Category Archives: sherry

an unexpected feast

19 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars

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So there I was yesterday morning, settling in for a morning of writing with plans to take my WALK after lunch, when I got a message from my friend Gabriella (AKA Shawn of the North) that she and some friends were coming to town. That day. For lunch. In fact, she was texting me from the runway at Bilbao airport and wanted to know if I could recommend somewhere nice where they could eat before heading to Jerez. Tricky as they would be arriving when most (good) bars and restaurants close for the afternoon, and on top of that it was a Monday, but I knew La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo would be the perfect choice. And it was.

I was also invited to join them! Gabriella’s friends were a group of six, winemakers and tour operators from Rioja, so we hit it off right away. We opted for Lo Que Diga Ramón (What Ramón Says), a set menu that Ramón makes up as he goes along, and I paired our dishes with different sherry wines, giving the group a bit of sherry education before they hit Jerez. I also recommended that they eat at Mantúa while there, so they will be doing that tonight.

Needless to say I didn’t get any more work done that day. Nor did I take my walk. By the time we said our goodbyes (7-ish?) I knew I had a serious date with my comfy chair, Netflix and the cats. What a great day though!  🙂

Ramón & Carmen with son Ignacio

finos palmas 2019

15 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in andalucia, sevilla, sherry

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It’s always such a pleasure to taste these wines. Finos Palmas is an annual limited selection of a small number of the very best casks of Tio Pepe Fino sherries from Bodega González Byass in Jerez de la Frontera.

This year’s selection was made mid-October by Antonio Flores, Gonzalez Byass’ master winemaker, and master of wine Peter Liem and, as always, bottled “en rama”, without filtration or clarification.

The tasting took place at Lalola Taberna Gourmet inside the Hotel One Shot Palacio Conde de Torrejón and was led by Silvia Flores, sommelier, assistant winemaker at González Byass, and Antonio’s daughter. It was different this year as it was the first time Finos Palmas has been presented to the public (rather than just press) before hitting the shelves. Really hard to pick a favourite, though of course the 53 year old Cuatro Palmas is in a league of its own. But all the wines, including a taste of Tío Pepe en Rama to begin, show the development of the finos and each one is delicious in its own way.

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sherry pairing dinner at palo cortao

08 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in gastronomy, sevilla, sherry, wine

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My life does not suck. This is International Sherry Week and one of my favourite spots in Sevilla, Palo Cortao, had organised a special 6-course sherry pairing dinner to be hosted by Sherry Ambassador Pepe Ferrer. And they invited me to join them! Yay!

As expected the food and wine pairings were spectacular. You can see what we had below. Of course every week is Sherry Week at Palo Cortao. Then have a wonderful wine list with lots of them available by the glass. If you’re in Sevilla you really should stop in.

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brad

02 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sherry, tapas, tapas bars, wine

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This is Brad from Atlanta with a personalised bottle label made by Esteban at Vermutería Yo Soy Tu Padre. I had popped over for “just one” as it’s such a cosy spot and it’s close to my house. Plus Esteban is one of my favourite people. Did we actually close the bar and end up in Triana until the wee hours? Photo evidence on my phone says we did.  😉

sherry twitter tasting 2019

22 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by in sherry, twitter, wine

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So these beauties have just arrived and now I’m all set for the Sherry Twitter Tasting 2019, Amontillado Edition, on November 5th, organised by Ruben @sherrynotes with the participation of the bodegas, the Consejo Regulador and us 15 lucky ducks who where chosen to take part.

The last time I did one of these was back in 2015 when I was chosen to participate in the Palo Cortado tasting.

Here’s the lineup…

  • Amontillado NPU (Sánchez Romate)

    A medium-aged example (15 years) with a rich and generous profile (vanilla, hazelnuts and a hint of sweetness). A classic Amontillado from Jerez.

  • Amontillado Principe de Barbadillo 12 Years (Barbadillo)

    Aged in Sanlúcar: 8 years under flor and 6 with oxygen. A good example of a spikey, maritime Amontillado.

  • Amontillado Tio Diego (Valdespino)

    One of the archetypes of Amontillado. After ageing for 10 years under flor, it ages further to a total 18 years. A single vineyard ‘Macharnudo Alto’ wine which evoques the albariza soil like no other.

  • Amontillado En Rama 2001 (Williams & Humbert)

    One of the latest Añadas from this bodegas, an Amontillado of 18 years, aged statically and therefore showing an above-average intensity and a unique character.

  • Fino Imperial VORS (Diez-Merito)

    One of the true gems of the sherry region, from a solera dating back to 1793. One of the very few natural Amontillados in existence – simply an amazing treat.

If you want to follow along pop onto Twitter on November 5th (19.00h CEST, UTV +1) and look for the #SherryTT hashtag.