Fino Pando by Williams Humbert

This is a very well reputed Fino Sherry, along with the traditional giant labels of La Ina, Inocente, and Tio Pepe. Jerez Superior, from the Pago Balbaina. Minimum average age of 5 years, through the 9 levels of criaderas y soleras to achieve the character this brand demands. According to Sherry cultural expert Jose Luis Jimenez, Pando stands for Peninsular & Oriental Steam Company (P and O), a shipping company that had routes established in the Mediterranean.

Light lemon color, bright, with subtle greenish tones.

Yeasty, raw almonds, pronounced herbal notes, goes long and smooth.

The verdict: There is a prominent tang to this Fino, and dry as it should be, dry as in your mouth has to react with moisture to compensate. Feels light, clean, and refreshing. A bit heavier Fino which goes great with salty tapas.

 

Amontillado NPU (Non Plus Ultra) by Sanchez Romate

This is an older release of Sanchez Romate flagship Amontillado NPU (2013). They have updated the bottle shape and style since, but what I got inside is excellent.

Rusty brown, easily mistaken for an Oloroso by just color..

Nose: Hazlenuts, roasted almonds, again Oloroso nutiness yet a hint of something.

The verdict: Begins with a zest which after all the Oloroso references reminds you immediately of its Fino roots, amazing that it snaps you away of what you thought it was going to taste like. This Amontillado has character, it continues long and intense. Good harmony between biological and oxidative aging, memorable smooth dry end. Excellent.

 

Palo Cortado Leonor by Gonzalez Byass

From the Pago Carrascal and Macharnudo vineyards, starting with the highest quality musts marked for fino, passing through a brief period of biological aging then fortified to 18° and aged oxidatively. The highlight being the quality young wines that develop into Leonor.

Dark amber, or a light burnt sienna.

This Palo Cortado has a certain finess, it speaks to you. Vanilla, nutmeg, walnut, hazlenut.. rounded off with lacquer, dubbin.

The verdict: Intense start, I love the complexity, smoothness, the sensation you get when a beautiful woman enters the room and everything stops, or slows. This happens in your mouth somehow. Chameleonic, but definitely the finest line between an Amontillado and Oloroso.

 

Fino Inocente by Valdespino Grupo Estevez

Sourced from the Macharnudo Alto vineyards, cask fermented, as opposed to the majority of Bodegas that use large stainless steel vats to ferment their finos. Great to highlight the differences with Manzanilla as I would argue this is a standard bearer for Fino.

Has a great shine, vibrant, slightly deeper hues than lighter younger Finos/Manzanillas.

On the nose filling.. this is rich, elegant, alcohol rounded off with the typical biologically matured Sherry notes of hay bales, earthy, herbal touches.

The verdict: This Fino packs character, real puckering dryness, and punchy finish. The future of Sherry is bright with wines like this. Great balance all round, and cuts through taste buds slicing on its way down, then leaving a pleasant dry finish. Definitely an Ivy league Fino.

Manzanilla Gabriela by Bodegas M. Sanchez Ayala

Picked up a bottle of Manzanilla Gabriela the signature Manzanilla of Sanlúcar local Bodega M. Sanchez Ayala. They are located in the Barrio Bajo area near the beach, and they raise a light, saline, Manzanilla that is elegant, and level across the board. Sourced from the vineyards of “La Soledad”, and “Las Cañas” from the Pago Balbaina.

Pale straw color, bright, with pleasant light touches of greenish hues.

On the nose sea breeze with hints of refreshing green apples.

Verdict: This is a prototype Manzanilla, light, smooth. It has a certain class to it, which I enjoyed. I feel once opened, it got better by the day, although it could just be my congestion from the colder temperatures we are seeing!

The name “Gabriela” may be honoring the Flamenco singer/dancer Gabriela Ortega, mother of the bullfighting saga of los Gallo. Looking forward to visiting this Bodega and learning more.

 

Manzanilla Aurora by Bodegas Yuste

Bodegas Yuste, aka rebel Manzanilla magnate Francisco Yuste is right on the spot with the excellent Manzanilla Aurora release. This is a deep, bold Manzanilla and is perfect to inaugurate this section of our blog.

Light gold – Deep hue, notably darker than standard younger Manzanillas.

To the nose marzipan notes, darkened banana, figs, or even evoking coconut.. there is a characteristic base that makes this Manzanilla stand out.

Verdict: Highly enjoyable Manzanilla, offering a bouquet to the senses. The high note is on the nose, providing yeasty sweet marzipan that is loud and forceful. A new experience for me marking this Manzanilla as very unique, easily recognizable.

Welcome to the Sherry Company

The Sherry Company strives to create a “Company”, a legion of Sherry supporters from individuals and small artisan bodegas, to multinational Sherry houses in order to bypass differences, work together, and establish ways of preserving the future of Sherry for generations to come.

Showing visitors from around the world the importance of Sherry in general, but with a special focus on the following three aspects:

Quality – Process from beginning to bottling, uniqueness, key differences

Value – Comparisons with other wines, pairing with world cuisines, age, price

Culture – Fundamental history, Sherry in our past, present, and future, world impact

 

To bag or not to bag? That is the question.

One of the current controversial subjects popping up with the Consejo Regulador, and shaking up Sherry in general is the Sanlucar bodegas right to self determination especially in selecting the format of distributing the wine in larger quantities, or better known as the Bag in Box conundrum. I write my opinion in the following lines to see if there can be a way back to logic and unification, before things turn for the worse.

A group of bodegas from Sanlucar have adamantly defied the Consejo’s rule that Sherry can only be contained and commercialized in glass bottles, prohibiting the usage of Bag in Box Sherry. The positions are clear, the Consejo will not cede an inch and in fact rewrote the rules to leave no doubt of previous interpretation in a meeting that confirmed the change in wording by member vote. The Sanlucar bodegas comprised of a mix of houses, stands by Bag in Box, and the independent right of selling and distributing with what they feel is the more convenient and modern sanitary receptacle for Manzanilla Sherry in particular.

My opinion regarding this situation is clear, coming from an American background and point of view, I regard Sherry as having much larger problems to focus on, especially the declining sales everywhere around the world. How could it be this little rip in the fabric of Sherry is beginning to cause a tear in the overall organization and a rift between what is essentially the same?

My solution is to test and measure. It is absurd to base oneself on either the Consejo or the Manzanilla rebels’ opinions. Opinions are just that, one sided thoughts that cut out the other picture. The Consejo states its case against Bag in Box in regards to image, prestige, and the optimum quality Bag in Box lacks to provide. Manzanilla touts the effect on buying bulk, convenience, and excellent sales quantification. The time has come to lock the leaders of both sides in the beautiful Consejo offices over some fine tapas and Sherries, and hammer out a solution.

If by the Consejo’s own logic the Bag in Box is a negative image, a fault on the overall prestige of Sherry, then let each individual bodega decide for its own. Some bodegas will decide in favor of selling in this format, and according to the Consejo, will suffer a “lower quality” image, and damage their own reputation.. let them. Many other bodegas will not bother, taking heed of the Consejo’s advice and continue only selling in glass, and coming up with bottles like the Versos from Barbadillo. Many bodegas I feel will test and measure, seeing if their Bag in Box fits in a certain tier of customer segmentation, or if it provides a direct solution to customers who have a problem, and even compete in different markets that they are not currently in. If this works and the numbers are stacked in favor of the bodega, how can the shift toward innovation (not just in packaging format) and other initiatives be stopped by the Consejo? How can an organization that was created to protect, promote, and to represent the private interests of all the registered wine-growers and sherry firms impede any successful initiative working in favor of a bodega?

Sherry Company

 

Further reading:

http://www.sherry.wine/origins/consejo-regulador

http://jerez-xeres-sherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/4316-manzanilla-rebels-seek-public.html

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!

This project is born with the idea to defend Sherry wine from the clutches of time, to  stem the ongoing decadence and reverse the lack of knowledge, of one of the greatest treasures of not only oenology, but mankind. Sherry has seen cultures come and go through the ages, however the threat today is the greatest as there has never been a more unforgiving time this way of life has faced. In fact there are techniques, processes, production methods, in the Sherry heartland that we can only read about in books today, everyday these nuggets of information are disappearing into the black ocean of the unknown, that will never come back. No where is this more apparent than in the own streets of Jerez, where a majority of the population struggles to even identify certain Sherries, less even to be ambassadors of Sherry.

The Sherry Company strives to create a “Company” a legion of Sherry supporters from small artisan bodegas, to multinational Sherry houses to bypass differences, work together, and establish a way of preserving the future of Sherry for generations to come. Fundamentally, everyone knows what needs to be done, a return to the roots, a focus on quality, terroir, and the right steps are being taken in many cases. We just need to push forward making Sherry resonate around the world.

I invite you to come along for the ride, for my part in all of this is clear for 2016:

1. Relocate to Andalucia, Spain
2. Sign up and complete the Consejo Sherry Educator course
3. Attempt to get accepted into the Sherry Masters
4. Establish legal social enterprise, and get the word out
5. Seek collaborations, and bold projects
6. Do all I can to save our bodega

It will be fun to see this play out, one step at a time. Don’t hesitate to contact, comment, or simply reach out to give advice, clarity at any time.

Sherry Company