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CIDIMA, the first private research centre in Spain, turns 60 years of intense and beneficial scientific work at the service of the world of wine. Sixty years ago, González Byass took a step forward with the creation of the first research centre by a private company in Spain: CIDIMA (Quality, Research, Development, Innovation and Environment). In 1955, Mauricio González-Gordon Díez founded this pioneering centre, whose mission is the improvement of the wine making processes and the development of new products at González Byass.
Throughout its history, CIDIMA has made significant breakthroughs in the research for the wine industry. In 1956, it managed to put an end to the precipitation of bitartrate crystals produced when sherry wine travelled to countries with colder climates. The team implemented a cooling process to treat wine in-cellar and avoid the appearance of the crystals on arrival. Subsequently, in 1969, CIDIMA introduced gas chromatography and became the first company in the sector to use this analysis technique.
In the 80s, the pursuit of innovation in the different production processes set the course of their research. In 1989, CIDIMA managed to speed up, from one week to one day, the regular cooling treatment in wine that was used in Spain so far. Years later, the work of CIDIMA allowed González Byass to be the first Jerez winery to use a tangential filter that made it possible to dispense with the fining process with plate filters. This centre has also been responsible, since 1990, for overseeing the making of Tío Pepe Kosher, the only sherry available to the Jewish community.
Concerning the development of new products, CIDIMA has taken a leading role in the production of ultra-premium brandy Lepanto Aurum (a sherry brandy aged for over 30 years in hundred-year-old casks), Tintilla de Rota by Finca Moncloa (a naturally sweet wine), gin Mom (aromatised with red berries) and whisky Nomad Outland (aged in PX sherry casks).
CIDIMA has also conducted studies in collaboration with several Spanish universities (Universities of Granada, Seville, Cadiz and the Polytechnic University of Madrid) as well as with the Spanish Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). This work has resulted in significant research and projection work in both development and innovation in the making, fermentation, aging, fining, identification of components and stabilisation processes of wines and brandies.
The history of CIDIMA
On March 23 1955, the CIE (Centre for Oenological Research) was founded by González Byass. It was the first step taken by a Spanish private company to incorporate research in the winemaking process to the list of usual tasks of a winery that was traditionally devoted to the production and aging of wines and brandies. Justo Francisco Casas Lucas was the manager of the centre then.
The practical application of the work done by CIE made it necessary to modify its structure in 1983, when it was renamed CIDEC (Centre for the Research, Development and Quality). The major achievements of Enrique García Maiquez, the new manager, were a renewed staff, improved material resources and the innovation in the production, research and development processes. Jesús Arnedo Rodríguez took over from Enrique García Maiquez and managed CIDEC between 1990 and 1992.
In 2003, under the direction of José Alberto Casas, CIDEC was renamed CIDIMA (Quality, Research, Development, Innovation and Environment). The lines of research that were set in its inception are still in force, with particular emphasis on the improvement in the conservation of bottled fino wines and the aging of oloroso wines. In the field of brandy, the aging in barrels and the making process of spirits are CIDIMA’s key concerns.
In 2007, González Byass received the Martínez Moreno Research Award for the promotion, development and innovation in the viticulture and oenology studies it has conducted in the Marco de Jerez, the territory where sherry is produced. This award, which is usually granted to institutions and, in rare cases, to private companies, was the recognition of a pioneering research work in the field of winemaking.
At present, CIDIMA has a team of 11 people and plays a leading role in the González Byass’ new sustainable reality : 5 + 5: Caring for the Planet. The centre leads several initiatives for pollution prevention and environmental conservation, based on the continuous improvement principle. Especially outstanding are the analysis of the water used in the Jerez-based González Byass wineries, the award of the ISO 14001 certification (for environmental management) and the calculation of the carbon footprint at all the González Byass wineries.