Tag: sevilla

Christmas Lights 2013!

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christmas lights 2013

[click on image to enlarge]

Up until recently the Christmas lights in Sevilla were turned on the night of the Inmaculada (December 8th) and turned off again for the season on the day of Los Reyes Magos (January 6th). I think it was about three years ago that the city council moved the date up to the last day of November because, at that time, there was a massive convention going on in town and apparently they wanted to create a festive atmosphere for the visitors. Since then the end of November has become the new “official” start of the Christmas season, moving it up about ten days, and each year more and more streets are being lit up.

I personally love the lights (well, except for the gaudy pink & purple display along Constitución) but I’m also glad to have a relatively short Christmas season here compared to the US, Canada and the UK. Makes it feel more special.

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Skating under the Setas

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skating rink 2013

[click on image to enlarge]

Starting today (until January 6th) you can rent skates and take a few turns around the curiously named “pista hielo ecológica”. I’m not sure what’s so “ecological” about a massive stretch (264 square metres) of petroleum-based fake ice, but there you go. The kids looked like they were having a great time. Also in the curiously named Plaza Mayor you’ll find some market stalls selling crafts, a churros stand and a kiddie train ride.

Open 11 am – 11 pm
Price: 6 € for approx 30-40 minutes
3 € for the train ride

Finos Palmas 2013

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finos palmas
I am very excited to have been invited to tonight’s Finos Palmas tasting event in Sevilla, which will also be live-streaming in Madrid, Barcelona and Jerez, starting at 19.00 Spanish time. This is the third year that Gonzalez Byass has done the limited edition Palmas bottlings and, like their Tío Pepe en Rama, these wines have become very trendy. As they are bottled direct from the cask, with no filtering or refining, this means that the wine is best drunk within six months.

finos palmas 2013Initiallly destined for Tío Pepe these specially chosen casks were judged to have potential for extra ageing. Finos Palmas casks are marked with a vertical chalk line and the number of “palm branches” proportional to its age. These elegant old finos have been selected cask by cask by Gonzalez Byass winemaker and master blender Antonio Flores in collaboration with Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans.

Fino Una Palma is an evolved fino with six years of biological ageing under a still active covering of flor. From a solera of 142 casks only three casks (numbers 1, 9 and 11) have been selected.

Fino Dos Palmas has been ageing over eight years in contact with a thinner layer of active flor on the surface. From the solera of 150 casks, only two (numbers 7 and 26) show this distinctive feature.

Fino Tres Palmas comes from a single cask (number 30) out of a 150 casks solera, and after ageing for 10 years still preserves traces of live flor that continue to permeate the wine.

Fino Cuarto Palmas is the jewel of the Solera Museo, containing just six casks (this year only number 3 was chosen). It is an extraordinary and very limited edition 45-year-old amontillado.

Finos Palmas 2013 LiveStreaming from 19.00h (Spanish time)
Twitter hashtag: #FinosPalmas

[youtube=”http://youtu.be/CuMbCdZqedI”]

An introduction to Finos Palmas by winemaker-poet Antonio Flores

Tapas Bars Open Sunday & Monday

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This is an update of a blog post I wrote a couple of years ago.

Finding good non-touristy tapas bars that are open on Sunday and Monday can be a bit of a challenge in Sevilla. Many of the best family-run places are closed on these days, though some will open for Sunday lunch (1 – 4pm). This is something I always point out to my Sevilla Tapas Tour clients, and so I thought it would be helpful to also post a short list here of my favourite places to eat out on those “difficult days”.

I’ve tried to cover a few different barrios (neighbourhoods) but for some reason the Arenal is a bit of a dead zone on those two days, so I’m giving “honourable mentions” to three bars that are open at least part of the time over Sunday and Monday.

Remember that tapas bars usually close between 4 – 8 pm, or if they stay open all day their kitchen will probably be closed then. Also, some places close for summer holidays during either July or August, so call ahead those months. It’s also a good idea to call and see if you can book a table on Sundays, which tend to get very busy with families going out for lunch, or else get to the bar right when they open (usually 1pm for lunch, 8pm for dinner).

Barrio Santa Cruz
Vineria San Telmo
Paseo Catalina de Ribera, 4
Tel. 954 410 600
Las Teresas
Santa Teresa 2
Tel.954 213 069
Modesto (restaurant not tapas bar)
Cano y Cueto, 5
Tel. 954 416 811
(all-day kitchen)
Casa Roman
Plaza Venerables 1
Tel. 954 228 483
La Azotea Santa Cruz
Mateos Gago 8
Tel. 955 116 748
(all day kitchen)

El Arenal
Bodeguita Romero
Harinas 10
Tel. 954 229 556
Open Sunday 1-4 pm, closed Monday
Enrique Becerra
Gamazo 2
Tel. 954 213 049
Open Sunday 1-4 pm, open all day Monday
Casa Morales
Garcia de Vinuesa 11
Tel. 954 22 12 42
Closed Sunday, open Monday

La Alfalfa
La Bodega
Plaza Alfalfa, 4
Tel. 954 22 783 62
Casa Antonio / Bar Los Caracoles
Pérez Galdos 13
Tel. 954 213 172

Triana
La Primera del Puente
Bétis 66
Tel. 954 27 69 18
Las Golondrinas II
Pages del Corro 76
Tel. 954 33 82 35

La Alameda
Bar Antojo
Calatrava 44
Tel. 955 425 337
Al Aljibe
Alameda de Hércules 76
Tel. 954 900 591
La Parrilla del Badulaque
Alameda de Hércules, 37
Tel. 954 91 55 24
Arte y Sabor
Alameda de Hércules 85
Tel. 954 372 897 / 695 288 450
(all day kitchen)

Tapas & Sherry

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tapas jerez

Organised by the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin Wines of Jerez and Manzanilla, the first Tapas & Sherry “gastronomic tour” of Sevilla is taking place from today until the 17th of November. 62 select bars in the centre of Sevilla are participating and each establishment has selected its top tapa along with the best sherry to pair with it: fino, manzanilla, oloroso, amontillado, cream or Pedro Ximénez.

You can vote for your favourite bar and sherry pairing at www.tapayjerez.com and also become eligible to win a sherry tasting kit. At the end of the voting period the 20 bars with the most votes will be officially certified CRDDO Sherry and Manzanilla and will be featured in a soon-to-be-published gastronomic guide.

Here is a list of bars (below). As I make my way through the list (with the help of my friend Seville Concierge) I’ll mark them in blue and include my rating from one to five stars *****.

To see which tapa and sherry are being offered at each establishment have a look here.
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