A 100 year old PX

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A 100 year old PX

Jerez Reserve

Jerez Reserve

At a tasting

Jerez Reserve

8 - 11 November 2007

Whereas Champagne has enjoyed 20 years bathed in the sunlight of fashion, the wines of Jerez been unjustly overlooked. Sherry is fascinating and versatile with a vast array of styles that can be drunk as aperitifs, digestifs and wines to accompany meals. This in-depth tour to Bodegas in the triangle of the principle towns, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda.

We are very pleased to have been invited to the Consejo Reglador, the governing body of the Sherry Industry as special guests. After explanation of the Industry, there will be a fascinating tasting of the many styles with good examples being shown. The tasting continues over dinner at the Consejo.

In the morning we visit Gonzales-Byass, famous for their ‘elegant dry Tio Pepe’ Fino. Our special tasting will also focus on their rare and ancient sherries including the profound Methusala Old Amontillado, the Noé, the best of all of the ‘sticky’ P.X.s.

Osborne in Puerto de Santa Maria, is better known in Spain for brandy, than for wine. Osborne produce good sherries, including a very good Fino and the top of the range ‘Family Reserve’ that is about the oldest sherry on the market. It is a rare opportunity to be allowed to taste a wine that is 100 years old. Our tasting continues over lunch.

We have an early evening invitation to Bodegas Marques del Tesoro to taste the wines of Valdespino, famous for “Innocente” rated by many cognoscenti as the greatest of all Finos. There cannot be many aperitifs better than this, especially if tasted fresh from the barrel.

Next day we head to Sanlucar on the coast, where a tasting awaits us at Hidalgo. ‘La Gitana’, their outstanding Manzanilla, straight from the sherry-butt, is an ultimate in dry sherry. Because ‘La Gitana’ is so good, the other Hidalgo wines tend to be overlooked - a shame as they are superb and include rare styles such as Palo Cortado and Manzanilla-Amontillado.

Lunch is at a leading seafood restaurant overlooking the Gualquiver River. This afternoon you can explore in Jerez de la Frontera. You might visit La Colegiata, a curious pseudo-gothic church, the Alcazar or the Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.

Dinner is at one of the oldest tapas restaurants in Jerez, which will be a themed dinner with Lustau, pairing their famous Almacenistas (stock-holders) sherries with Andalucian tapas.

Our final day is spent in the historical port of Cadiz. After time to explore, we drop into a traditional bar, the last of its kind in Cadiz, with its own ‘soleras’ on site where they ‘finish off’ wines made by the bodegas. You come here to sample their own Manzanilla and other styles, super fresh, served straight from the barrel. Authentic and simple this is a special experience. Lunch is at ‘El Faro’, one of the best restaurants in Andalucia.