Category Archives: events

sherry week 2018

08 Monday Oct 2018

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The first day of Sherry Week (October 8 – 14) began and ended with, well, sherry. Went out for a pre-lunch manzanilla at Taberna Manolo Cateca and Manolo recommended that we try these two, chosen by Armando Guerra from two different sections of Bodegas Barbadillo, one with the windows open facing the cool east wind (Poniente), the other facing the hot dry west wind (Levante). My favourite was the Poniente, which tasted a bit fresher to me. But they were both lovely.

In the evening we stopped by the Premier Sherry Cocktail Bar for a sherry mixology masterclass. José prepared 4 cocktails, using different sherries, and also different techniques: Sobrebotas, Bloody Sherry, Silencio, Shegroni. And we got to taste them too! You can see the recipes below.


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quimera rooftop event

05 Friday Oct 2018

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Yes… ANOTHER event. Was kind of a crazy week that way. This time it was the inauguration of the new Quimera bar-restaurant on the rooftop of the Hotel Melia Sevilla. Pretty innit.

As well as the new rooftop area, the Meliá has recently undergone a major renovation of all its facilities, and although this was my first visit I was impressed by what I saw. We started with a tour of the main reception area and downstairs bar, which are very cleverly designed with “open frame” partitions that preserve the feeling of spaciousness, while giving a sense of intimacy to the different areas, followed by the various conference rooms, this obviously being a major target market for the hotel.

We then went upstairs to see a couple of the new rooms, a very nice standard double, and a distinctly luxurious suite with separate bedroom and living room, with a distinct “I could live there” feel to it. As a bonus there are great views of the back of the Plaza España, and also of the rooftop bar (which is on the lower roof above the reception area, not on the top roof), complete with swimming pool).

Finally to the new restaurant-bar Quimera itself, where we got to spend a pleasant couple of hours by the pool, sampling the food (actually pretty good) and wine, and listening to the entertainment – my new favourite crooner – Juanlu! By this time I was getting sufficiently tipsy to think that I could actually sing along and sound good! 😉

A fun evening, and as usual we met up with other friends that we often see at these things. Good times.

Hotel Meliá Sevilla
Dr Pedro de Castro, 1
Tel: +34 912 764 747

world tourism day

28 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by in andalucia, events, flamenco, gastronomy, music, sevilla

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Yesterday (September 27th) was World Tourism Day, and to mark the occassion Prodetur (Turismo Sevilla Provincia) held a Gala event, Sabores de Sevilla, at the Diputación de Sevilla, with speeches and a live music show, followed by catered food and drink showcasing various products from the province of Sevilla. A big (air-conditioned!) marquee had been erected in the main courtyard for the event.

Local and global publicity for the food industry in the province of Sevilla, and the work of local government and other groups in promoting food tourism, was the main point of the evening, and this part of Spain really does have a wonderful range of high quality food products. It’s not just the ham, or other Iberico pork products, or even the famous oranges, there’s olives and cheeses, rice, the world’s best tomatoes, and a wine industry that has improved a lot since I first moved here.

Live entertainment was provided by Pastora Soler, a very popular singer in these parts, who performed the Spanish entry in the 2012 Eurovision song contest. She is also taking part in an international video campaign promoting the food and wine of Sevilla. Although I had heard of her, I wasn’t familiar with her performances, which turned out to be essentially modern/pop, but strongly influenced by the local flamenco tradition, and all sung with a big, passionate voice. Very enjoyable, and she received a standing ovation at the end of her set.

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la goya new look

26 Wednesday Sep 2018

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This week (September 24), I was invited to the presentation of the new look La Goya manzanilla by Bodegas Delgado Zuleta, marking the brand’s centenary year. Organized by the boys at Probando Probando, the event was held on the terrace of the Corte Inglés Gourmet Experience in Sevilla, looking out over the city. It was a nicely low key event, with not too many speeches or too much marketing razzle.

A brief introduction of the new label was given by Jorge Pascual (general director of Delgado Zuleta) and José Federico Carvajal (commercial director of Delgado Zuleta) to some 150 people including bodega shareholders, wine distributors, hoteliers and specialised media.

The result was a very pleasant evening meeting up with old friends, enjoying some tasty snacks of jamón, cheese, oysters and mojama (cured tuna) provided by @MANCHENIETO @PanaderiaObando @OstreasurSG @QuesosPajarete @HerpacBarbate. And of course, sampling plenty of perfectly chilled La Goya (which hasn’t changed – still the same excellent sherry it’s always been).

Thanks as always to the organisers and hosts for a great evening.


[also posted on Azahar Sevilla]

verema 2018

05 Monday Mar 2018

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This was the second Verema Wine Experience in Sevilla and, like last year’s, it was held in the splendid event rooms at the Alfonso XIII hotel. But unlike last year’s, out of the 40 or so Spanish bodegas present, there were none from the Marco de Jerez, which seemed a bit strange. Other than that, it was all very well-organised and we got to try several interesting wines before heading to the Cava Masterclass tasting. I think there will be more “cava education” in my future…