Category Archives: wine

raya cortada

18 Thursday Mar 2021

Posted by in sevilla, sherry, spain, wine

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raya

Is it an Oloroso? Is it an Amontillado? Usually you hear these questions asked about Palo Cortado wines, but now they are equally valid for this new wine from Bodegas Yuste in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. So move over Palo Cortado, there’s a new Mystery Wine in town.

Introducing Conde de Aldama Raya Cortada, created by Gabriel Raya and winemaker Miguel Villa. An oxidatively aged oloroso that is magically transformed after four years so that it finishes ageing biologically, a feat only possible thanks to the unique microclimate of Sanlúcar and a special super yeast that can withstand higher levels of alcohol.

I was lucky enough to taste it yesterday at Bodeguita Romero with my friend Reyes Morales (Casa Morales). Very smooth and caramelly… oloroso nose and amontillado in the mouth? Not sure… I’ll need to try it again. And again.

For now only 600 bottles of this mysterious miracle have been produced. There is still no date for the next bottling but Gabriel says it won’t be soon, so try and get hold of some now, if you can.

The photo below is courtesy of Bodegas Yuste. A new chalk mark design for this new groundbreaking wine. They are using the typical diagonal line (raya) that is used for oloroso (which then has an O in the middle of it). Here they have crossed (or cut) the raya with another line, similar to the palo cortado (cut stick) symbol, except it only cuts far enough to show it’s no longer an oloroso and also creating a Y (for Yuste?). Not sure if that last bit was intentional. And of course Gabriel’s surname is Raya, so it all fits. There are 36 casks set aside in a separate solera for producing raya cortada. Exciting times.
raya c

my clubhouse clubs

15 Monday Mar 2021

Posted by in clubhouse, gastronomy, social media, spain, wine

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my clubhouse clubs

My goodness… I have suddenly gone from being a very reluctant participant on Clubhouse (preferring to lurk and listen) to co-hosting THREE clubs. It all started the other day when the cats woke me up way too early, about 5.30 am. So I had a look at Clubhouse and there were these two guys, and then three @jack.madrid @yaffler @sommelierbrenodefaria, having a chat about fortified wines. I popped into the room, thinking I would just lurk as always, but they started asking me questions and finally I was brought up “on stage” and ended up yakking away about sherry for ages. We finally decided it would be a great idea to have a Club dedicated to fortified wines and, since I was the only one with “club credits” left, it was up to me to get the ball rolling.

Then the next day I was chatting with my friend Gabriella @tenedortours (aka Shawn of the North 😉) and I told her about this new club and said it would also be great to start one about Spanish wines. Gabriella has has lots of experience on Clubhouse already, speaking and moderating on various clubs, so she got the new Spanish Wine Club set up in no time. To compliment it I set up the Spanish Food Club, because you really can’t (or shouldn’t) have one without the other. And so that’s how it all happened.

All three clubs debut this week. I’m nervous AF, but luckily my co-hosts are seasoned Clubhouse pros. Still… eep! 😬

sherry kits

03 Wednesday Mar 2021

Posted by in sherry, wine, zoom

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sherry kits

Got my first sherry kit! The idea is to maybe try doing sherry tastings on Zoom, though I hate doing videos even more than I hate having my photo taken (and that’s a lot!). But I finally tried out Zoom a couple of weeks ago for the first time, having drinks and chatting with a couple of friends and, well, it didn’t kill me. There are logistics to work out, like getting these kits to people who want to participate in the tasting, and also to send out a list of snacks for them to have on hand for pairings.

From what I understand from friends who do either cooking classes or wine tastings on Zoom is that they are not really viable as a way to actually make money, but it’s a good way to connect and stay in touch with people, either friends or clients. So I am going to do a “trial tasting” with a few friends to see exactly what the costs are re: the kits and shipping. I’m already nervous…

flor friday deluxe

05 Friday Feb 2021

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flor friday deluxe

So it used to be Fino Friday and Manzanilla Monday, but now going with Flor Friday (flor refers to the layer of yeast that forms over the biologically aged sherries in the barrel) because it means I have more options. In this case I ended up trying two outstanding sherries – a fino and a manzanilla – on the same day, which doesn’t happen often.

Twelve-year-old Camborio fino en rama by Bodegas Juan Piñero @bjuanpinero was bottled last October, in the style of the old school fino amontillados. Gorgeous colour, with great texture and depth of flavour. The name (and quote on the bottle) comes from a character in the Romancero Gitano by Federico García Lorca.

Cuestecilla manzanilla by Bodegas Delgado Zuleta @delgadozuleta is one of 600 numbered bottles from a barrel that came from the old Cuestecilla bodega (demolished in 2007) in the Barrio Alto of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. You hear a lot of “this is like drinking straight from the barrel” claims with en rama sherries but this one totally took me back to Sanlúcar.

decanter again!

02 Tuesday Feb 2021

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decanter mallorca

Look at me in Decanter Magazine again! Obviously I’m thrilled, and especially at how lovely this layout is. I’ve been sent the PDF but am still waiting for the actual magazine to arrive (it never feels quite real until I’m holding it in my hot little hands). These pics were taken by my pal @Dan.Jamon who has a Decanter subscription. Anyhow, this was a really great opportunity that kept me focused and busy all of November. Meanwhile, still working my way through all my Mallorca wines…

mallorca wines