Credit where it is due – these guys were the first to get me really interested in sherry with an inspired recommendation (an Equipo Navazos Palo Cortado) and it was also the scene of one of the best wine tastings I have ever attended – a magnificent tasting with Juanma Martin Hidalgo from Emilio Hidalgo (the best was at the bodega itself). It is one of the best places in Madrid to browse for sherries and they have some interesting stuff as you can see in this photo.
At the bar in Surtopia enjoying one of the classic manzanilla pasadas – and probably the most widely available. This is by Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana one of the biggest and most important bodegas in Sanlucar (and not to be confused, under any circumstances, with Emilio Hidalgo in Jerez).
The “Pastrana” wines are the result of a plan hatched by Javier Hidalgo and Cristiano Van Zeller from Oporto. They are made from fruit from a single vineyard and there are two wines: the Manzanilla Pasada; aged for over 12 years, and the Amontillado Viejo, aged for even longer and which has therefore become an amontillado. “Pasada” literally means “past it” – at over 12 years this one gets more time to brew and, as the flor eventually gives up the ghost, a little oxidation.
As a result you get a much more intense manzanilla experience – not so much in the nose (I often find that the longer a wine spends under flor the less expressive it is in aromas) but on the tongue it is very potent. And it is potent. Has a nice easy entry and an almost oily mouthfeel then zingy salinity, intense bitter almond nuttiness, and a long, fresh finish.
It is absolutely perfect with these olives and if you like manzanilla you will love it.
Just look at that list of sherries by the glass – quite magnificent
Manzanilla Deliciosa, from Valdespino – does exactly what it says on the tin.
Valdespino are a fantastic bodega that make some classic wines – from their single vineyard “Innocente” fino to some real big beast olorosos.
This manzanilla is one of my favourites – enough fruit, enough salinity, intense but balanced and refreshing. A real treat and seems absolutely at home in the spring sunshine.
And yet again, so cheap – about 10 euros a bottle – it seems a crime.
This guvnor is no mere big time charlie. It is el gobernador – the excellent dry oloroso from Emilio Hidalgo (they also make an exceptional oloroso – Villapanes – with more time in the barrel).
A beautiful rich chestnut brown in colour, it has a nose of slightly burned/overtoasted almonds and is really quite overpowering when you take a sip. It is intense – these are wines you only need to sip – acidic, with a lot of strong nutty/caramel flavour and maybe a bit of alcoholic heat. It reminds me of the black treacle toffee my grandma used to make us when we were kids (except liquid and with alcohol).
With its acidity and the caramel/nutty flavours it is an excellent accompaniment to anything savoury and it is also a ridiculously cheap wine – about ten euros most of the time. An absolute essential for any well stocked wine rack imho.
The Ramones have been on my mind this week. Not the band – what little I know about them doesn’t give me reason to believe they were big sherry lovers, but rather two chaps called Ramon that I met this week.
The first was Ramon Coalla, of Coalla Gourmet, a fantastic delicatessen in the heart of old Gijon. A lovely spot (as the picture below shows) and a true gent who invited a thirsty traveller to a glass of Marc Hebrart blanc de blancs champagne.
He has a fantastic selection of wines of every stripe, but in particular some top notch sherries – the limits of my photographic skill do not do it justice.
The second Ramon boasted an even bigger range of sherries in an even more remote location: an alleged 200 varieties at his sherry bar Viña y Mar (some problems with the web but this is the one he gave me so bear with it), which can be found in Vejer de la Frontera – probably as far from Gijon as you can get in Spain (while keeping your feet dry). I met him in Madrid and was immediately impressed by his ability to combine wine drinking and roll-up assembly – a pilgrimage is clearly called for.
I had a magnificent lunch today – a “matrimonio” of boquerones and anchovies and a “verbena” of asparagus with a glass of La Panesa (especial fino), veal sweetbread with el Tresillo (amontillado fino) and a steak tartare with a nice glass of Palmer champagne, followed by an even nicer second glass of Palmer champagne.
However I totally failed to take notes or pictures. I clearly have much to learn in relation to this blogging lark.
As a consolation, here is a reheated piccy of the verbena with a glass of La Panesa
I have always loved the Masters golf tournament – such a beautiful, tough course, great players, cheesy american TV coverage, and perfect timing – a great Saturday and Sunday night in with a bottle or two.
And you couldn’t watch golf in better company than these boys – the 34 Palo Cortado and 37 Amontillado from Equipo Navazos.
The 37 is maybe the softer of the two – not quite the bite of the Palo Cortado and a slightly more muted range of flavours and aromas, but still a wonderful example of its kind and has a deep doughy consistency to it that really fills the mouth.
The 34 is something else – expansive, amazing nose and structure and lightness on the palate. Every kind of flavour you could ask for. This is the wine that first made me pay proper attention to sherry and still my favourite palo cortado.
I have never asked them but I assume these guys named their bodega after Fernando IV – a king of Castile and Leon who amongst other things retook Gibraltar in 1309. While he was in the area he probably took the opportunity to fill his cellar with some top class sherry, brandy and maybe even vinegar.
This effort – the Fernando de Castilla Fino Antique – is an absolute gem of a wine. Real aromas of the mosto – like grapey cider – and a lovely smooth intensity in the mouth. A little bit of nuts but not too toasted and certainly not too salty. This is the sort of wine you could drink with anything and at any time.
All in all a lovely tipple and fortunately I have another bottle.
It is ironic/inept that having decided to start writing down these thoughts I have spent a few days far from my own wines or any sources of decent sherry. After several “dry” days, this Solear was a sight for sore eyes and is going down a treat.
This is a classic manzanilla and seems to be made from sea air (not seawater, although if you are not used to manzanilla the saltiness is a bit of a shock) and unopened blossoms. It is a very pale green gold in colour, has an aroma of honeysuckle and wet grass (you can definitely smell mosto, but not the sweet notes of the apple) and in the mouth is fresh and slightly saline.
undertheflor.com 