Category: sherry

Introducing Raya Cortada

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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.
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Sherry & Tapas at T

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sherry at t

So this is exciting! This past weekend I got together with brothers Ricardo & Javi, who run the fabulous Restaurante ConTenedor in Sevilla, to try a new venue for my Sherry & Tapas Tastings. You may recall they also opened a very unique space just over a year ago, simply called T, and this is where we held the event. There were six lovely people from the UK attending, all friends travelling together, who had initially asked me for a tapas tour. But as this is just not possible at the moment I suggested a sherry tasting and they went for it. And they were so lovely! I can’t tell you how good it felt to get “back in the saddle” again, after not having worked in almost 7 months. Well, if you can call it work. For me it’s always so much fun doing this (same with my tapas tours) that I can’t believe how lucky I am to have work I love so much.

Anyhow, this group was amazing, so inquisitive and open to anything, and the tasting went so well that I was keen on working out a way we could do more. Like me, Ricardo & Javi have been feeling the loss of tourism in the city, especially as a lot of their regular clientele tend to be visitors. So we have come up with this new offer and I couldn’t be more delighted. Luckily International Sherry Week is just around the corner and this gives us another platform to let the world know about us.

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And so we now have Sherry & Tapas at T, which really is a unique sherry tasting experience. I first met Ricardo many years ago at ConTenedor, and later Javi when T first opened. But somehow if feels like we were meant for each other, kindred spirits. So wish us luck! 🙂

Sherry Pairing Dinner at Palo Cortao

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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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La Goya XL, Saca IV

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This past Monday was the presentation and tasting in Sevilla of the latest bottling of Delgado Zuleta’s Goya XL, an exquisite “en rama manzanilla pasada” that has aged and rested for more than ten years, and was selected from just six casks from the Solera Reservada de La Goya by winemaster José Antonio Sánchez Pazo. There are only 3000 bottles of this very special limited selection wine. The presentation was held in the elegant central courtyard of the Taberna del Alabardero, which proved to be the perfect setting.

There have only been four sacas (bottlings) of this wine in the history of the bodega, beginning in 2012, and they have been roughly two years apart, whenever the winemaker feels it is the right moment. Each bottling has had its own personality, and on this occasion the microclimate over the past few months in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, with a mild summer and autumn, led to a robust growth of yeast (creating the all-important velo de flor) and other exceptional characteristics that tell the winemaker that it is time for the next Goya XL saca.

According to Sánchez Pazo, this Goya XL is more alive than the previous ones, pale gold in colour with iodized reflections, and nicely unctuous, leaving light tears after swirling. It has a balanced nose in which the saline and dry tones stand out, with some hints of a slight oxidation but with great finesse. Full in the mouth, with a persistent and elegant finish and that rounds out the previous perceived sensations.

Sánchez Pazo, recently incorporated into the winery, has more than 30 years experience in sherry bodegas. It is clear that he sees his new position not only as a great responsibility, but also as a privilege. This was his first time choosing the casks that would be used for Goya XL and his passion while speaking about this wine was obvious, and infectious.

Goya XL goes through many years of intense aging that are balanced with others that are more of a “time-out”, a difficult balance to maintain that will allow the wine to continue aging throughout the years without losing the yeast. It requires very light “topping up” from the criaderas to provide nutrients for the yeast while maintaining its manzanilla pasada status.

Delgado Zuleta was founded in 1744, which makes it one of the oldest wineries in the Marco de Jerez. In 1918 it took the artistic name of a famous flamenco dancer, La Goya, for its main manzanilla, and in 1987 it merged with the Rodríguez La-Cave winery. If you are ever in Sanlúcar de Barrameda you must visit the bodega.