Entrechuelos Wine Tasting at La Revuelta

entrechuelos cata (1)La Revuelta opened earlier this year as a kind of all purpose cultural drop-in centre with books, art and events, especially food and wine events, and that was why I was there recently – for one of their “off the beaten track” wine tastings, this one featuring a small winery, Entrechuelos, run by Miguel Domecq, a member of the renowned Pedro Domecq sherry family. Miguel presented each wine like a proud father and I always find this kind of personal connection helps people relate better to what they’re tasting.

The Entrechuelos winery opened in 2008 on the Cortijo de Torrecera (the central farm of a grape growing estate), an area long used for vineyards, named for an 11th century Moorish watchtower built on the top of a hill overlooking the surrounding land. Although the winery is not far from Jerez, the wines produced there are not sherries, but table wines of the Tierra de Cadiz.

entrechuelos cata (2)We sampled four of these, starting with a young Chardonnay, which proved light and refreshing, slightly sweet with a good, fruity taste. This was followed by two red wines blended from Syrah, Merlot, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, the first called Roble 2012, aged for six months in French oak, the second a Tercer Año 2011, aged for a year. The contrast between the two was surprising. The first failed to impress, but the extra six months of ageing of the second produced a pleasantly full-bodied and quite complex wine with a deep colour that I thoroughly enjoyed. The fourth was the Alhocen Personal Selection 2010, a slightly different blend of the same four grapes, also aged for 12 months to make a nice fruity red wine.

Check the La Revuelta Website for information about upcoming events and activities.

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

Gourmet Experience Cata

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Last night Gourmet Experience Duque held its first “interactive” wine tasting, presented by sommeliers David Castro and Silvia Flores. The setting was simple and elegant, and I liked that it had a nice relaxed feel to it. During the introduction we were served Taittenger champagne with oysters, which was a perfect way to start. Castro and Flores worked very well together – both are very passionate but with different styles that complement each other. Wines were paired with food from the Gourmet Experience tapas bars, and we were also entertained with snippets of contemporary flamenco.

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Corimbo from Bodegas Horra with pavía de merluza courtesy of Egaña.
We were also served a fab crispy pork shin with quinoa from Barajas 20 Tapas.

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Dido from Bodega Eneas served with pig head sausage from the Gourmet Experience Bar.
And fun flamenco!

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Stunning Stilton and Cabrales cheeses with 30-year-old Noe PX from Gonzalez-Byass.
Here you see Flores waxing lyrical – clearly her father’s daughter.

Watch for future food and wine events at Gourmet Experience Duque. I think that once the good weather arrives that big rooftop terrace is going to become one of THE places to hang out. The other very cool thing about the GE Bar is that you can purchase food and wine from the shop and enjoy it there. Corkage is 3€ per bottle and to have your food purchases plated and nicely presented it’s 2.50€ per item. When you combine that with the option of also grabbing a burger or tapa to go with it all you get a very interesting concept – a gourmet food court that is striving to be unique and yet accessible. The staff in the food and wine shop are very knowledgeable and helpful, and there’s also the bonus of having Silvia Flores working in the wine section to offer expert advice.

Gourmet Experience Duque
Plaza del Duque de la Victoria 8
5th floor – El Corte Inglés
10.00 – 10.00 Monday – Thursday
10.00 – midnight Friday – Saturday
10.00 – 18.00 Sunday
€ € € €

La Azotea: Cavas & Blancos Cata

Last night I attended another fabulous cata at La Azotea Vinos & Más, this time featuring cavas and blancos from Bodegas Sumarroca. An excellent choice for a HOT summer evening. We started off with two lovely white wines that were quite different from each other, then two very refreshing white cavas  (brut reserva and cuvée gran reserva) and finished off the evening with – my personal favourite – a gorgeous gran brut pinot noir rosé. As usual the gathering was fun, casual and informative, and I not only learned a few things but also met some very nice people.

La Azotea will be hosting a three-hour wine course (in Spanish) next Tuesday July 6th, and I believe there are still a few places open. If interested get in touch with Jeanine at the phone number below. I recommend it as a great introduction to wines and wine tastings and, at 30€, it’s also great value.

Jesús del Gran Poder, 44
Tel. 955 11 67 48