Category Archives: wine

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.

my galicia in decanter!

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by in galicia, spain, wine

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Pretty exciting to get this in the mail today! My latest article in Decanter Magazine, this one on Galicia. It’s actually part of an 82 page supplement with the November issue, all about Spanish wines. I had a bit of a struggle with this one, not just because it was twice as long as the previous one, but it took awhile for me to feel good enough about it to send it in. Apparently Decanter was pleased with it though as they asked me to stay in touch and send them some pitches on different Spanish wine regions. So I think I can now add “Decanter Mag contributor” to my social media profiles   😉

new wine tasting venue!

05 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in sevilla, sherry, wine, work

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How cool is this? It’s the ceiling of the patio inside the uber-cool hotel where my friend Javi Abascal has just relaunched his restaurant Lalola Taberna Gourmet. When I was there last week we not only had a fabulous time trying his new menu, we also talked about the possibility of me giving my wine tastings there. Turns out it’s perfect because it’s quite central and there’s a section of the restaurant that can be closed off for me, though for the most part the tastings will be held outside of usual dining hours.

We talked about what wines I wanted to present and he is going to organise the food, so that we have great little snacks to go with the wines. I’m really excited about this. I would actually love to do more tastings. So fingers crossed that these will start taking off!

just say no! (to sangría)

04 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by in tapas, wine

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When people on my Sevilla Tapas Tours ask for sangría I tell them it is NOT ALLOWED 😉 and then go on to explain why. First of all, Spanish people seldom if ever order sangría in a bar. It’s a party drink, a fruit and wine punch usually made at home or at the beach in summer. And because of this, most sangría you will find in bars is, well, crap. Often it is made up well ahead of time and can sit there in jugs for days, and sometimes bars just use store-bought sangría. Because they know that it’s “just for tourists”. Of course there are a few (very few) exceptions, with some bars making up sangría to order, either as a fresh jug to be shared or as an individual cocktail. Happily there is another “sangría-like” drink option…

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