A magical evening last night at the Corral de la Moreria in every sense. I had seen flamenco before but this was a different level, in fact a different game altogether. While we watched we tucked into an absolutely first class dinner – including certainly the finest pigeon I have ever tasted – served with incredible efficiency and dexterity by waiters cunningly crouched down low so as not to obscure the view of the show. And the wines were not only individually outstanding – just look at that lineup – but perfectly matched. 

If anything it was just too much: my tiny mind could not take it all in. Even had I been able to follow everything that was taking place on stage and simultaneously appreciate the superb cooking, the wines were just excessive, culminating in a final three of Palo Cortado Privilegio, the 1946 Convento Don PX and the Toneles. How does a fella even begin to describe all that? 

An unforgettable experience. Really exceptional.

A really solid sherry list this, from Narciso Brasserie, a relatively new opening in my neighbourhood. A lot of bases covered in terms of categories and in terms of styles within each category. The other place is represented by the Fino Capataz and Amontillado Carlos VII by Alvear and the Perez Barquero Amontillado and amongst the sweet wines they also had Emilin by Lustau, on what was a pretty impressive wine list overall.

Definitely one for my growing list in wine terms – and the steak tartare was very acceptable too.

Second stop in Zaragoza and another must for visiting wine lovers – La Matilde – a classic, old school restaurant where you can eat fantastically well just metres aboce one of the finest, busiest, fullest wine cellars I have seen anywhere and, if you are lucky, drink some absolutely unique wines. 

The sommelier is not only the absolute boss in wine terms but also a true gent. You can see one of the highlights above and I will get back to that when I can but there was also a cracking old Emilin moscatel served with a twist of orange and your man had plenty in reserve. 

Absinthium is an obligatory destination for any sherry lover – or wine lover for that matter – in Zaragoza, and was in fact my first stop on arrival.

Top class – a really big selection and some cracking, classic wines on the shelves and in the fridge and the sommelier, Jesus Solanas, really really knows his business. Not just sherry on offer – some really nice, elegant wines from around the world available by the glass, and as the name suggests it is also one of the few places you can enjoy absinthe – even out of the tap as per the old school. An absinthe seemed a bit strong as a pre prandial snifter so I stuck to the healing wine and it was terrific – right in its prime.

Allow me to insist: if you love wine you will love Angelita. If you enjoy eating, the same is true. And they have a new chef, and a new list of wines by the glass, which to me seem like perfect reasons to go there if you haven’t been for a while. But suit yourselves. It is a free country etc.

I am discovering that Bilbao had a fair few attractions for a wine fan and one of them, if you love the wines of el marco, is Nerua.

A temple to good taste, with a Michelin Star and a star chef, it also has a fantastic range of top sherries. In fact the list is, in my view, just about perfect:

• a “protomanzanilla” in the form of La Bota de Florpower 53 ,
• manzanillas that are fresh and aromatic (Deliciosa, La Bota 32 and 55, La Guita en Rama, even the Manzanilla de Añada 2012 2/11 by Callejuela),
• three outstanding finos with a lot of character (Fino Perdido, La Panesa and the mighty Fino La Barajuela 2013),
• three top class manzanilla pasadas (La Goya XL, La Bota 60, and la Maruja),
• amontillados from the very top drawer (Piñero, La Sacristia AB, el Amontillado Olvidado, the Tradicion VORS and La Bota 49 (would love to hear what they pair that with)),
• a class Palo Cortado (Viejo CP by Valdespino),
• the cream of olorosos (Sacristia AB, Villapanes, and el Cerro), and
• the actual cream by Piñero.

It is a remarkable list – excellent all round and some top wines. There isn’t a single wine on there I wouldn’t order, some of them are unique and impossible to find and I am struggling to spot any flaw in the range (there may have been some pedro ximenez on a separate section of the wine list that I did not look at – apologies – but maybe if you wee very picky you could beg for some pedro ximenez options up and down the card).

And there are many other reasons to visit too – I couldn’t stop long yesterday but long enough to try three absolutely beautiful tapitas and enjoy a really friendly welcome.  I will surely be back and I hope it is soon.

We had a fantastic dinner last night at Surtopia – the cooking and combinations just get better and better, the service is top class and super friendly and the wine available, well, it is a sherry lover’s dream. More particularly a manzanilla lover’s dream.

Last night I honoured my host by sticking to the Sanlucar wines, and three absolute belters they were too: the La Gitana en rama (the only place I know of in Madrid that has it, and in a fancy new bottle too), the Pastora Manzanilla Pasada (an absolute gem, with a lovely trace of apple upfront – whether green, golden or baked); and the Maruja Manzanilla Pasada, which was an absolute beast – so good I stuck with it for the rest of the meal.

I was struck once again by how fantastically well these wines accompanied the cooking: dry, saline, and structured. Probably not an accident in this case, but even so it was striking and made me wonder once again why you don’t see more of these kinds of wines being used as pairings.

In any event, this is not a problem at Surtopia – I tend to beat my own path but they have sherry pairings for their 6 or 9 course menus for a paltry sum. If you are curious about trying sherries there are still very few places better.

Have been meaning to post for a little while now about one of my new favourite places in Madrid – Media Ración (by Cuenllas). To be found in the Hotel Urso, a stone’s throw from both my actual office and my “other” office (Territorio Era) it is an elegantly appointed, airy space with a fantastic range of wines by the glass and, as the name suggests (half portion for the non Spanish), lots of dinky little dishes to snack on while you imbibe.

It is an outpost (and, for me, a highly accessible outpost) of one of Madrid’s true wine “temples”, Cuenllas, which frankly deserves its own post and will get one when I have the time. For now suffice it to say that Cuenllas is a guarantee of both quality and variety. They have really top drawer wines and victuals of every kind, and occasionally some unique ones, and little brother here isn’t too bad either.

In sherry terms the list was originally small but potent – Amontillado and Oloroso from Bodegas Tradición, Fino and Pedro Ximenez by Maestro Sierra, Manzanilla la Maruja by Piñero, and a quite staggering palo cortado by Equipo Navazos (see above). However, a couple of weeks later the sherrylist is longer and packed with quality: Inocente, La Promesa; Toro Albala 1986; a really good range. Moreover, the sherries form part of an excellent, well chosen wine list covering every style and continent, and with a nice rotation of a dozen or so wines by the glass. 

The emphasis is on quality but the variety is fun: yesterday we had a Ridge Zinfandel that was as delicious as it was surprising – aromatic, harmonious and balanced. And even better, there is expert help on hand in the form of the sommelier Amanda, who consistently puts me to the test in the blind tasting stakes (and defeats me let’s be honest) and, if you are lucky, Fernando Cuenllas himself.

Throw in the excellent grub, the chance to try lots of delicious wines and dishes, and friendly, efficient staff and you have the makings of an excellent addition to the Madrid restaurant and wine scene (and if we can convince them to add a few more sherries maybe even the sherry scene too).