking.
After working with Ángel León at Aponiente, Juan Luis Fernández opened his own restaurant, LÚ Cocina y Alma, in Jerez in 201, gaining his first Michelin star in November 2018. His tireless ability to reinvent rear-guard cooking is a common thread that runs through every dish he creates.
Israel Ramos, for his part, is committed to heroing the product itself at what is Jerez’s first gastronomic restaurant, Mantúa, which won its first Michelin star this year. Ramos is a fierce promoter of Sherry wines, incorporating them into his creations with natural ease, offering a cuisine that is innovative, elegant and a faithful reflection of his own personality.
The two chefs will be cooking together at the Brilla Jerez (Glorious Jerez) dinner on the evening of 9th August. The event will be a unique opportunity to enjoy a combination of two styles of cooking in what is sure to be an excellent gastronomic experience.
The TÍO PEPE Festival was awarded the 2019 City of Jerez Prize for Promotion by the Jerez City Council and the 2019 Best Wine Tourism Experience by the Wine Challenge Merchant Award Spain. It was rated the 2016 Best Wine Tourism Experience by ACEVIN and won the Drinks International prize for Best Wine Event 2015. The Institute for Quality in Tourism has awarded the Festival a “Q for Quality in Tourism” certificate and in 2018 it won the accolade of Best Wine Event in the World in the seventh “Drinks International Wine Tourism Challenge” organised by British magazine Drinks International. The Festival also won a prize in the Acevin “Wine Tourism Awards 2018”.
