Tag Archives: sherry

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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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.

VORS sherry cata

05 Saturday Oct 2019

Posted by in getaways, sherry, spain

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As soon as I saw this tasting was coming up I knew I had to go. These monthly sherry tastings held by the Consejo Regulador are always worth going to. Presented by a member of the Consejo and either the winemaker or owner of the bodega (this time it was both), they are also excellent value. And this one with a selection of VORS sherries (over 30 years old) from Bodegas Álvaro Domecq was exceptionally so. 

After the tasting Anne, Paul and I met up with Tomoko for lunch at Albalá. And then I hobbled back to the train station (diverticulitis!) and made my way home. I think I may have overdone things a bit and was in bed by 9 pm, but it was a great day.

las edades de tío pepe

24 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in andalucia, sevilla, sherry

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The Cuatro Palmas (four palms) 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, which are usually publicly presented to the sherry and hospitality trades and selected press in November.

This year’s selections will be made later this week by Antonio Flores, Gonzalez Byass’ master winemaker, and master of wine Peter Liem and, as always, will be bottled “en rama”, without filtration or clarification.

I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting of these incredible wines at Andalucía Sabor, called The Ages of Tío Pepe, which included the “mosto” from this year’s harvest, Tío Pepe en rama (bottled last May) and the four different Palmas. This past July Cuatro Palmas won the International Wine Challenge “Champion of Champions” Trophy and the title of Best Wine in the World.

The tasting was led by Antonio Flores with his usual blend of passion and poetry. Truly one of the most charismatic of “sherry whisperers”, Antonio took us through the six ages of Tío Pepe from “infancy” to “wise old age” and had us compare each age with the previous ones to appreciate the development of each stage. A delicious and educational process. Looking forward to trying this year’s selection.

  • Una Palma is a 6 year old Fino selected from three casks, out of a total of 142, that exemplifies the evolution of the style.
  • Dos Palmas is an 8 year old Fino selected from just two casks out of 150, reflecting the elegance of a well aged wine.
  • Tres Palmas is a 10 year old Fino selected from a single cask at the limit of the biological ageing process.
  • Cuatro Palmas iis a Fino that has passed to being an amontillado, and is selected from one of just six casks that have been ageing in González Byass for more than 50 years. It reflects the ability of Tío Pepe to evolve over time. Only half the cask is bottled.