Category: jerez

Jerez en V Cata

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cata jerezenv[click on image to enlarge]

As part of my ongoing sherry education, stemming from my World Sherry Day ephiphany, I was thrilled to be invited to a special sherry tasting hosted by Gonzalez-Byass at Catador Sevilla. And especially as our host was going to be Antonio Flores (@Hacedordevinos), not only head winemaker and master blender for G-B but also one of the most passionate people I’ve ever met when it comes to talking about their work. And as Antonio’s work involves creating some of the most amazing and prestigious wines in the world, well, it was both a pleasure and a privilege to see the master in action.

catador sevillaThis was a wine tasting event organised by Mónica Trujillano from El Comensal to which various bloggers, journalists and hospitality professionals had been invited. I loved the venue, Catador, which is smack in the middle of the Barrio Santa Cruz. It’s an open and minimalist space, with wall murals depicting both the famous Tío Pepe barrels and the vineyards surrounding Jerez. I’ve been to a few sherry tastings over the years, here in Sevilla, but nothing prepared me for how much I would feel engaged and inspired by Mr. Flores. He is both eloquent and passionate, and also quite a showman, knowing how to gently seduce and inspire his audience. With such an excellent product you wouldn’t think this sort of thing would even be necessary, but in fact sherry remains one of the lesser understood Spanish wines. People from abroad often assume that sherry is the sticky sickly sweet stuff their maiden aunt would haul out every Christmas but in fact there many varieties ranging from bone-dry finos to the sweet raisiny Pedro Ximenez, and I want to learn more about all of them.

On this occasion we sampled ten wines including Fino Tío Pepe, Amontillado Viña AB, Alfonso Oloroso, Leonor Palo Cortado (recently chosen one of the top 100 wines in the world by WAWWJ: World Association, Wines & Spirits, Writers and Journalists), Apostoles Palo Cortado, and Noé Pedro Ximénez. As a special treat we finished the evening by sampling Cuatro Cortador & Gonzalez-Romano, both more than 100 years old, while Catador put on a spread of some fab charcuterie and cheeses.

Watch for my Introduction to Sherry Tours, which I hope to start offering in September. Now that I am smitten with this amazing wine I really want to share the love.

World Sherry Day 2013

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world sherry day[click on image to enlarge]

I had big plans for World Sherry Day! I was going to meet up with friends in Jerez including good buddy and qualified Sherry Educator Annie Manson. Plans went adrift when I realised that I’d missed my train and that, being a Sunday, the next one would get me to Jerez far too late in the day. So damn. There I was thinking I’d be at home feeling all envious as I read all those tweets from Jerez and then I thought… hey, why don’t I create my own World Sherry Day event? And so off I went with friend/colleague/flatmate Peter (aka Seville Concierge) to discover the world of sherry in Sevilla.

First stop was Flores Jamones y Vinos for our starter course. I was happy to see the fabulous Catalina was working and she helped me select our wines while I chatted with master jamón cutter Federico about our snacks. First we had a half-ración of two types of jamón Ibérico de bellota, and a tapita of two types of cheese (from Zamora and Cádiz) with perfectly chilled La Ina fino from Bodegas Lustau. Next up was a serving of caña de lomo Ibérico paired with another fino, this time from Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla. I think this fino & jamón thing could become a serious habit.

Hoping to find some interesting pairings with traditional tapas we headed off to one of my favourite bars in the centre, family-run Bar Las Teresas. There we were in luck because it was just after the lunch rush and Rafael, who is usually busy manning the jamón cutting station, was available to chat and give us some suggestions. We started off with a “safe” choice to go with our bacalao frito – a nice Canasta from Bodegas Williams Humbert. But then Rafael asked if I’d ever tried palo cortado from Bodegas Tradición. I had to ‘fess up that I’d never tried any palo cortado (outside a sherry tasting, which doesn’t count) and so he poured me a glass. And BAM – I was transported to another level. Not only was this an elegant and complex wine, it also went perfectly with the fried cod (surprise!). By now Rafael was getting into educating me and suggested I order a meat tapa and he’d pour me something special. So we opted for a nicely grilled solomillo Ibérica and enjoyed that with Botaina Amontillado, another gorgeous wine from Bodegas Lustau.

vannaNext up – dessert! And since THE place to go for dessert in Sevilla is Vineria San Telmo (with fab confections by Gollerías) that’s what we did. It turned out to be the perfect ending to a rather wonderful afternoon. First Vanna poured us a lovely creamSauci from Huelva but then we remembered that this was a generoso not a sherry (oops!) so we also had a Nectar PX from Bodegas Gonzalez-Byass. With a slice of creamy cheese cake and another of chocolate ambrosia with butter cream. Oh yes.

And thus ended my impromptu World Sherry Day event. What struck me most about this outing was that although I know all of these tapas bars very well it became clear that there is still a lot to discover at each of them, especially with regards to the world of sherry. Many thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge and passion for these amazing wines. I realise now that this is the way to learn about sherry. Poco á poco, with friends and with a few tapas.

Feria Friends in Jerez

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 feria friends jerez[click on image to enlarge]

One of the best things about going to a feria is meeting up with friends. This week I visited my favourite feria in Spain, the Feria del Caballo in Jerez @feriadejerez_, with visiting London foodie friend Nicola Swift @ShedLikesFood and fellow Sevilla blogger Fiona Flores @Seville_Writer.

Usually I spend most of my time at this feria taking photos of the splendid horses but somehow this year it was all about meeting up with old friends, and also meeting new ones, at the massive Bodegas Gonzales Byass caseta (which not surprisingly won first prize). It was great to hang out with old friends Annie Bennett @anniebennett and José Pizarro @jose_pizarro again, meet Ellie @PearCafe & Dan @EssexEating from Bristol and Tom & Owen @Bar44Tapas from Wales, and also see my good Twitter buddy Antonio Flores @Hacedordevinos. The Tío Pepe en Rama was flowing, lovely food was passed round, fabulous flamenco artists entertained us, and then all too soon is was time to catch the last train back to Sevilla. For next year we have vowed to do this again but book accommodation so we can party into the night. Eep!

The Reluctant Feriante

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more ferias

Since going to the Feria de Córdoba last year I seem to be turning into a bit of a feriante. Which is particularly odd as I don’t much like the massively famous (and massive) Feria de Abril here in Sevilla, though this year I ended up going twice – haven’t done that in years. I also haven’t been to the fabulous Feria del Caballo in Jerez for years – five to be exact – so I have booked off a couple of days next month to do that, in case I feel like staying overnight. And then I was told about the Feria de Primavera y Fiesta del Vino Fino in Puerto de Santa Maria, which started yesterday. So I think I’ll be popping over there on Sunday. But I’ll probably miss the Córdoba Feria this year as I want to go to the Patio Festival there, which finishes the week before. Ah well, can’t be everywhere. I have to say that I really prefer these much friendlier ferias with their casetas open to the public. And I like how the Feria in Málaga also takes to the streets and spills over to the centre of the city, though I haven’t actually been to the fairground there.  Maybe this summer. How many ferias have you been to in Spain?

Tío Pepe en Rama 2013

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tio pepe en rama[click on image to enlarge]

I had a great time my friend and fellow blogger Fiona (Scribbler in Sevilla) attending this year’s presentation by Gonzalez Byass of Tío Pepe en Rama at swish Abades Restaurant in Triana. It was a gorgeous spring day and a perfect location looking across the Guadalquivir River towards the Torre del Oro.

Tio Pepe En Rama is a limited production of a special fino at its most delicate, before the usual processes of stabalization, clarification and filtration. For the 2013 edition, winemaker and master blender – and Twitter pal! – Antonio Flores (@Hacedordevinos) made a selection of the best casks from two ancient soleras: Tío Pepe Constancia y Tío Pepe Rebollo. Flores described this wine as “wild” with aromas of bread and almonds, salt and minerals and with a citrus finish, highlighting its special light colour, taste and smell, which he equated to the city of Sevilla. I found it much lighter and fresher than regular Tío Pepe and it was very easy to drink while we snacked on aperitifs on the sunny terrace.

Given its unique characteristics it is recommended that Tío Pepe en Rama be drunk within three months of bottling. This year’s fabulous label comes from one of the orginal designs of the Gonzalez Byass Foundation, taken from its historical files.  If you want to try a bottle you can order it from the online store, but hurry because stocks won’t last long.

Bodegas Tio Pepe Online Store