Sherry & Tapas Tasting Menu

sherry tasting menu vineria
It’s International Sherry Week and, along with offering my Introduction to Sherry & Tapas Tours, I also worked with Vineria San Telmo owner Juan Tarquini on this fabulous Sherry & Tapas Tasting Menu which I was invited to try yesterday along with friends and fellow bloggers Fiona @Seville_Writer and Rai @ComiendoporSVQ. The four-course menu features four sherries from four different bodegas:

  • Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and cured sheep’s cheese
    Manzanilla La Guita
    Bodegas Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín
  • Bacalao a la Roteña
    Amontillado Botaina
    Bodegas Lustau
  • Pluma Ibérica with curried pumpkin
    Oloroso Gobernador
    Bodegas Hidalgo
  • Chocolate cake (by @Gollerias)
    Pedro Ximénez Nectar
    Bodegas Gonzalez Byass

sherry week vineria
The Vineria San Telmo has long been one of my favourite tapas bars in Sevilla with consistently good food and an excellent wine list. This is a beautifully balanced menu with well-matched wines, and great value at 25€. You can try it yourself at the Vineria until Sunday June 8th. Be sure to book ahead and let them know that you’ll be wanting the menu.

Vineria San Telmo

Paseo Catalina de Ribera, 4
tel. 954 410 600
Open 7 days a week 11.00 – midnight
Kitchen closed 17.00 – 20.00 with cold snacks and desserts available

sherry tasting fiona rai juanThe aftermath! Fiona, Rai and Vineria San Telmo owner Juan

La Revuelta – Art & Fun

la revuelta

La Revuelta is Sevilla’s newest multi-functional cultural space. Part art gallery, part bookshop, and venue for wine tastings, literary and cultural events, courses and workshops and much more, it’s the brainchild of local writer, journalist and wine expert Javier Compás. The space is bright, open and welcoming with exposed brick walls and high ceilings. It also has kitchen facilities.

If you live in Sevilla you can become a member for 12€ a month and take advantage of discounts and first options for limited-space events. For visitors it’s a unique spot to check out for books, art and wines. Just off the Plaza del Pan in the first “vuelta” of the serpentine calle Siete Revueltas.

la revuelta collage

La Revuelta
Siete Revueltas, 33
Tel 954 21 08 06
Open: 10.00 – 14.00 / 17.00 – 20.00
Closed Sunday
Website: Redvuelta.com

Tío Pepe en Rama 2014

en rama label
Yesterday was the official Sevilla launch of the fifth edition of Tío Pepe en Rama, a limited production of special fino chosen for its outstanding characteristics, and bottled without the usual processes of stabalization, clarification and filtration. This year 600 barrels from two soleras were monitored, with 60 barrels selected at the beginning of April. Due to its delicate state it is best drunk within three months of the bottling date (April 21st).

En Rama wines have become very popular over the past few years, allowing people to enjoy a “straight out of the cask” sherry experience. Tío Pepe en Rama 2014 is a delightful fino, fresh and yeasty with an intense and slightly briny finish. But there is no one better to tell you about this unique and elegant wine than master wine blender Antonio Flores himself.

At Gonzalez Byass we love the arrival of spring. It signals we are close to sampling the first chilled glass of Tio Pepe Fino En Rama of the year!

2014 marks our 5th edition of Tio Pepe Fino En Rama. It was with the 4th release, last year, that I decided to move away from using the classic Tio Pepe blend of seven Fino soleras. For the first time, I made a cask selection blending the super-charged Rebollo (a very dark and humid bodega producing the most concentrated and full-on Fino experience) and Constancia (classic Jerez fino, whistle clean with a bright lemony tang.) I love leaving a little chalk mark hidden on the side of the cask each time I discover a contender for the year’s En Rama selection!

Once again we have delved into our extensive archives to find an historic label that represents the sense of place and history encapsulated by this pure expression of Tio Pepe.

¡Salud!
~Antonio Flores

It was great seeing Antonio “in action” again, though the accoustics at the Alfonso XIII Hotel could have been better (and the people who didn’t stop talking during the presentation should be ashamed of themselves) but overall it was a very enjoyable event. There was a tasting of the three stages of Tío Pepe en Rama, from the first must to the final product, and we were treated to a nice variety of snacks accompanied by plenty of perfectly chilled En Rama, as well as other exquisite Gonzalez Byass sherries.

tio pepe en rama 2014Tío Pepe en Rama ~ Puro Zumo de Flor

You can order Tío Pepe en Rama 2014 from the Gonzalez Byass online store or (in Sevilla) buy it at El Corte Inglés Gourmet Experience Duque.

Puerto de Cuba Gourmet Market

puerto de cuba gourmet market
I am so going to this! A three-day Gourmet Market kicks off this Friday at noon at Puerto de Cuba (San Telmo bridge end of calle Bétis) in Triana. There will be oyster and sushi stands, wines, cheeses, cured meats, olive oils, cakes and pastries… with drinks and cocktails available at the Puerto de Cuba bar. Weather forecast is looking good too!

Puerto de Cuba Gourmet Market
4 – 6 April
12 pm – 1 am Friday & Saturday / 11 am – 7 pm Sunday
Free Entrance