Category Archives: wine

phoebe

23 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by in friends, gastronomy, sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars, twitter friends, wine

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Ramón & Phoebe at La Abacería Antigua de San Lorenzo

Phoebe @plemess is yet another friend I met through Twitter, but indirectly, through – yep – another Twitter friend (and now her husband) Oli @CoteDuPy. We met in person in London (August 2015) when Phoebe very generously offered to host a rooftop dinner for me in her home. So when I heard she would be visiting Sevilla I was happy to play host one afternoon and introduce her to some of my favourite tapas bars (and tapas). Phoebe is also a sherry addict like me, so I made sure we went to places that have a nice range of sherries, but I hadn’t expected to find this year’s latest bottling (autumn 2017) of Solear manzanilla pasada by Bodegas Barbadillo at La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo. What an extra special treat that was.

fabulous sherry and tapas at Eslava

We finished up with a penúltima at La Tienda de Azotea, by which time Phoebe’s friend had arrived in town, so she went off to meet him and I made my way home. All in all, a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Solear Autumn Saca 2017 at La Abacería Antigua de San Lorenzo

job perks

13 Friday Oct 2017

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One of the perks of my job is walking into a bar and having the owner thrust a glass of THIS at me, saying “tell me what you think”. Okay, it doesn’t happen very often (okay, hardly ever) but on this occasion it was a wonderful surprise. And the wine was exquisite. A 30-year-old VORS palo cortado from Bodegas Osborne. If you’re in Sevilla you can try a glass at Las Teresas. I recommend pairing it with their fabulous carrillada or grilled tuna morillo…

say cheese!

23 Saturday Sep 2017

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As part of Pando Restaurant’s series of “Gastronomic Schools” – educational tastings – the latest was a cheese and wine tasting, hosted by Diego Ruiz de Terry of Pando (Grupo San Eloy) and presented by Antonio Rodriguez Vacas of cheese distributors TGT group.

Peter @SVQconcierge and I were invited, along with several other local “influencers” for a tasting of three delicious, and very different, cheeses: Queso Ibores (goat), Queso Roncal (sheep) and Queso Mahón (cow), paired with white and red wines. I’ve been to several of the Pando events in the past and they are always excellent. Also – bonus! – since I moved the venue is just a few steps from my new home.

You can read the full report on the Azahar Sevilla blog.

sherry week 2017

21 Thursday Sep 2017

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Mark it in your calendar! The fourth International Sherry Week is coming up soon, and as always, I’ll be offering my Sherry & Tapas Tours for anyone who would like to learn more about these fabulous wines. You’ll be able to see all the Sherry Week events on the website as they are registered, so you can check to see what’s happening in your part of the world.

Also something very cool this year – you can win an exclusive place at the highly coveted Certified Sherry Educator course in 2018, which was truly one of the most special experiences of my life.

bar casa eme

04 Monday Sep 2017

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One of the most delightful & delicious “discoveries” in a very long time. When I was out having lunch with Francisco & Friends the other day, talk turned to “typical” bars that we all love, and Miguel mentioned Bar Casa Eme. Which I had never heard of. WELL… it was made very clear by everyone that I absolutely HAD to go there.

So after a long and very hot 10,000 step walk yesterday, Peter and I finally stumbled upon it, and then stumbled inside. It was love at first sight.

This bar has been run for over 25 years by Emeterio (Eme) Serrano, who does absolutely everything. He runs the bar and cooks (the kitchen consists of two small gas burners) and also sings. He is a wonder. I was actually thinking this would be one of those places where it was more about character and ambiance than the food, but in fact the food (albeit a limited menu) was fabulous. Mostly montaditos (toasted sandwiches), but he also does a mean gambas al ajillo and apparently his garlicky coquinas and langoustines (in season) are also a hit. I swear his whisky sauce, which we tried both on the tortilla and solomillo, is the best I’ve ever had.

I just loved everything about this place, from the cosy bar (there are also some tall tables outside) to the wonderfully tiled walls, to Eme himself. We started chatting after the lunch crowd had dispersed and he told me about starting the bar and also how he hoped to retire next year. At first I thought – Nooooo… I just found you, you can’t leave now!!!… but then realized that after all this time single-handedly managing quite a busy and popular bar, Eme was due a rest. But I hope to get back as much as possible before he hangs up his apron. Review coming soon on Sevilla Tapas!