The answers you seek are in these pages: 13 pages with 212 wines by the glass or the bottle. And then the first one they gave me wasn’t on the list! In fact Paki told me she had just over 300 of what could in general be called “sherries”, not including the unfortified wines from the region, or the champagnes, red wines and the like from all over. There is no doubt that Taberna Palo Cortado (now at Espronceda 18, Madrid) is the finest selection of wines from Jerez, Sanlúcar, Chiclana, Trebujena, Pajarete, Montilla or Moriles anywhere in Madrid, and one of the best anywhere.

And then you add all the magnificent catas: in the last twelve months alone they have had Ramiro Ibañez, Jose Maria Quiros, Willy Perez, Primitivo Collantes, the Blanco Brothers and Paola Medina, before that there were memorable nights with Toro Albala and Lustau, and next week they have the guys from Forlong.

And on top of that today I had an absolutely belting lunch: intended just to have a bowl of (delicious) stewed lentils but was tempted into a cheeky half portion of calamares and a small serving of Paki’s fantastic callos and garbanzos, washed down with a small matter of, ahem, five glasses (which when you think about it is less than 2% of the list, so in the circumstances seems only reasonable).

Honestly we are not worthy of such an establishment – I certainly am not – we should get in there before they realize!