Events

Vino de España una pasión 2016

~ sharquillo ~ 1 Comment

Pasion 2016

Wanted to give a bit of publicity to this absolutely cracking event coming up in May. Previous editions have been in Jerez and were excellent – really top class bodegas and atmosphere – and although it will be in Seville this year I don’t expect any less.

I love the emphasis – excellent sherries and manzanillias alongside top class wines from every region and style, and looking at that list there are some really exciting bodegas, old and new. Some favourites of this blog both from the sherry region – Emilio Hidalgo, Barbadillo, Forlong, Gutierrez Colosia, José Estevez (owner of Valdespino and La Guita) and Bodegas Luis Perez – and beyond.

But don’t take my word for it, here is Juan Manuel Martin Hidalgo, the organizer and founder of the tradition explaining last year’s event in person (in Spanish).

All the details are on the web. See you there!

Sherry and the Mystery of Palo Cortado

~ sharquillo ~ 3 Comments

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It has been a long time coming – I was originally asked to go to an early showing of this in Madrid (I believed the premiere but can’t be sure). I didn’t make it and since then one opportunity after another has passed me by. Now, once again thanks to the good offices of the unequalable Ruben at Sherry Notes (who already wrote about this back in January and February) I have had a chance to have a look and thought it would be rude not to share my views.

It has been received rapturously by some and not so much by others (this review in Variety is a good example). I have to admit I had had my doubts about it. I really dislike the blarney that sometimes surrounds palo cortado – the supposedly mysterious, magical wine that is “born” rather than “made”; and when I saw the title of this I feared the worst.

So I finally sit down to watch it and must say I enjoyed it. Frankly, it is a better documentary than the title made me expect.

To start with, there are a lot of heroes (and even friends) in here. If you love these wines you should take a look to have a chance to listen to the people that make them, write about them and serve them to you. From memory: the guys behind Equipo Navazos (Eduardo Ojeda and Jesus Barquin), Paola Medina (Williams & Humbert), Jan Pettersen (Fernando de Castilla), José Ramon Esteve (Esteve, evidently), Antonio Flores (GB), Pilar Pla Pechovierto and Ana Cabastrero (Maestro Sierra), Alvaro Giron Sierra, Paz Ivison, my man Guillermo Cruz, the Sherry Women, Cesar Saldaña, Beltran Domecq, Pitu Roca, Andoni Luis Aduriz, even David Muñoz pops up (and has a pop) — the list goes on. In particular it was great to see the Equipo Navazos guys at work – am a big if slightly grumpy fan of their wines and it was nice to put a face to all that endeavour.

Second, it has a wider reach than just palo cortado. It really is more of a general sherry documentary and covers a lot of good ground – not too much explanation of the basics, and it manages to touch on a lot of good stuff: the importance of terroir and harvest, the skills of the cellarmen, the characters of the different wines.

Third, it is beautiful to look at. There are some beautiful images of countryside, bodegas, vineyards, the town of Jerez, restaurants, bars, stews, not to mention the pimped up gaffs of some of the big families (the expression “decent drum” doesn’t cover it). There is nice archive footage of harvests, wine making, the criadera system, and flamenco singing. There are some touching stories of multiple generational involvement, life long fascinations, personal fascinations (the Roca lads were brought up in the “Andalucia town” of Terrat) and struggles (although a potentially moving story from  Pilar Pla Pechovierto could have been followed through a little). And of course there are a lot of interviews with the above mentioned luminaries, which are neatly strung together and full of nice nuggets.

And the story being told? Well in the end I find it hard to disagree, although I am sure that a lot of people in the business will do. If I had a criticism it would be that amid all the camerawork and talk of marketing and pairings you can lose track of the fact that we are talking about wines. Yes there is a segment on the pagos, there are snippets (which I loved) on their qualities (the macho macharnudo and the feminine, flowery miraflores) and on the importance of the soil and the vine.  Nevertheless, the wine, the wine making, the skills, all get a little lost in the visuals and talking heads. (From some of the snippets I bet there is a lot of this on the floor of the editing suite.)

And the mystery? The mystery is why they called it the mystery of palo cortado. Not only is there no real mystery these days (and here I defer to the great Jesus Barquin), but if there was, the mystery is neither announced or explored at any length – it is announced and immediately shot down! (Yes, there are some frankly vexing references to it being a “rebellious wine” and the like – but nothing too over the top.) in this sense for me the film is summed up by a moment at the end when Cesar Saldaña has time to say “I tend to prefer amontillado …  ” but just as he says “but a palo cortado is …” he gets cut off. Classic stuff.

All in all, I am glad to have seen it and think the world would be a better place if more people did likewise. (They are pushing on an open door convincing me that we should all drink more wines from Jerez and Sanlucar.) However, I really feel they slightly missed an opportunity to appeal to a more critical public. There was some good nuggets dispersed through the piece but when it came to the moment for critical argument all we had was (necessary) generality, some affirmation (a 100 year old wine may be history, but why history good? Is it great wine?) a bit of David “Dabiz” Munoz saying it was “brutal” and rock and roll and a little bit of blarney.

Still, bravo, or, more to the point, cheers! I have had a fair few glasses to help pass the time as you may have guessed.

Cata de Palo Cortados en Enoteca Barolo

~ sharquillo ~ 5 Comments

A good friend made it possible for me to attend this and it was a cracking event.

The title – “Palo Cortado – the most mysterious sherry wine” – suggested a bit of blarney but in the end nothing to worry about – maybe a bit of blarney but overall a good, punchy and knowledgeable introduction with some interesting nuggets and some key background facts on each wine – a well prepared and well conducted tasting.

We started with Obispo Gascon – by Barbadillo in Sanlucar (on the left below). The colour is an orange amber/chestnut – absolutely crystal clear. It wasn’t super expressive in the nose – salty with a bit of sweet pastry. On tasting the salinity is nicely integrated and it is maybe not creamy but a little oily, with flavours of caramel to burnt caramel – and very long. Nice start. (16/20)

Next up was the Tradicion – seen here between the Obispo and the Gutierrez Colosia Viejisimo. Similar in shade  to the Obispo Gascon although not as crystal clear – a suggestion of cloud. More nutty on the nose – more almond pastry/bakewell tart rather than the honey pastry of the Obispo and not the same noticeable salinity (this lad is from Jerez). Noticeable acidity in the mouth and it is full of darker caramel flavours – maybe a little bitter/burnt in the aftertaste. Always notice the structure of this wine and it has a nice, savoury, nuttiness to it. (17/20)

The Gutierrez Colosia is called “very old” and it looks it. It was at least a shade darker than the other two – but crystal clear – and again a little bit of sea air on the nose (this fella is from Puerto de Santa Maria). Also a bit of yeast on the nose – a more vegetable sensation. Big and rich on the tongue and it has that old fruity christmas cake taste to it, caramel flavours, baked orange, a suggestion of nuts. Really full in body and maybe a touch more width/breadth than the other two. Lovely wine. (18/20)

Next up – Roberto Amillo Espiritus de Jerez. In colour it is a little browner and my glass – in fact the bottle – was a little cloudy. A bit less expressive on tje nose. On the tongue it not as rich and on the palate it is acidic, spicey and sharp with flavours of walnut tending to walnut skin. For me not as rich and structured as the Tradicion or the Viejisimo – a racy, spicey glass though. (15/20)

The fifth wine (middle of this picture) is the Equipo Navazos 48. Deep bright red in colour – light ruby and a really distinctive nose – a bit of the diesel, varnishy garage forecourt smell, with bitter orange and minerals and even lactic notes (cheese rinds). I can understand it not being everyone’s cup of tea on the nose but in the mouth it is fabulously rich, with a whole new range of flavours. You get dark chocolate and tobacco, the jammy marmalade, and of course the nutty toffee. I found it a really expressive, rich wine and a little extra dimension on the palate compared to the others. (18/20)

Finally, on to the Cardenal by Valdespino, an old school palo cortado made from wines that stepped off the “true path” of the Fino Inocente (and therefore all from the Macharnudo Alto pago). In colour it is another dark one – chestnut brown. Then a salty, iodine in the nose, and burnt caramel for me (but others reckon yeast). In the mouth it is enormous – treacly, maybe even too concentrated. The range of flavours is not quite as wide as the 48 – absolutely massive and relatively balanced even if possibly not as multifaceted as the Navazos wine. A magnificent wine no doubt. (18/20)

Overall favourite: the Equipo Navazos 48 – just for the range of aromas, flavours and notes – but this was a superb range of palo cortados and an excellent event.