Fortified wines get forgotten in the summer. As temperatures rise, we instinctively reach for crisp whites, rosé, or beer, while bottles of Port, Sherry, and Madeira remain firmly associated with winter indulgence.

Yet this broad and diverse category extends far beyond rich, sweet after-dinner wines.

Many of its finest expressions are dry, savoury, and refreshingly high in acidity, making them ideal aperitifs and remarkably versatile partners at the table.

Unsurprisingly, most originate in some of Europe's hottest wine-growing regions, where locals have long enjoyed them alongside simple seasonal dishes.

Here's where to start.

White Port, Portugal

Cocktail lovers would do well to rediscover White Port. Produced in Portugal's Douro Valley from indigenous grape varieties such as Gouveio and Malvasia Fina, fermentation is stopped by the addition of aguardente, a neutral grape spirit, preserving natural grape sugar and raising the alcohol to around 20%.

The result is a wine with ripe stone fruit flavours, dried herbs, and subtle nutty complexity from barrel ageing.

Served chilled, it makes an excellent aperitif in its own right.

Better still, try the Porto Tónico, Portugal's favourite summer serve.

Mix one part White Port with two parts tonic water over plenty of ice, then garnish with a wedge of citrus, a slice of peach, and a sprig of mint.

Refreshing, aromatic, and effortlessly elegant.

Sercial Madeira, Portugal

Madeira deserves serious attention in the warmer months.

Produced on the subtropical Atlantic island of the same name, these fortified wines are renowned for their complex, oxidative character and remarkable acidity.

Sercial is the driest of Madeira's styles and is particularly refreshing in warm weather. Served cold, it offers flavours of lemon peel, toasted nuts, and dried herbs, balanced by a searing acidity that keeps you coming back.

Pair it with salted pistachios, charcuterie, and tangy goat's cheese, and it becomes the ultimate sundowner.

Fino & Manzanilla Sherry, Spain

Head to Jerez in southern Spain and you'll find Fino and Manzanilla, summer drinking at its finest.

Made from Palomino and aged beneath a layer of living yeast known as flor, they develop wonderfully savoury flavours of bread dough, almonds, sea spray, and a briny quality reminiscent of a dirty martini.

At just 15% ABV, Fino is among the lightest fortified wines available. Serve it ice cold and drink it fresh, as this is not a wine to keep in the cellar.

Lay your table with olives, anchovies, salty crisps, and a free-poured Fino, and you'll be transported straight to a balmy evening in Andalucia.

Marsala Vergine, Sicily

Sicily's famous fortified wine is too often dismissed as a cooking ingredient. In reality, the wines are incredibly complex and age-worthy.

The finest dry examples, such as Marsala Vergine, are serious yet refreshing wines. Serve chilled alongside bottarga pasta or grilled fish with spiced couscous.

The combination of nutty depth, bright acidity, and savoury character makes it an unexpected and sophisticated dinner companion.

The golden rule for summer fortified: go dry, serve cold, pair with something salty, and drink in the sun.

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The Levante is Spain’s Mediterranean eastern region, its very name, rooted in Latin – Levare: to rise, lift up, raise – evoking the rising sun that bathes its coastline in a brilliance that shapes its land, culture and vines.

In the wine world, the term is widely used to refer to the regions of Spain that lie within the autonomous communities of Valencia and Murcia.

Their coastline runs from Spain’s eastern shores to the southwest, where they meet the regional border with Andalucía. So what are the wine regions of this sun-drenched corner of Spain?

Here we are going to focus on the six DOs (denominación de origen) within the two communities: the DOs in Valencia are Alicante, Utiel-Requena and Valencia itself; and the three in Murcia are Bullas, Jumilla and Yecla.

All of them have undergone exciting transformation, rooted in their respective traditions, in recent years.

There are also four IGPs (or PGI: protected geographical indication) and four Vinos de Pago (see box below).

Vines on the edge

Given the extreme climate conditions that they enjoy – or suffer – these regions stand apart along Spain’s Mediterranean coast.

In the summer, temperatures hover above 40°C for extended periods, while in winter, particularly in the higher zones, they regularly drop below zero.

And while elevation above sea level certainly helps to maintain freshness in the wines, the result is a highly variable terroir, from the lower coastal zones to the higher vineyards beyond the hinterland.

Annual rainfall is low, often hovering just below 300mm, and it can come in the form of huge autumn or spring storms.

Think of the damage done to the region in October 2024, when a deep atmospheric depression (known as a DANA) struck Valencia, causing torrential rains and flash flooding that not only destroyed infrastructure and vineyards (particularly in Utiel-Requena), but resulted in a terrible loss of life.

Subsequent storm-related flooding events in May and September this year have served only to compound associated problems and concerns. And finally, we have the Levante winds.

Hot and dry, they come from the east and keep the region free from disease pressure.

However, in combination with high summer temperatures and lack of water, their heat can also stress the vines.

Rooted in history

The Phoenicians were key to establishing Valencia and Murcia as important centres of trade.

Hailing from the region around today’s Lebanon, they were expert sailors and travelled to find new markets to sell their goods and increase their influence.

They were busying themselves establishing ports in the region several centuries before the Romans arrived – the britannica.com website states ‘the Phoenicians settled in southern Spain after 800 BCE’, and Oxford Academic (August 2019) agrees that ‘the initial Phoenician presence in the Iberian peninsula dates to the 9th century BCE with the foundation of small settlements along the southern coast’.

Later, from about 219 BCE, the Romans expanded their rule into the Iberian peninsula, setting up the infrastructure and trade routes that were key to their domination of mare nostrum – the Mediterranean.

The wines of the Spanish Levante are now beginning to express this history and culture better than ever.

Northern Spain, through the wines of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Galicia, may have dominated discourse over the past decade, but in that time, some of the most exciting winemakers and wines have also emerged from Spain’s Mediterranean coast onto the world stage.

Today’s wines speak to both the region’s past and future. ‘We are a unique region, with a great history marked by grapes and wines with our own style,’ explains Eladio Martín, general manager of the Alicante DO.

‘We can offer high quality, diversity, dynamism, interest and sustainability with our small-production wines and family wineries.’

So what’s fuelling the resurgence of the Levante?

Monastrell metamorphosis

According to planting data from the individual DOs, Monastrell is the most widely planted variety in the Levante and represents 83% of Monastrell vineyards worldwide.

Recognising the variety’s importance to the patrimony of the region, an association was launched in 2022: Monastrell España (monastrell.org).

The group works to promote wineries in five DOs: the three located in Murcia (Bullas, Jumilla and Yecla), as well as Alicante and Almansa (in Castilla-La Mancha). Its objective is to ‘improve the commercial, operational and innovative competitiveness of the wineries and growers who produce Monastrell wines’.

What are the innovations that mark today’s Monastrell wines? The image has not always been favourable.

While fresher, more judiciously oaked wines from other parts of Spain had already become de rigueur, the Levante often remained associated with heavily oaked wines that were high in alcohol.

‘Many people still think of Jumilla as a source of big, dense, sometimes monolithic reds,’ explains Esther González de Paz, communications director of the Jumilla DO, where Monastrell makes up 70% of the vineyard.

‘The tasting journey tells a different story: a region maturing in style, moving towards greater finesse, brighter acid-tannin balance and increasingly elegant interpretations of Monastrell.’

A more elegant approach

Bodega Cerrón carries out intense work in the vineyard to create its elegant expressions of Monastrell.

The biodynamic-certified winery’s vineyards in the far north of DO Jumilla are planted at 800m-1,000m, where cooler conditions lead to a longer growing season that normally finishes in mid- to late October.

‘This elevation, combined with the sandy calcareous soil type, results in wines with greater ripeness, a lower pH (higher acidity) and a much greater sensation of freshness and salinity [or minerality],’ explains Carlos Cerdán, one of the sibling owners.

Peter Wallbridge, head of wine buying at importer Enotria&Coe in the UK, is a big fan of their wines.

‘Bringing Cerrón to the UK was an absolute joy and has proven one of our great success stories,’ he explains.

‘Our customer base fell into two camps: those who had never heard of Jumilla, and those who knew the wines as either very robust or rustic. Either way, the wines surpassed all expectations.’

Terroir is also in focus in other DOs. Francisco Puerta, director of Bodegas del Rosario, the largest producer and cooperative in Bullas, describes the region as ‘the Switzerland of Murcia’ due to the elevation (vineyards rising up to 600m-900m) and pine forests that dominate the landscape.

‘The wines of Bullas stand out for their authenticity, elegance and a strong varietal identity thanks to Monastrell, which expresses itself here with a unique personality,’ Puerta says.

‘They are honest wines, with structure, good acidity and a natural freshness.’

Keeping it local

Monastrell may be Levante’s most-planted grape, but there are other local varieties that are defining the most interesting wines of the region.

In the UK, The Wine Society offers a range of styles from the region, including an own-label Jumilla Monastrell.

Harriet Kininmonth, the Society’s wine buyer for Spain, explains: ‘The sun-soaked southern Levante continues to carve out its own identity, championing local grapes such as Bobal and Giró as well as Monastrell. As in much of Spain, quality here is on the rise, with winemakers learning how best to work with the warm climate to achieve freshness and balance in wines that are typically juicy, ripe and full of warmth.’

Producers such as Javi Revert and Rafael Cambra (pictured above) are championing local varieties such as red grapes Arcos and Forcallat, while Bodegas Alejandro and Finca Collado work with Merseguera, a white grape producing fresh and aromatic wines in Alicante and Valencia.

And Bodegas Enguera has employed red Marselan to good effect – it’s a crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha that hails from Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France, and seems at home in this southern stretch of the Mediterranean.

Local varieties are also pivotal to the balance of wines sourced from old, co-planted vineyards.

‘The genetics of the old plots show very high diversity, with mixed varieties in old vineyards such as Blanquilla (Merseguera), Valdepeñera (Airén), Garnacha Gris, Bonicaire (Trepat), Forcallat, Garnacha Tinto, Moravias Agrias and many more,’ Cerdán lists.

‘This brings a unique typicity to the wines and helps to “soften” the sometimes excessive power of Monastrell.’

Bobal is another standout, both for its heritage and potential. There are more than 20,000ha of Bobal in Utiel-Requena, according to the DO authority’s data, with 8,950ha more than 45 years old, making the region an important source of old-vine heritage in Levante.

Leading the way, Toni Sarrión at Bodegas Mustiguillo launched his first wines under this brand with the 2000 vintage, and in 2010 secured the estate’s own DOP status as Pago El Terrerazo.

His focus on vineyard expression and elegance sets a standard for Utiel-Requena and is now being emulated by other producers in the region.

Liquid legacy

Among its homegrown products, the Levante counts the unique and historical Fondillón wine – known records date back into the 15th century, and it subsequently achieved great fame and high demand even up to the royal courts of Louis XIV of France.

An aged sweet wine with serious savoury character, it is made within the DO Alicante and there are only 12 wineries certified for its production.

Made entirely from Monastrell grapes that are allowed to overripen on the vine, it spends a minimum of 10 years in oak, with the barrels often topped up with younger wine, forming a solera system.

Long ageing, and residual sugar levels usually between 45g-100g/L, results in a sublimely complex wine that displays notes of dried fruits, coffee and nuts, with refreshing acidity that belies its sweetness.

Eladio Martín believes a wine of such historical significance offers an opportunity today.

‘Fondillón is produced in very small quantities and is not well known (or understood), but we are discovering that what is modern is not always something new,' he says.

‘It is the act of discovering, understanding and respecting traditions such as this that will bring Fondillón into the present.’

A focus on regionality

While none of the appellations in the Levante have yet included single-vineyard sites, or parajes (comparable to lieu-dit in France), within their classifications, some sub-regions are emerging as sources of particularly interesting wines.

In the DO Valencia, the Valle del Alforins is a valley whose elevations range from 600m up to a peak at nearly 1,000m, and it incorporates the municipalities of Fontanars del Alforins, Moixent and La Font de la Figuera.

Leading producers such as Celler del Roure, Javi Revert and Rafael Cambra make wine in this area, and 16 wineries belong to the Associació de Viticultors i Productors de Terres dels Alforins, founded in 2010 with the vision of promoting the shared characteristics of the area.

In Jumilla, there is a particular focus on those vineyard areas dominated by old vines and ungrafted Monastrell [growing on its own original rootstock].

‘Perhaps the most powerful narrative is that of Jumilla Monastrell as a mother vine,’ explains González de Paz. ‘Framed through the lens of old vines, dry farming and ungrafted pie franco vines, this story offers tremendous potential to elevate the stature of Jumilla wines globally.’

Elevation and old vines are factors also defining the emerging sub-zones of Alicante and Utiel-Requena, which are starting to reveal their own regional profiles.

The higher, cooler area of Alto Vinalopó is home to some of DO Alicante’s most elegant wines, such as Pepe Mendoza’s El Veneno, while towns like Sinarcas and Camporrobles in the higher reaches of Utiel-Requena offer bright acidity.

Past informs the future

Certainly, the Levante faces significant challenges, not least changing climatic conditions – there is a fear of more storms and flooding in the future, perhaps even more potent than those we’ve seen in the last few years.

Another potential setback is the local subsidies introduced recently in Murcia to encourage growers to green-harvest and discard unripened fruit as a means of reducing overall production volumes – for wineries, it can mean increased financial difficulty, especially in years of severe drought, and for the region a risk of losing high-quality vineyards.

But there is a palpable sense of youthful enthusiasm, innovation and an exciting blend of tradition and innovation.

Enotria&Coe’s Wallbridge sums up this interplay of past and future at Bodega Cerrón: ‘The charm of Juanjo Cerdán’s dedication to tradition and learning from his ancestors, combined with the attention to detail and more modern approach of his brother Carlos, makes them a force to be reckoned with.’

As producers continue to blend the best of the region’s traditions with a modern mentality, the Levante’s image on the world stage will surely continue to rise.

A taste of the new Levante in 18 wines

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Warm autumn sun gently seeps into the dark-panelled tasting room of the Barbadillo offices in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Atlantic coast, north of Cádiz. New-release wines sit alongside bottles of old vintages whose labels are barely legible in the dappled light.

It’s quiet, with the silent energy that only exists in the criaderas (Sherry ‘nurseries’) of the region’s bodegas, where flor – the layer of yeast and other microorganisms that forms on the surface of some Sherries – industriously yet discreetly goes about its work on the wines.

Here in this golden gloom, winemaker Montserrat (Montse) Molina speaks softly and thoughtfully about the wines. The conversation is technical and detailed, as one would expect of someone with her experience and knowledge.

Then something shifts: a spark, a flicker in her eye and Molina grows animated. Why? The subject has turned to yeast.

‘We can’t always explain the “why” – why something tastes the way it does, even though it’s the same wine but in a different barrel,’ Molina explains. ‘It’s the yeast. The manzanillas are old but lively because of the type of yeast that has developed. And once I’m gone, these yeasts will still be here.’

‘More than anything, we have to maintain and defend the wines of the region’

Montserrat Molina

Heading south

Molina arrived in Sanlúcar in 1997 without any previous experience or knowledge of the region. She grew up in Catalonia in the northeast and studied pharmacy in Navarra.

There she was interested in the classes relating to food and so went on to undertake a master’s degree in winemaking and viticulture. Having been introduced to the aromatic and expressive rosé wines of Navarra, Molina had planned to work in the region.

Just then, a newspaper advertisement appeared for a role with the winemaking team at Barbadillo. ‘I didn’t know anything about Sherry wines but I was sure the region would be amazing (my grandparents are from Andalucía). And it combined my interest in chemistry and viticulture.’

When Molina was selected, it was August and she was working in a very busy pharmacy in Girona. ‘I finished work on a Saturday and the next day packed up the car and left.’

After a quick stop at a local tourist office to buy a map (of course, no GPS!), she arrived in Sanlúcar. Molina remembers that it wasn’t easy to adapt, at first living on her own in a room above the winery. ‘I kept my bags packed each night,’ she muses.

But this was simply a period of adjustment to her new life and a different culture. In fact, everyone was very supportive. ‘There was a technical director here and I was assisting him. He was very generous with his time and taught me a lot.’

It was a time when there weren’t a lot of women working in the region’s wineries, but Molina never felt that this was a problem. ‘I remember one of the retired workers coming into the winery one evening to have a drink – a normal occurrence at the time – and he showed some surprise that I was busy working among the barrels. But his comments weren’t directed towards me in a negative way at all.’

A woman’s work

Sherry is often portrayed as a male-dominated region steeped in tradition, so it may surprise some readers that women have occupied key winemaking roles in some of its most established wineries. Some of these include…

• Pilar Aranda was one of Sherry’s first female winemakers and in the mid-20th century owned what is today Bodega Alvaro Domecq

• Ana Cabestrero Ortega started working as the winemaker at El Maestro Sierra in 2004 and is also the bodega’s commercial director

• Reyes Gómez Rubio has been the technical director and winemaker at Sánchez Romate since 2005

• Paola Medina is from the second generation of the owners of Williams & Humbert. She has been working at the winery since 2010 and is now the technical director and winemaker

• Silvia Flores is now assisting her father Antonio Flores as part of the winemaking team at González Byass. She represents the third generation of the Flores family at this well-known Sherry house

Trial and error

As a big company, Barbadillo has had the capacity to invest and experiment, and Molina believes it has been very open to doing new things over the course of its 200-year history.

When she arrived at the winery, she was able to digitalise some of the systems and paperwork with the acquisition of a computer, only the company’s second. ‘Barbadillo has been very ready to adapt to the market, not to copy other people but to do something that adds value.’

She has led her team to create new wines, as she explains, ‘to take people on a journey through Sherry’. The range of still white wines, grown on albariza soils – the chalky soils, rich in calcium carbonate, clay and marine fossils, found only in Jerez – and aged in Sherry casks without flor, is an entry point for many consumers into the world of Sherry.

Mirabrás, a 100% Palomino Fino from old vines, was launched with the 2014 vintage and, in 2020, Molina took the same must and aged it under a fine veil of flor in individual casks to create a light manzanilla as a stepping stone to the winery’s more complex Sherry wines.

Molina saves some of her biggest pride for the red wine that Barbadillo has been producing, classified as Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz (2022, £13.75 Bowland Forest Vintners), since the mid-2000s.

‘A hundred years ago, nobody planted any red varieties and there was no history of reds in the area, so it took a lot of work to make wines that taste of our region, and not to copy others,’ she explains. ‘And they are hard to sell.’

Crafting the future

Despite being in charge of so many historical products and having worked so long for the same company, Molina believes in innovating and adapting to new consumer preferences. ‘I really like working with our sparkling wine Toto,’ Molina explains.

Made mostly from Palomino grown on albariza soils, it’s a traditional-method brut nature. ‘It has a manzanilla-like palate with a lot of salinity, like a base wine for Champagne. Even though it’s sparkling, it reflects the region because of the fruit and structure.’

But of course, we soon return to the topic of yeast and the future of the region’s fortified wines. ‘I am always taking photos of the flor – it is so beautiful. It makes me think of all the generations that came before who contributed to this history.’

And what is her biggest pleasure? ‘Seeing how amazed people are when they taste the yeast’s influence in manzanilla and appreciate its unique taste profile.’ Her final words resonate the strongest.

‘More than anything, we have to maintain and defend the wines of the region, which are culturally really important and unique in the world.’ Molina’s contract with Barbadillo was initially for three months – 28 years later, it looks as though she isn’t going anywhere.

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Two hundred years ago, long before it became the buzzing holiday resort it is today, Málaga meant wine. Made from Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez and named after the region’s hinterland mountains where the grapes were grown, the internationally famous ‘Málaga mountain wine’ was as highly regarded as Sherry (from the Cádiz province, further west).

Yet today the wines of Málaga are scarce in the city’s fine wine lists, with some rare exceptions that I’ll be featuring in the pages that follow. The arrival of the destructive vine-root louse phylloxera in 1878 spelled the end of the then buoyant Málaga wine industry.

Rather than struggle on, it was easier for growers to abandon many of the distant and difficult to manage mountain vineyards – olives and almonds were a much more straightforward crop to plant lower down.

New enthusiasm

While the Romans knew all about the wines of the region, by the 20th century Málaga wine had disappeared from view. However, in an exciting turn of history, a new generation of vine-growers and winemakers – some local, some from elsewhere – are now waking the region from its sleep.

The future is particularly bright – even if some of the finest vineyards are in places that are as difficult to get to and work as ever. If you want a great holiday with sunshine, history and fine wine, then Málaga is the place to go.

For wine lovers outside Spain, it should be high on the wish list, because a number of the most interesting wines have limited distribution in export.

Traditionally, Málaga was synonymous with sweet and fortified wine. There are historically famous brands, notably Málaga Virgen (for example, Reserva de Familia Pedro Ximénez).

The excitement today, however, is undoubtedly with the new generation. Two names stand out: Ordóñez and Telmo Rodríguez (pictured below). Long established in the region, the Ordóñez family began making sweet wines as a joint project in the early 2000s with the late, great Alois Kracher, the firebrand maker of sweet wines in Austria.

Distinctive to the Kracher portfolio in Austria, and to the Ordóñez wines in Málaga, is their ringing purity. Prior to that, it was in the late 1990s that Rodríguez and his business partner Pablo Eguzkiza were drawn by the dramatic landscape, old vines and slate soils of the Axarquía – a rugged mountain-landscape region to the east of Málaga city distantly scattered with white painted houses.

Rodríguez highlights a key difference in the ways in which he and the Ordóñez family work: he prefers to use the pasera technique, the traditional sweet wine production method of laying out bunches of grapes on sloping ground in the open air to dry them.

The Kracher technique adopted by Ordóñez is to dry indoors – an approach originally dictated by Austria’s northern European climate. Whichever the method, both produce delicious wines.

Moscatel country

That viticulture in the region survived at all after phylloxera owes much to the business of Málaga raisins (pasas), Moscatel de Alejandría grapes carefully dried on paseras (traditionally floor spaces but also sloped racks).

This high-quality product, nothing to do with the supermarket raisin, has its own DO – Pasas de Málaga – which is also managed by DO Málaga.

We are in Moscatel de Alejandría country here and it feels ironic: in the global Moscatel rankings, Alejandría is seen as the poor relation to the small-berried variety known as ‘Petits Grains’.

Yet in Málaga, Moscatel de Alejandría shows its brilliance. One producer of lovely Moscatel is Bodegas Bentomiz, where winemaker Clara Verheij and her husband André Both have built a deserved reputation for their naturally sweet wines. Verheij prefers to stop fermentation by chilling, rather than fortification, retaining delicacy.

Her Ariyanas Moscatel-based wines, which include dry sur lie white and sweet expressions, are a fine example.

The DOs of Málaga at a glance

DO Málaga: (created 1933)

Wines: For sweet or fortified white wines, from five zones (roughly west to east): Serranía de Ronda, Manilva, Norte, Montes de Málaga, Axarquía

Classification: According to winemaking and ageing, ranging from the youthful dulce natural to the wines designated as trasañejo. These are aged for a minimum of five years but the best are age for far longer

Grapes: Mainly Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel de Alejandría

DO Sierras de Málaga (created 2001)

Wines: For dry wines and sweet reds. May come from anywhere across the province of Málaga. The Serranía de Ronda production zone is significant here

Grapes: A wide range of local and international varieties is permitted

Beyond sweet

A newer project in the Axarquía with real promise is Viñedos Verticales. In just a decade, Juan Muñoz and Vicente Inat, both deeply attached to the history and culture of the region, have built a fascinating portfolio.

There’s also Sedella. Focusing on red wines from the Axarquía’s steep, craggy hillsides, this exciting project is run by Lauren Rosillo, technical director of Familia Martínez Bujanda in Rioja. As Bentomiz, Viñedos Verticales and Sedella all show, the future of Málaga – even in the Axarquía – is not just sweet.

On the other, western side of the mountain this is very clear. Just as rugged and no less spectacular are the Montes de Málaga, where Victoria Ordóñez is the name to know. Since she struck out on her own in 2015, she has been a leading figure protecting the area’s vine-growing, which is under threat given the difficulty of managing the tiny, hard-to-access parcels.

These are scattered across steep slopes of between 46% and 76% gradient, amid trees and scrubland, at 800m-1,000m elevation: truly heroic viticulture. Ordóñez learned her sweet wine-making working alongside Kracher. Today, though, she has her own, eponymous business making dry wines – white and red – with her son Guillermo.

For the whites, she has been identifying and restoring old vineyards of Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez (locally known as Pero Ximen) to revive the production of Málaga’s ‘mountain wine’; yes, that’s the PX of Jerez and Montilla Moriles, but here transformed into dry wines of thrilling purity and minerality.

Cool, crisp highlands

The DO Sierras de Málaga is full of promise, in particular the area known as Serranía de Ronda to the west of Málaga city. Red and dry white winemaking started here in the 1980s to supply the burgeoning tourist industry down on the coast.

Typically for the time, the area was freshly planted with international varieties. At Cortijo Los Aguilares, a fabulous 800ha estate close to Ronda with some 25ha of vineyard, technical director Bibi García (pictured below) makes lovely Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir? In the south of Spain? Yes – because the vineyards lie between two sierras, at 900m, where they benefit from refreshing winds and a wide diurnal temperature range.

Among its reds, varietal wines made from Graciano and Garnacha, the two particularly interesting Petit Verdots under the Tadeo label, and now a white (since the 2022 vintage), have all sealed García’s reputation and helped draw attention to the region.

The Serranía de Ronda is on the up, and there’s real reason to stay overnight and visit the growing number of wineries, rather than just making a day trip to see the famous gorge, impressive though it is. Come to Málaga to discover a thriving wine world.

Find a new facet to varieties you thought you knew – in my case Pedro Ximénez. Already a year-round destination, Málaga now deserves to be known for its fine wines and winemakers.

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The words ‘Costa del Sol’ conjure up and not-always-tasteful luxury – designer shops, glitzy nightclubs, shiny supercars and yacht-studded marinas marking the Costa out as a playground of the rich.

It’s true, all that does exist along Spain’s southernmost coastline, notably the western stretch between Marbella and Manilva, including ultra-extravagant resort town Puerto Banús. But what happens along the other two-thirds of Málaga’s sun coast? Let’s have a look.

Officially the Costa del Sol lies within Málaga province, stretching between Nerja in the east to Manilva in the west. Sotogrande (Cádiz province) also gets an honourable mention since, although not technically a part of the Costa del Sol, it shares its tourist identity and people who live there consider themselves to be a vital part of the Costa lifestyle.

The entire Costa is on the Mediterranean, but geographically and culturally the two halves of the east/west divide – taking Málaga city as the median – could hardly be more different: each offers a contrast of landscapes, microclimates, lifestyles and culture – and, of course, gastronomy and wines.

Let’s assume you have arrived in Málaga (always a good choice) – in this article, we shall offer you plenty of ideas for some decidedly un-glam Costa del Sol places to check out, depending on whether you opt to turn to the east or west. It’s not a list as such, more a pick-n-mix selection of destinations that will enable you to tailor your route depending on your day. Remember to book all activities and restaurants in advance, and bear in mind that you will need a car for most of these day trips. The distance of each recommended spot from Málaga, in kilometres, is noted in brackets, to help you plan your outings and itineraries.

Málaga

Epicurean appeal

Málaga’s provincial capital city has certainly reinvented itself over the past 10 to 15 years. New museums, world-class gastronomy, a renovated port and 14km of beachfront have turned what used to be considered a mere point of arrival into the cultural hub of the region, and a serious travel destination in itself.

In addition to having its own wine museum, the Museo del Vino, Málaga boasts a couple of other slightly off-the-radar museums that are well worth checking out. The MAM Museo del Automóvil y la Moda is a surprising and delightful mix of two fashionable worlds, with the clothing exhibit rotated every six months. And, located within the 18th-century home of historian Gonzalo Fernández-Prieto, the glass and crystal museum Museo del Vidrio y Cristal houses an exquisite private collection of more than 3,000 pieces, along with paintings and other decorative objects.

There is no shortage of top tapas bars, restaurants and wine bars in town, including Julián Sanjuán’s Los Patios de Beatas vinoteca and restaurant, and Michelin one-star Kaleja by malagueño star chef Dani Carnero.

But it is also worth travelling northeast of the city (26km from Málaga), to the Montes de Málaga natural park for a special mountain winery visit.

Victoria Ordoñez (DO Sierras de Málaga) has been involved in the Málaga wine scene all her life and in 2015 branched out with her own project. She’s producing high-quality artisanal wines at the only winery within the city limits, with vineyards located in the Montes de Málaga, just 20 minutes away. Her three-hour Mountain Wines Tour (from €50 per person, including wines and snacks) is available upon request via the website links. Also out to the northeast of the city, but only 5km away in the rural outskirts, you can find La Taberna de Mike Palmer – take the Camino de los Almendrales out over the A-7 motorway, and it’s right next to the Pinar equestrian club. Don’t be fooled by the name, this is no ex-pat bar – indeed, here, local culinary legend Miguel Palma’s rustic outdoor grill offers one of the most sought-after dining experiences in the province.

East of Málaga

Rugged and ancient

With its mountains overlooking the sea, lined with caves and coves, this side of the Costa del Sol is well suited to nature enthusiasts – as well as wine lovers.

In the easternmost part of the province of Málaga, Nerja (57km) is a charming, strollable town of winding narrow streets, whitewashed houses, little squares and churches. Here you will find the magnificent Balcón de Europa (‘Europe’s balcony’), a promenade built on the edge of a cliff with views of the stunning Mediterranean coastline on either side.

The spectacular Nerja caves, just to the northeast of the town, house some of the earliest known examples of human art, dating back 42,000 years. An unforgettable experience.

Heading back towards Málaga, plan a stop at Restaurante El Saladero (@el_saladero_caleta) in Caleta de Vélez (34km). This family-run chiringuito (beach bar) stands out for its value for money and top-quality fish and seafood. Stick your feet in the sand and watch your order being grilled over open charcoal just a few feet away from your table.

If you decide to head north from Nerja you’ll find the impossibly pretty town of Frigiliana less than 10km away (56km from Málaga). It’s an excellent stop-off point to enjoy magnificent views before continuing on to the tiny white mountain village of Sayalonga (45km from Málaga, 28km from Frigiliana) and Bodegas Bentomiz (DO Málaga, DO Sierras de Málaga), founded in 2003 by chef/architect André Both and winemaker Clara Verheij, originally from Holland. Their stunning property, designed by André, overlooks the village and houses both the winery and restaurant. Visits (from €19 per person) include a tour of the bodega and a tasting in the restaurant, with the option of booking a three-, five- or 10-course lunch (from €59) specifically created to pair with their Ariyanas range of dry and naturally sweet wines, made primarily from Moscatel de Alejandría and Romé grapes.

Closer to Málaga, if you’re setting out from there for a day, is Rincón de la Victoria (17km), where you can visit Villa Antiopa, one of the best-preserved Roman villas in Andalucía (see turismoenrincon.es for both), and the Cueva del Tesoro ‘treasure cave’. One of only a few examples known in the world of a marine-formed cave system that’s now accessible, it contains prehistoric cave paintings and has fresh water running through it.

From here you could either head further east or north. To the east, in Torre del Mar (towards Caleta de Vélez) is El Alimentario. A little out of the centre of the town, this restaurant run by Catalán chef Jaime Tejedor offers a menu of ‘complex simplicity’ with the goal of making haute cuisine accessible to everyone. It’s best for winter visits.

Just under 10km north of Rincón de Victoria, in the Axarquía mountains, is the charming white- painted village of Moclinejo (22km from Málaga). Here, third-generation winemaker Juan Muñoz runs Bodegas Dimobe, A Muñoz Cabrera with his siblings. In 2015, he partnered with local winemaker Vicente Inat and together they began their more personal project Viñedos Verticales (DO Málaga, DO Sierras de Málaga). Visits to the Dimobe bodega (where Verticales is also based) and vineyards (from €25 per person) are available upon request (use the contact form on the Verticales website).

For lunch, stop at family-run Bar Restaurante Reyes (@barrestaurantereyes) in the centre of Moclinejo for hearty local cuisine steeped in tradition, relying on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce.

West of Málaga

Tales of the unexpected

There’s a lot going on in Benalmádena town (20km). As well as its attractive beach and marina, there is an aquarium and Colomares castle a fairytale castle- style monument.

Or you could take the cable car up to Mount Calamorro – which runs from the station at Avenida Manantial – for breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape and sea.

But we’re here for the butterflies. The Mariposario de Benalmádena butterfly garden is located within a spectacular Thai Buddhist temple complex just northwest of town. Stroll among more than 1,500 exotic butterflies as they fly freely in this tropical paradise inside an enormous greenhouse.

From there it’s a short jaunt over to El Parador Playa for spectacular fish and seafood at one of the best beachfront restaurants on the coast. Third-generation chef Francis Muñoz clearly understands ‘minimal intervention’ when it comes to presenting fresh products from the sea, but his astonishing small-plate creations also provide an innovative contrast that’s not to be missed. Serious wine list, too.

Heading west, Casa Navarra (@casa.navarra) is midway between Fuengirola on the coast and Mijas inland (on the A-387 road). This family-run spot brings northern Spanish culture and cuisine to the south, serving up dishes from Spain’s rich culinary past in a gorgeous, rustic setting. The restaurant also boasts an impressive wine cellar.

Mijas itself (33km) is a bit further up the mountain and in this sleepy, charming town you will find Bodegas Hermanas López Lavado (hermanaslavado@gmail.com). The winery is run by Javier López, who planted his first vines in 2004 and began production in his garage in 2011. Javier offers visits with tastings (weekends and evenings only – he’s a local police officer by day) of his small- production, minimal-intervention wines.

The Ralli museum (65km) is a proper hidden gem between Marbella and Puerto Banús. Opened in 2000, it contains one of the most important Latin American art collections in Europe. The website offers a downloadable pdf to help personalise your self-guided visit.

Afterwards, nip over to the pretty town of San Pedro Alcántara – a 10-minute drive west along the A-7 – to the new location of legendary Restaurante El Campanario (@restaurantecampanario), one of the top temples of grilling on the Costa del Sol. Marbella chef Manuel Marín announced the move of premises this summer, saying it represented a natural evolution in Campanario’s journey, offering a more intimate and approachable experience. It has already won over both locals and tourists.

Moving further westward towards the beautiful white village of Casares (102km, a little inland on the MA8300), you will find Sarmiento Brasa Andaluza. The restaurant is in an ideal location up in the hills, looking over the village and the sea – on a clear day you can see Morocco. It is run by two brothers, Miguel and Juan Diego Hernández, who were born in the village and honed their craft at Michelin restaurants around the world before returning home. They are proud to have amassed one of the largest collections of Andalusían wine in the world.

Between Casares and Manilva (105km), a town at the western border of Málaga province, is Baños de la Hedionda, a sulphurous spring dating back to the late Middle Ages, whose current structure was built from the 17th century. Reservations are open from June to September.

Also in Manilva, you’ll find Bodega Nilva (DO Sierras de Málaga), a project that began in 2014 to recover and protect the area’s dwindling Moscatel de Alejandría vineyards. A joint effort between the Manilva city council and winemaker Argimiro Martínez, the small bodega is located in the centre of the town, and houses a wine museum and interpretation centre. The Nilva Wine Experience (€30 per person) is available upon request and includes a picnic-style tasting with snacks in the vineyard.

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As we wade through the sticky, sultry dog days of summer, the allure of cool and refreshing drinks becomes not just more tantalising, but necessary.

And perhaps you’re currently feeling a little jaded by just the one style of wine you’ve been drinking over the past few weeks, too hot and bothered to muster up the brain power to try anything else.

A long, hot summer can be an awfully long time to constantly drink just the one rosé after all.

So if you’re stuck in a summer rut, here are three top tips to find something else to shake up your summer evenings and languid days by the pool.

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1. Wines made by the sea

It sounds obvious or perhaps rather silly, but wines made from coastal regions really do seem to have the juice when it comes to the best styles of wines for summer sipping.

Is it the varieties’ intrinsic nature? Does proximity to the sea really give them a salty tang?

Are winemakers in these areas just more clued-in to the style of wines that work best with your feet in the sand and the roar of the surf in your ears?

Maybe a mix of it all?

Either way, there’s no doubt that if you want a great wine for the summer, think of places beside the sea as a good starting place.

There are loads of wines which just scream summer and beach holidays, accompanied by fresh seafood.

There’s Vinho Verde from northern Portugal, Txakoli from Spain’s Basque country, Muscadet from the Loire.

Heading into the Mediterranean we have the refreshing salty lick of Manzanilla Sherry, the herbal freshness of Xarel-lo in Catalonia, brisk Picpoul de Pinet and pale rosé from the southern French coast, stony Vermentino from Sardinia and Tuscany and the kaleidoscope of varieties from the Greek islands.

2. The faraway Mediterranean

And that’s just Europe we’ve been talking about. But don’t forget that much of the winemaking world operates on the same principals and proximity to the ocean in the warmer climes of the Americas, Africa and Antipodes is often essential to help moderate the temperature.

As such, a great many non-European regions are also seaside wines par excellence.

This is particularly true when many of these Mediterranean-esque regions are also producing wines made from grape varieties you’d expect to find in Europe, such as Albariño – which has seen an increase in worldwide plantings in recent years.

Large chunks of California, the Chilean littoral, the Cape in South Africa, Western and South Australia and the islands of New Zealand are great places for crisp and refreshing whites made from Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Semillon and so forth.

3. Beyond Provence

Finally, a word on rosé. Provence set the bar years ago with its brilliantly pale and limpid pinks.

These boosted rosé from being one of the has-been afterthoughts of global viticulture to a runaway hype-train of luxury labels and copycats.

But popularity comes at a price and Provence is now at a premium. However, you don’t have to look far to find wines that are essentially identical.

Both the nearby Languedoc and Roussillon produce extremely delicious rosés in much the same style as Provence and with the same grapes but for a fraction of the price.

Indeed, such has been the impact of pale Provence rosé, that around Europe and the world, you can now find your desire for chillable pink fulfilled by pretty much every country and region mentioned above.

Remember that Liz Gabay MW gives us a rundown each year not only of her pick of the latest Provence rosé releases, but her selection of the best rosés from around the world.

Below is a selection perfect summer white and rosé wines that have been tasted recently by the Decanter team or one of our esteemed experts.

With any luck it’ll give you some extra inspiration for something new to put in the fridge before the summer is through.

Decanter Cellar: 25 white and rosé wines for summer

Wines are listed white then rosé in score order

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Casa Bigote, by the mouth of the river, was one of the few bars still open. We ordered a half-bottle of manzanilla (priced just €7) while we waited for Thomas de Wangen of Sotovelo. The copas glistened; the wine in them was steel-green.

‘Oh no,’ said de Wangen, walking in a few minutes later. ‘Look at that colour!’ The remark shocked me. His glance told him that the wine had been filter-stripped before bottling, eviscerating its character. At that moment, it sunk in. Yes, the Sherry world has changed.

Here’s an intriguing story. Twelve years after founding a wine-importing company in Shanghai, de Wangen sold it (in 2019), came to Jerez and bought 20ha of fine limey clay soils in Balbaina, west of the city – to make an unfortified wine of the place as naturally as possible. ‘I’m convinced,’ de Wangen says, ‘that Jerez can produce world-class unfortified white wines, with the unique character of the veil of flor [layer of dead yeast cells protecting the surface of the wine maturing in barrel] – in my view, a key element to the local terroir.’ Moreover he found a singular partner for Sotovelo (which means ‘under the veil’).

Charles Rolls loves fino. His drinks career began, though, when he acquired a quarter-share in Plymouth Gin in 1997 and, as managing director, nursed it back to prominence; it was sold in 2000 to Absolut’s owners V&S Group. Rolls had discussions with the almacenista business [specialist in maturation] El Maestro Sierra after that, but never went further; instead, he suggested to his future business partner Tim Warrillow that they take on the huge but tired tonic and mixers market. The pair founded Fever-Tree in 2004; it went public in 2014; it’s now a global success. He’s retired from Fever-Tree (though he still owns 4.5% of its stock) but remains fino-haunted. He knew de Wangen through a family contact.

Why have they (and others – notably Peter Sisseck of Pingus fame, who has vineyards next to Thomas’ main plot) come to Jerez? In latitude, it’s just south of Tunis and Algiers. The hills are almost treeless. Harvest begins in July. Doesn’t global warming pose an ominous challenge?

I sipped the debut 2022 vintage of Sotovelo with de Wangen and Rolls as we gazed across the plaza towards Cádiz’s ‘Cathedral of the Holy Cross over the Waters’. The Bay of Cádiz glittered beyond the palms. Next landfall, Brazil. Of course: the Jerez region is a grand Atlantic terroir, a place where ocean meshes and mingles with land. Two of the three key centres of the Sherry region are port towns; those ports once scattered 15th- and 16th-century mariners across the Americas. It’s ocean air which moderates the heat; it’s ocean air which brings moisture to the vines even on rainless days, especially when the Poniente winds blow; it’s ocean air which mothers the flor. ‘The closer you are to the ocean,’ said de Wangen, ‘the safer you are.’

Sotovelo is part of a seaswell of unfortified winemaking in Jerez, as I first reported in February 2016 for decanter.com: others involved include Jesús Barquín and Dirk Niepoort, Ramiro Ibáñez, Willy Pérez, Alejandro Muchada and the hugely impressive wines of Alberto Orte, sold as Vara y Pulgar and Atlántida. Not all these winemakers use flor; but for those that do, the yeasty overlay can play an even more prominent role in the wines’ profile than it does in classic fortified Sherries. It intensifies their fermentative complexities and takes on the structural function formerly gifted by a dash of fortifying spirit.

It’s in these new wines, too, that you might read vineyard nuance: de Wangen points out that the higher sectors of his own vineyard have more ‘verticality’, while wine from the lower areas are plumper and fruitier. Distinctions like this would never survive fortification and solera-ageing.

Something new, in other words, is coming into being in the great vineyards north of Cádiz. Something old, too: Jerez’s vineyards were celebrated prior to the advent of fortification. Wine, flor, finesse.

In my glass this month

The 2022 Sotovelo (£19.95-£21.95 via Cellar Door Wines, Diatomists, Theatre of Wine, Thorne Wines) is a cloudy light-gold colour and powerfully aromatic: fennel, walnuts, straw, soft fresh bread. It’s mouthwatering and fresh yet pulpily satisfying on the palate – chewy and tangy, with a flavour that tells you that the sea isn’t far away (seaweed and umami as well as mushrooms and yeast). Expansive, nourishing, and all in a 12% glass of wine.

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Some places are just ‘drink towns’; synonymous with – even dominated by – the process of creating bottles known the world over. Bordeaux, Cognac and Porto are great examples; destinations on the bucket-list of anyone with an interest in what they drink. And if you have a shortlist of ‘potential drinks visits’, Sanlúcar de Barrameda should firmly be on it too.

If your reaction to this news is ‘eh?’, ‘why?’ or ‘where’s that?’ this is understandable. Because Sanlúcar is home to a drink style – Sherry – that has spent most of the last 30 years trying and failing to ‘do a gin’ and move from 1970s non-chic to 21st century icon.

Plus, it’s the home for a very specific style of Sherry: manzanilla, making it a niche within a niche. It doesn’t even give its name to the category – that honour goes to Jerez, 25km to the east. Unlike Port, Cognac and Bordeaux, there’s no ‘Sanlúcar’ section on a wine list.

So why visit?

Firstly, because this is where the whole pale dry style of Sherry originated; secondly because it’s a small town and the Sherry bodegas’ influence runs unmissably right through the heart of it; and thirdly because the combination of local food and local drink is the simplest and most joyfully harmonious you will find anywhere in the entire wine world. Fact.

If you’re surprised by the news that Sanlúcar (not Jerez) is the birthplace of pale dry Sherry styles, you need look no further than its coastal location for an explanation. Exposed to the Atlantic and more or less non-stop breezes, it’s cooler and more humid than inland Jerez.

Consequently, a few hundred years ago when barrels of white wine developed an accidental frothy layer of yeast, the conditions in Sanlúcar’s warehouses meant that it stayed there.

This ‘flor’ might have been unintentional, but the locals realised that it kept the wines super fresh, preventing them from oxidising, and also added interesting extra flavours.

Thus it was here, on the banks of the Guadalquivir river, that the pale dry style was born; manzanilla has to have been aged in barrel warehouses in Sanlúcar.

As for ‘niched’ – it dominates the domestic scene. Spain is Sherry’s biggest market, and roughly half of all those sales are manzanilla, according to the DO for Sherry.

Visit the town itself and you can see why. The drink is everywhere. Producers’ names jump out at you from billboards and signs, and restaurants are awash with the stuff. Bottles of manzanilla sit in ice-buckets at lunchtime, glasses drip tears of condensation in the Andalusian heat.

On restaurant wine lists, it’s no longer a small part of a hidden ‘fortified’ section, but a proud category in its own right. Manzanillas often outnumber reds and whites.

Walk through the old town – the Barrio Alto up near the medieval castle – and you’re bound to pass within a few metres of hidden barrels of manzanilla, stacked behind the high white walls.

Suddenly, manzanilla doesn’t feel like a niche within a niche; it feels like the only drink in town. And if you try it with the food you’ll see why.

Sanlúcar – at the confluence of the Guadalquivir river and the Atlantic – has some of the best (if not the best) seafood in the world; something which saw the town awarded Gastronomic Capital of Spain in 2022. The langostinos, in particular, are justifiably renowned.

The dishes in the bars and restaurants change daily depending on what the boats have brought in, and are, for the most part, simply prepared – a lot of deep-frying and not a lot of sauce. Chilled manzanilla – tangy, savoury, whistle-clean – is the perfect partner.

Its faint spritz of sea-salt echoes the platos, the surroundings and even the town’s maritime heritage. Was ever a drink so perfectly in tune with its surroundings?

Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a small town with a population of around 68,000 people but draws a large number of visitors in the summer. In July and August it can be hard to find accommodation and it’s wise to book restaurants in advance. If you do visit in August, the horse racing along the beach is a spectacle that attracts national TV every year.

There are flights to Jerez – 25km away. But Seville has more, and is an easy 90-minute drive.

The streets of the old town – the Barrio Alto – are narrow, with tiny pavements that are not wheelchair friendly.

All the Sherry bodegas offer tours and tastings. Barbadillo’s stunning cathedral cellar is one of the world’s most striking barrel rooms. The producer also has a Manzanilla Museum. Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana offers visits to the vineyards and a restaurant.

The Coto Doñana is a beautiful, unspoiled nature reserve across the Guadalquivir. It’s not possible to stay without a permit, but locals take the ferry for the day, attracted by the huge white-sand beaches. Just take lots of water and a hat.

Sanlúcar is the perfect size for a long-weekend getaway, merging culture, history, beach down-time and – of course – a stimulating and proudly-local food and drink scene. Your fridge will never be without manzanilla again.

Your Sanlúcar address book

Restaurants

Food and drink are closely intertwined in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Most bars will offer tapas of some description, even if it’s just ham, cheese platters and a freshly-made seafood stew.

Much of the hospitality is focused around Plaza del Cabildo – both in the beautiful fountain and bougainvillea-filled square itself – and the maze of narrow streets around it. But for sheer concentration of venues go to the 200m strip of Bajo de Guía. Overlooking the white-sand beaches and the ferry to the Coto Doñana it’s a busy, buzzy, bacchanalian maelstrom of food, drinks and joyful socialising.

Casa Balbino

One of the busiest, buzziest eateries in the socialising hub that is the Plaza del Cabildo, queues stretch down the street at peak times as locals and tourists alike wait for its famous – and crunchily moreish – tortillas de camarones (shrimp fritters). It’s possible to eat at the bar, so if you’re in a hurry you can skip the queues, order a glass of manzanilla and get your food at the same time.

Casa Bigote

Bajo de Guia

Probably the food institution of Sanlúcar, Michelin-bibbed Casa Bigote has expanded over the seventy plus years of its existence, but continues to fill up its 150 covers sitting after sitting. It’s traditional, no-nonsense and gimmick-free Sanluqueño food that does nothing more than showcase quite beautifully the quality of the local ingredients. Its langostinos are legendary.

El Espejo

Calle Caballeros

Elegant, modern Michelin-bib standard food from the excellent local chef José-Luis Tallafigo. It’s handily positioned on the same street as both the medieval castle and Bobedas Barbadillo in the Barrio Alto. The ten-course tasting menu is a bargain, with dishes of poise, creativity and imagination. With a dreamy interior Moorish courtyard and lots of local Sherry by the glass, it’s a must-visit.

Poma

Bajo de Guia

One of the first restaurants on the strip at Bajo de Guía, Poma is a classic seafood restaurant with a huge variety of fish and seafood, cooked in a myriad of ways, though it’s best known for its arroz marinero – a heartily comforting seafood and rice stew. Thirty manzanillas (and no other types of Sherry!) are the biggest section on the wine list.

Bars

Traditional Spanish bars have great ranges of manzanilla and traditional food, though their ‘cocktails’ aren’t likely to stretch much past a rebujito – manzanilla and lemonade – the town’s sangria-adjacent staple long drink for hot summer months.

Cocktail bars in Sanlúcar cater for locals and tourists looking for ‘hot weather’ drinks – Mojitos, Caipirinhas and Piña Coladas. Free-pour gin and tonics are traditionally drunk after dinner and can be ferociously strong.

Manzanilla’s savoury character pairs really well with gin, and it makes for a good alternative to vermouth in Martinis for those who like the more briny styles.

Bar Astillero

Bajo de Guia

‘La Vida Puede Esperar’ – Life can wait – says a sign in this bar at the far end of the venues lining the beaches of Bajo de Guia. Bright, airy and spacious, with its full-length windows and wooden decking, this former shipbuilders has been neatly renovated and feels more modern than most bars in Sanlúcar. Try the signature Astillero cocktail.

Bar Casa Pedro Hernández Santolalla

Calle Bolsa

A classic Spanish bar, with ham hanging from the ceiling and an L-shaped bar. It began life as a grocers in 1947, before becoming a tobacconists and then its current iteration. Simple, but good tapas and manzanilla literally on tap served straight from the barrel.

Ribera 22

Plaza del Cabildo

With its low beams and wooden floor, there’s an air of a smugglers den to this venue that sits in a prime location right on one corner of the buzzing Plaza del Cabildo. With a big range of whiskies and gins, it’s clear that the team takes its craft seriously. Bartender Manuel Hoang has created a whole range of twists on classic cocktails, cleverly substituting Sherry for the original base spirits.

Taberna der Guerrita

Calle Rubiños

Unpretentious and friendly, with a great range of manzanillas, since it opened in 1978, Taberna der Guerrita has justifiably gone on to be something of a Sanlúcar institution. Its tasting room with 300 listings has attracted passing winemakers from all over the world, and the five course wine and food tasting menu is well worth considering for the curious oenophile.

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The city of Jerez de la Frontera is at the heart of the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO that shares its name. This is one the oldest wine-producing regions in Spain, thought to have been established by the Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago.

The old part of the city is built around the medieval Moorish fortress of the Alcázar and the 17th-century Christian cathedral. But the region’s distinctive architecture owes much to another kind of cathedral: the old bodegas or ‘Sherry cathedrals’, typically built during the zenith of the Sherry industry in the 19th century.

Jerez is also famous for its Feria del Caballo (which took place on 4-11 May this year), a traditional spring fair that reflects the city’s twin obsessions: wine and horses. Flamenco is also part of the local culture – there is an annual festival fortnight in February-March and it also features heavily in the Tío Pepe cultural summer festival.

The Fiestas de la Vendimia, or harvest festival, takes place over two weeks in early September. The festival program offers a range of wine and cultural activities, including grape treading, wine tasting, masterclasses, exhibitions and bodega tours.

Tabancos – old wine and tobacco shops, converted into small bars – are an important part of social life in the city. Some, like well-known El Pasaje and El Guitarrón de San Pedro, include live flamenco, while others, such as Las Bandarillas and Plateros, are lively spots for traditional tapas and, of course, Sherry wines.

Bodega visits

Be sure to book your winery visits in advance. Some of the region’s biggest players are centrally located in Jerez de la Frontera, including Lustau, González Byass and the increasingly popular Bodegas Tradición with its impressive private art collection and splendid range of long-aged VOS and VORS Sherries.

Other, lesser-known bodegas are also ripe for discovery and these hold their own treasures. Norwegian Jan Pettersen realised a long-held dream when he acquired the prestigious Fernando de Castilla bodega in 1999. The producer’s Antique range is sublime, and each year the spring bottling of fino en rama (drawn directly from cask, bottled unfined and unfiltered) is not to be missed. Small group visits can be arranged, Monday to Friday by appointment.

Bodegas Faustino González is a family affair. In 1972, the late Faustino González Aparicio (a doctor) purchased soleras dating back to 1789 from the Alcázar of Jerez, adding them to the bodega owned by his wife Carmen; today their 12 children are all partners in the business, with son Jaime González at the helm and two others actively involved. All of their artisan Sherries are bottled en rama. Visits are available by appointment.

Ximénez Spínola produces wines exclusively using Pedro Ximénez, with an impressive range that includes still wines and dry Sherry, as well as the intensely sweet style typical of PX. Wines are typically made in small, limited-edition batches. Visits are available Monday to Friday, by appointment.

Day trips

The region’s two other key traditional centres of production, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María, are also two of the easiest day trips by public transport from Jerez de la Frontera. Seafood, beaches, charming old towns and (more) Sherry are all just a short train or bus ride away. Sanlúcar de Barrameda is situated on the estuary of the Guadalquivir river, northwest of Jerez. The humid, maritime microclimate here results in a thicker layer of flor – the yeast cells that settle on top of the wine in a barrel and protect it from contact with air – integral to the refreshing and delicate style of manzanilla wines.

Bodegas worth a visit include stellar names such as Barbadillo, Hidalgo La Gitana and Delgado Zuleta. Other highlights include Bodegas Argüeso and the exceptional range by Fran Ascencio at Bodegas Alonso.

Sanlúcar is renowned for its seafood. Try the local prawns at Casa Bigote on Bajo de Guía while watching the boats returning at dusk, and tortillitas de camarones (crispy prawn fritters) at the famous Casa Balbino in Plaza del Cabildo. Bota Punta is a relative newcomer, popular for its seasonal menu, which changes almost daily.

Visit Mercado de Abastos market, close to Plaza del Cabildo, and climb the steep street up to the 15th-century Castillo de Santiago for sprawling views of the town and estuary. If you visit in August, don’t miss the Sanlúcar horse races along the beach.

About 15km to the southwest of Jerez is El Puerto de Santa María, on the Bay of Cádiz. Lustau, part of the Caballero group since 1990, is the only Sherry producer with wineries located in all three of the key Sherry cities; visit its winery at El Puerto’s San Marcos castle (two-hour tour and tasting: adults €16, children €5), close to the riverfront.

A morning at Sherry powerhouse Osborne also includes access to its Toro art gallery. Or if you’re after a more boutique experience, visit fourth-generation Bodega Gutiérrez Colosía at its cosy riverside winery, followed by Sherry and tapas tasting at daughter Carmen’s boho restaurant Bespoke next door.

Exploring ‘new’ Sherry country

The Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO consejo regulador, first established in 1935, recently made some historic changes. In October 2022, the DO announced an expansion of the Sherry maturation zone beyond the three main cities that form what has in the past been thought of as the ‘Sherry Triangle’. The boundaries of the region’s production and maturation zones have been realigned, so that it forms more of a Sherry ‘rectangle’. Previously, bodegas in the six ‘new’ towns of Lebrija, Trebujena, Chipiona, Rota, Puerto Real and Chiclana could only grow grapes and produce base wine under the auspices of the DO.

Alongside these and other regulatory changes, six grape varieties that were quite common in the region pre-phylloxera (which arrived here in 1894) have been authorised for Sherry production and are being reintroduced. It’s an exciting time for the region as it expands and evolves.

Lebrija, Trebujena, Chipiona, Rota, Puerto Real and Chiclana are pretty, whitewashed towns, each only about half an hour’s drive from Jerez de la Frontera. Below are three of the six that offer winery or wine museum visits, but local wines can be tasted in the bars and restaurants of all six towns.

Lebrija

Just off the main N-4 road from Jerez to Seville, Lebrija is a medieval market town with charming white houses overlooking the Guadalquivir marshes. Bodegas Halcón offers visits by appointment; visits to Bodegas González Palacios (@lebrijavinos) are available on Saturday mornings by appointment.

Chiponia

A popular tourist destination, known for its seafood and vast, soft-sand beaches, Chipiona sits on alluvial and sandy soils rather than the region’s famed albariza (which is a mixture of chalk, limestone, clay and sand), and the main variety here is Moscatel, used in sweet Sherries. Keep an eye out for the wines of César Florido and José Mellado Martín, and be sure to stop in at the Museo del Moscatel..

Chiclana de la Frontera

Down south, just past the Bay of Cádiz and near the Sancti Petri wetlands, Chiclana is also known for its excellent beaches. Pay a visit to Bodegas Primitivo Collantes and Bodega Manuel Aragón by appointment. A useful resource is La Ruta del Vino y el Brandy del Marco de Jerez, a non-profit association that compiles information on wineries and wine-tourism activities in the DO.

Jerez & Sherry: The facts

Planted area 6,618ha (subject to revision)

Main soil types Albariza, clay, sand

Appellations Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Vinagre de Jerez

Annual production 383,000hl

Main grapes Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel de Alexandria, and the reintroduced varieties of Beba, Vigiriega/Vejeriego, Perruno, Cañocazo, Mantúo Castellano and Mantúo de Pilas

[SOURCE: JEREZ-XERES-SHERRY DO]

Your Jerez address book

Accommodation

Casa Palacio María Luisa

This 5-star luxury hotel won the 2024 World Travel Awards category for leading boutique hotel in Spain. It’s located in the old city and is organised around a stunning central tiled courtyard. The rooms are decorated in a classic contemporary style and the hotel has its own restaurant, secluded garden and swimming pool.

Hotel Palacio Corredera

This charming hotel in a converted convent is just a short walk from both the city centre and the train station. It’s minimalist luxury in style, with modern, spacious rooms and suites facing onto a light-filled inner patio.

La Gitanilla Alojamiento & Encanto

This lovingly restored house dates back to 1865. Today, it offers modern comfort in a traditional setting. The central location is hard to beat. Expect personal service and a unique Jerezano experience, including a 24-hour Sherry honour bar and a terrace with views of the cathedral.

Restaurants and bars

El Bichero

Having established a reputation as a seafood temple in the centre of Jerez, El Bichero has since moved to larger and more elegant premises on the eastern outskirts of the city. Open daily from midday.

La Carboná

Run by the ‘Sherry chef’ Javier Muñoz, La Carboná is set in a beautifully restored Sherry bodega – a vast yet cosy space, dominated by a large fireplace. Located in the city centre and open for lunch and dinner daily except Tuesdays. lacarbona.com

Mantúa

A one-star Michelin restaurant that offers two seasonal tasting menus in an elegant six-table dining room. Service is impeccable without being stuffy. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday.

Shopping

La Casa del Jerez

La Casa stocks an extensive range of Sherry wines, vermouth and brandy. It also hosts regular tastings and will ship purchases internationally. Open Monday-Friday 9.30am-2.30pm/5.30-8.30pm, Saturday 9.30am-2.30pm.

La Sibarita Wines

Close to the Mercado de Abastos, this brand new gourmet food and wine shop on Plaza Esteve is run by a passionate and knowledgeable young team. It stocks excellent Sherries and brandies as well as local table wines. Enjoy with a tapa on their terrace. Open Monday-Friday 9.45am-2pm, Saturday 10am-2pm.

How to get there

There are frequent direct flights to Seville (one hour away by train) and some direct European flights to Jerez. A car is easiest for visiting bodegas, but some are also accessible by public transport.

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Sherry’s most dramatic moment takes place every other year in Jerez. Top chefs from seven countries, many of them from Michelin-starred establishments, compete to create beautiful three-course menus while squeezed into the most difficult of spaces – the stage of the Villamarta theatre.

Scroll down to see Sarah Jane Evans MW’s top 20 Sherries

Under the proscenium arch, they present their dishes to the judges, while their sommelier partners serve three chosen Sherries and explain the matches. From my own experience in 2019 as a judge at Copa Jerez, I can say it is a delicious task. On that occasion, the winning Danish team paired an unlikely dessert of caramelised banana ice cream with liquorice, olive oil and a coffee sauce, with VOS Pedro Ximénez from Bodegas Tradición. It was a sensation.

Denmark won again in October 2023, and deservedly so – the triumphant team paired its starter of poached prawns with beurre blanc vinegar and marinated rye bread, green celery, sea lettuce and sisho with Bodegas Barón’s Soluqua Manzanilla (£25.95 Worsley Fine Wines).

During the event, outside the theatre, it is party time. Sherry bodegas large and small pour wines and the Sherry trade mills about, gossiping and glad-handing. When you’re there, it’s hard to imagine that Sherry has been living through decades of decline. Copa Jerez, this theatrical display, plus the conference and winery visits that surround it, has established itself as one of the pillars rebuilding the image of Sherry.

I’m enthusiastic about signs of growth for Sherry. Much of the inspiration, rule-breaking and creativity comes from the outliers and the small businesses. The big brands have caught up with the message and are following through with their own innovations.

Embracing the new

Sherry still retains its classic categories: biologically aged, or oxidatively; young or with many years of age; every gradation from bone dry to intensely sweet. However, there have been significant changes. The Sherry ageing area has grown from a ‘triangle’ of towns to more of a cube. More grape varieties are being added or reinstated. Important is the revival of vinos de pasto. These are literally wines to enjoy with food. They are unfortified, they emphasise their terroir origin, and they may have a short time under flor – the best are fine wines in their own right, and a good introduction to Sherry.

My selection in the pages that follow is of Sherries – vinos de pasto need an article all of their own. I have selected wines from practically every category, and from producers large and small. The (dry) manzanillas and finos should be served cool – just how cold depends on your taste. Amontillado and the sweetest Sherries benefit from being served cool. Palo cortado, oloroso and aged Sherries flourish nearer room temperature.

It’s important to enjoy Sherry without feeling bound by tradition. I have put in drinking dates, but again these are very much up to your taste. Top manzanillas and finos can last for a number of years if kept in cool, dark conditions. The oxidative wines are fairly indestructible unopened. Store Sherry upright. Whatever the category of Sherry, serve it in a regular white wine glass.

20 scintillating Sherry buys:

Sherries were tasted non-blind

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Launched during the pandemic by family-owned wine company González Byass, the world’s first ‘Sherry hotel’ encompasses a collection of former cellar-worker cottages in the Old Town, and practically overlooks the 180-year-old Tío Pepe winery.

Nearby wineries and the city’s main sites attract guests all year round. You’ll find the ornate 17th-century grand cathedral opposite the hotel and the 11th-/12th-century Moorish alcázar fortress just down the street. A five-minute amble brings you to Jerez’s main thoroughfares packed with shops, restaurants, tapas bars and tabancos, the city’s hyper-local taverns known for Sherry served from casks. To dial into the rhythm of Jerez, catch a fiery flamenco show in the evening.

Balancing space, light and art

With the main staircase as a focal point, the property’s guest rooms, suites and communal areas are dispersed around romantic terraces and courtyards. High ceilings, graceful arches, organic textiles and whitewashed walls create space and light in the 27 elegantly appointed rooms.

Rooms range in size and view, with a few boasting private balconies and suites offering separate lounges: all feature original beamed ceilings, antique furniture and hand-selected artworks. Within the roomy bathrooms, you can rinse off the day’s heat in your walk-in rain shower and rehydrate parched skin with organic toiletries from Spanish brand Uvas Frescas. The beautifully manicured grounds feature a fountain surrounded by colourful bougainvillaeas and glossy-leaved orange trees.

On the roof, an expansive terrace replete with loungers and a dipping pool beckons guests from day to night. Potted banana palms accent the space, along with a handful of slingback chairs, umbrellas and tables. At sunset, staff man the bar, pouring Sherry, cocktails and wine while a live musician strums a Spanish guitar to complete the dreamy setting.

If you’re bent on fitness beyond city strolls, a compact gym off the rooftop should do the trick. You’ll find cardio equipment, free weights and mats for stretching and yoga.

For additional needs, ask the helpful staff at the front desk, which is open 24 hours a day. They’re happy to arrange on-site massages, restaurant reservations and tastings at Tío Pepe and nearby bodegas.

Wine and gastronomy

In the land of Andalucían cuisine, the restaurant’s gastronomic flair and deep wine cellar shine. Thanks to chef Alejandro Bazán, the hotel restaurant Pedro Nolasco holds its own in flavour and freshness against the city’s heavyweight newcomers, each with a Michelin star, Mantúa and Lú Cocina y Alma.

On a clear night, you’ll want a table on the terrace overlooking the cathedral. Start with a glass of Tres Palmas fino and a platter of glistening Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, or acorn-fed Iberian ham. Under the ‘life is sharing’ menu, try crunchy prawns with a perfectly poached egg wrapped in razor-thin pork jowl. Pork enthusiasts should carry on with a main dish of cochinillo asado or roast suckling pig in a mango-spiked sweet and sour palo cortado sauce. Otherwise, the gently charred octopus offers a taste of the nearby Gulf of Cadiz.

In the morning, the hotel serves breakfast in Pedro Nolasco’s quiet, leafy gardens. The menu includes coffee, freshly-squeezed orange juice, eggs cooked to order, local pastries and mollete bread paired with jamón and local cheese.

Save one afternoon for a winery tour, whether the introductory experience, a technical tasting or an in-depth look at VORS. Founded in 1835, Bodegas Tío Pepe remains one of Spain’s most prestigious Sherry wineries. To get there, look for the mural of the brand’s icon – a fino bottle donning a tilted red hat, jacket and guitar – which marks the trellised corridor. The basic tour ends with two glasses of Sherry and the lingering question of when you’ll return to Jerez.

For more information, visit Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe

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In my opinion Sherry is the single-most underrated style of wine from Spain. Even among wine lovers it suffers from misconceptions about taste (‘It’s too sweet!’), how to serve it (‘In a tiny glass from your granny’s cupboard?’) and strength (‘It’s fortified: is it as strong as a spirit?’).

But as any Sherry aficionado will tell you, this style of wine is as nuanced, enjoyable and complex as any fine wine from Spain. In fact it isn’t even a single style – but we’ll come to that later…

Sherry comes from Southern Spain, in the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ of vineyards that lie between the towns of Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. Sherries are fortified wines, meaning that a small amount of grape spirit (brandy) is added to them, after fermentation, to give them greater longevity and stability.

What is Sherry?

Sherry is an aged white wine that’s matured by being passed through a series of 600-litre barrels, in a system known as a solera. The solera system allows for fractional blending of the wines. The barrels in a solera are arranged in different tiers or groups, called criaderas, according to their age.

The oldest criadera holds wines that are ready to be bottled. When wine is removed from a barrel for bottling, that barrel will then be topped up with an equal amount of wine from the first criadera, which holds the youngest wines.

The first criadera will be topped up from the second criadera; the second from the third; and so on. This means that any Sherry will be a blend from different years.

Where you see an age statement on a label, such as 40 years, this will be an approximate average age. The blend will certainly contain wines much older than 40 years, but also some younger.

The Sherry styles

There are two broad styles of Sherry. The first is known as ‘biological’ and refers to wines that are aged under a thick layer of yeasts, called the flor. This flor prevents the wine from being exposed to oxygen. But it also interacts with the wine, eating sugars and other chemical compounds, and producing acetaldehydes, which give Sherry its distinctive ripe apple aroma.

The second broad style of Sherry is ‘oxidative’. These wines are aged without their layer of flor, so in contact with oxygen. Oxidative ageing gives Sherries a deeper colour and a complex nutty character.

Within these two broad types, the Sherry category is then broken down further into distinctive styles, depending on the exact method of ageing.

Six Sherry styles to know

Fino is made from the white Palomino grape (see above) and fortified soon after fermentation to 15% abv. It is then aged under flor in a solera, for a minimum of two years. The resulting style of Sherry is fresh, pungently aromatic and very dry.

Manzanilla is initially made in the same way as fino. The difference is that it has to be aged in a solera in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Here the humid sea air encourages a denser layer of flor. Similar in taste profile to a fino though the sea adds a salty character to this delicate wine.

Amontillado starts life as a fino before undergoing further ageing without its protective layer of flor. For some Sherry lovers Amontillado offers the best of both worlds, combining the freshness of fino with more evolved textural, nutty and creamy notes.

Oloroso Full is is aged oxidatively (without its blanket of flor) producing a Sherry that’s full-bodied, relatively high in alcohol and packed with flavours. Olorosos are dry and savoury, but they can seem to show a hint of sweetness thanks to the ageing process.

Palo Cortado is one of the rarest Sherry styles, which is a product of natural deficiencies in the flor layer. Traditionally it begins life as a fino, but casks that fail to develop a complete covering of flor are fortified to 17-18% abv, then aged oxidatively like an oloroso. In style, palo cortado combines amontillado’s aromatics with the fuller structure of an oloroso. The results can be buttery and nutty, with a full body, dried fruits and a tang of salinity.

Pedro Ximénez or PX, as it’s also known, is an indulgently sweet dessert wine. Thick, luscious and syrupy, with flavours of Christmas pudding, it’s an after-dinner treat to be paired with chocolate, coffee or cheese. Or simply pour it over ice cream for a decadent dessert.

How to store Sherry

When a Sherry is bottled, it’s ready to drink. But it can be kept for future consumption. Fino and manzanilla can be kept in a sealed bottle for up to 18 months after purchase. Amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado for up to 36 months. And PX for up to two years.

Like other wines, unopened bottles of Sherry should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. But unlike other wines they should be stored upright in order to minimise oxidation via contact with the cork.

Once you have opened a bottle of Sherry, it will keep for longer than a bottle of regular wine because it’s been fortified with spirit. But as with any wine, it will start to deteriorate once it has been opened, so reseal the bottle and keep it in the fridge.

Opened bottles of fino and manzanilla will keep in the fridge for a week. Amontillado and palo cortado for up to three weeks. Oloroso will last for up to six weeks. And PX for up to two months.

How to serve Sherry

Always serve Sherry chilled. Enjoy fino and manzanilla at 5-7°C. Amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado should be served at 12-14°C and PX at 14°C .

Finally, Sherry is a white wine, so serve it in a wine glass – particularly if you are drinking it with food. In fact Sherry is one of the most food-friendly wines out there, as well as being a great aperitif (fino and manzanilla) or dessert wine (PX).

Best Sherries to try

This selection of bottles covers the six styles mentioned above, with Sherries to suit every palate and pocket. Discover top-scoring expressions from leading producers such as Bodegas Barbadillo, Lustau and Hidalgo. Alongside some great value own-label bottles from supermarkets and specialist merchants, with prices starting from as little as £4.99 for Aldi’s Specially Selected Pedro Ximénez. Proof that Sherry is brilliant value for money!

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Despite being known around the world surprisingly few people actually know much about Sherry. There are many styles, ranging from the driest of dry wines to the complex ultra-sweet, and each has its own unique character. There truly is a Sherry for every occasion, making it an excellent gastronomic wine.

All Sherry wines have three things in common. Firstly, they all come from the area around Jerez de la Frontera in southwestern Spain, possibly the oldest wine-making region in the country, where vines have been grown since shortly after the founding of Cádiz by the Phoenicians three thousand years ago. Secondly, they are fortified (to varying degrees), with extra alcohol added in the form of distilled grape spirit. Thirdly, they are aged through the solera/criadera system, a way of maturing and blending wines of different ages in a large number of oak casks. The barrels are not completely filled, allowing the wine to be either exposed to the air and aged oxidatively or aged biologically under a protective layer of yeast (called the ‘velo de flor’). 

Sherry wines are also becoming popular as a lower-alcohol base for cocktails, often replacing gin or vodka. Try using fino for a twist on a Bloody Mary: to make a Bloody Sherry add 75ml fino, 200ml tomato juice, a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce to a glass with ice and stir to mix. Or what about a Sherry Fizz? Fill a glass with ice, add 50ml amontillado, a splash of Italicus (or other citrus liqueur), lime juice and sugar syrup, then top with tonic water and stir to mix.

Two more simple traditional cocktails to try at home are the Rebujito (fino or manzanilla in a tumbler of ice topped up with lemonade, garnished with mint sprigs) or a Sherry Cobbler (cream Sherry over ice with a slice of fresh orange). 

The best glassware for Sherry, if you can’t find a large ‘catavinos’, is a standard white wine glass filled approximately one third, giving the wine room to breathe. 

Here we take you on a virtual Sherry and tapas tasting. Much more than just an aperitif, the diverse range of styles and flavours of Sherry wines can take you through an entire meal from start to finish – and we include a few, possibly surprising, non-Spanish pairing suggestions. 

Fino

The name says it all – an elegant, crisp dry wine, one of the driest white wines in the world. The biological ageing process, under the protective velo de flor, means that the wine is not in contact with the oxygen above it in the cask; as yeast is a living organism and needs to eat, most of the residual sugars and glycerine are gone before the wine reaches the solera barrels (the level of the system containing the oldest wine). Its natural salinity and light acidity make fino a perfect partner for anything salty.

Pairings: Ibéricos are classic, as are cheeses, shellfish and baked or fried fish dishes, but fino is also an excellent match for ceviche or fish and chips. 

Try: Gonzalez Byass, Tio Pepe En Rama, Jerez, Spain, 2020

Manzanilla

This wine of the sea can only be made in one town, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, nestled in a nook near the mouth of the Guadalquivir river. Due to its particular mesoclimate, temperatures don’t get as hot in summer or as cold in winter as in other Sherry-producing areas. As a result, the all-important velo de flor stays robust all year round, imparting its unique, distinctive characteristics to this delicate and nuanced pale dry Sherry.

Pairings: Tortillita de camarones, grilled prawns, clams in garlic sauce, cured or tinned fish, olives, seafood paella, white fish, sushi and sashimi.

Try: Bodegas Hidalgo, La Gitana Manzanilla En Rama 2023 Release, Jerez, Spain

Amontillado

This is a Sherry that has lived two lives, starting off as a fino or manzanilla ageing under yeast before being switched to oxidative ageing. This makes for a very versatile Sherry with characteristics from both processes, and it is particularly good for pairing with ‘difficult’ vegetables such as artichokes and asparagus. In fact, amontillado matches well with anything you would normally pair with finos or olorosos, and it is also a great substitute for brandy in cooking.

Pairings: Braised artichokes with jamón, asparagus, spinach with garbanzos (chickpeas), charcuterie, mature cheeses, salted almonds, blue fish and spicy dishes such as curries.

Try: Williams & Humbert, Don Zoilo Collection Dry Amontillado 12 years old, Jerez, Spain

Oloroso

In days past, the gentlemen of Jerez would sprinkle oloroso on their handkerchiefs like cologne (‘olor’ means aroma in Spanish), and to this day it is still referred to as a ‘handkerchief wine’. Oxidatively aged, rich, round and robust, you will want to pair this fragrant dry Sherry with hearty meat dishes and stews or even your Sunday roast. 

Pairings: Braised oxtail, game, braised meats, onion soup, duck confit, sweetbreads, grilled tuna and strong cheeses.

Try: Bodegas Barbadillo, Reliquia Oloroso, Jerez, Spain

Palo Cortado

Known as the ‘mystery Sherry’, palo cortado can be most simply described as a more elegant oloroso that began life as a fino or manzanilla, typically made from the first pressing and finer grape juices. With no (or negligible) yeast contact, it is moved straight into oxidative ageing, resulting in a full-bodied yet delicate expression of this dry Sherry style.

Pairings: Mushroom and idiazabal cheese risotto, traditional rabbit paella, grilled octopus, tuna tartare, croquettes, mature cheeses and roast chicken.

Try: Cayetano del Pino, Palo Cortado Solera, Jerez, Spain

Cream

Grannies everywhere have been blamed over the years for abusing cream Sherry by opening it and leaving it in pantries for months on end, but I for one would be happy to see the end of this trope, if only because all sherries can be ruined this way. Cream Sherry is a blend of approximately 75% oloroso and 25% Pedro Ximenes (percentages vary between bodegas): the result is a light, naturally sweet wine that pairs exceptionally well with either savoury or sweet dishes, from grilled foie gras to trifle.

Pairings: Figs with payoyo cheese and jamon de pato, paté, grilled foie gras, soft cheeses, lemon tart and fresh fruit salads.

Try: Equipo Navazos, La Bota 79 Bota NO, Cream, Jerez, Spain

Pedro Ximénez

Christmas pudding in a glass. Naturally sweet due to the Pedro Ximénez grapes being picked late and then sun-dried, this is pure raisiny-figgy joy, and can pair with sweet or strongly savoury foods. The most classic dessert option is simply pouring your PX over a dish of vanilla ice cream (even better, soak some dried fruit in the Sherry first), and many agree that it actually makes a perfect dessert on its own. 

Pairings: Dark chocolate and dark chocolate desserts, cheesecake, fruitcake and sharp blue cheeses like Stilton or Cabrales.

Try: Morrisons, The Best Pedro Ximenez, Jerez, Spain

Storing Sherry

One of the most common misconceptions about Sherry is that, being fortified, it can be kept almost indefinitely after opening. While there is some debate about how long to keep unopened bottles, it is recommended that all open Sherry wines be stored upright in the fridge. Storage times vary. 

Fino / Manzanilla

Open bottle: 1 week

Serving temperature: 6-8ºC

Amontillado

Open bottle: 2-3 weeks

Serving temperature: 12-14ºC

Oloroso / Palo Cortado

Open bottle: 4-6 weeks

Serving temperature: 12-14ºC

Cream

Open bottle: 4-6 weeks

Serving temperature: 10-12ºC

Pedro Ximénez

Open bottle: 1-2 months

Serving temperature: 10-12ºC

The many styles of Sherry: Seven to try

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Christopher Bates is a Master Sommelier and co-owner with his wife Isabel Bogadtke of FLX Hospitality – a family of hospitality-focused businesses, including F.L.X. Wienery, F.L.X. Table and Quincy Exchange, as well as wineries and breweries, including Element Winery, Colloquial Wines and F.L.X. Culture House. In 2012, Bates won Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ Best Young Sommelier of the Year competition, and won the TopSomm national competition the following year.

Let me tell you a secret… Sherry may be the most food-friendly, versatile, diverse and delicious wine in the world. Want something to sip on before a meal to get the juices flowing? Sherry (fino). Something for lighter first courses, raw fish, snacks and shellfish? Sherry (manzanilla). Roast chicken, pork, root vegetables and anything fried? Sherry (amontillado). Richer meat and game dishes, braises, stews and mushrooms? Sherry (oloroso). Fruit- or cream-based puddings and desserts? Sherry (Moscatel). Chocolate, caramel or rich desserts? Sherry (cream or PX). A nightcap after dinner? Sherry (the extremely old Sherries known as VORS). Alongside Champagne and Riesling, Sherry is one of the few wine styles that can pair through an entire menu so gracefully.

So, the time has come to drop the stigma and see past the name – it’s time to treat Sherry like a wine and not a spirit, or worse ‘a fortified wine’. Sherry is so much more than that.

A little on the geeky side: Sherry comes from southern Spain, near Cádiz, and is a wine defined by its place, from the chalky, barren white albariza soils to the hot, dry Levante wind blowing from inland Spain, to the cool, humid Poniente wind bringing oceanic influence. It’s made (nearly entirely) from an often overlooked white grape called Palomino. Much like Champagne, though, these wines really come into their own through their winemaking. The story of most great wines starts and stops with the grape variety(ies) and where it was grown, yet when we talk about Sherry (and Champagne), that’s only the beginning of the story.

Explore the styles

There are three major styles of Sherry: dry white (fino and manzanilla), dry mahogany (palo cortado and oloroso) – yes, I said dry – and sweet, dessert wines. All three are ‘fortified’, but don’t think of it as a fortified wine… these wines are meant for the dinner (and lunch) table! The dry white style usually sits at about 15% alcohol – along with many Californian, Australian and Spanish table wines – and the other styles are only a few degrees higher.

Unlike most wines, Sherry is stored for years, decades even, in large barrels that aren’t filled to the top, creating a surface area that is directly in contact with oxygen. Because those destined for fino and manzanilla are only fortified to 15%, a blanket of flor (yeasts) forms on the surface of the wines, protecting them from oxygen, keeping them light in colour and enhancing their youthful flavours. These white wines are among the world’s driest, saltiest, most savoury and yeastiest wines. With aromas of green apple, Marcona almond, chalk, white flowers, bread dough, sea spray and crushed shells, these wines define the power of yeast.

Those wines destined for the richer mahogany styles (palo cortado, oloroso) are fortified to a higher alcohol level, at which flor cannot survive, which means the wine can breathe in the oxygen, deepening the colour and giving darker, richer, nuttier flavours. These are deep, roasted, powerful wines that smell of baked pears and quince, pecans and walnuts, caramel, leather and old wood. Giving voice to the influence of oxygen, these embody the passing of time.

And then there is amontillado, gracefully exuding the best of both styles, a wine that spends the first half of its life protected by flor, and the second half unprotected, exposed to the influence of oxygen.

And, for those who like a wine with sweetness, PX is unforgettable… a wine squeezed, literally, from raisins – the Pedro Ximénez grapes shrivel in the hot, dry sun before being pressed and fermented. Beyond unctuous, it offers flavours of treacle, dried fruits and spice, making it one of the world’s most individual dessert wines.

Great-value wine

So, grab a bottle of fino or amontillado and open a tin of sardines or anchovies, grab a bowl of nuts and green olives, open a bag of potato chips (no, really…) and invite friends over. Pour it into proper wine glasses, and pour like you would a white wine: 125ml pours, so, five or six glasses to a bottle. And finish the bottle – it’s a wine, not a spirit.

One last reason to buy? Well, Sherry may also be the world’s most undervalued wine. These wines spend five, 10, 20 even up to 30 years or more in barrel, developing and concentrating, and are delivered to you, ready to drink and in their prime, for prices that often equate to less than two dollars (or quid) per year spent ageing in barrel… You won’t find wines of this age, at this price, from any other region.

Discovering Sherry: Bates’ top picks

Let’s start with one of the most important finos in the world, Tio Pepe (widely available). Aged for an average of four years in the solera system at Gonzalez Byass, this fino is light, fresh, salty and yeasty: the perfect aperitif. Then, to better understand the styles, the best thing to do is try them side by side, from the same producer.

From Valdespino, grab a bottle of Inocente Fino (£19-£22.99 via independent merchants) and Tio Diego Amontillado (similarly available) – these are the same wines, aged for 10 years side by side. The only difference is that whereas Inocente ages under its yeast flor for the entire 10 years, in Tio Diego the flor is extinguished after about five years, letting the wine interact with oxygen. When you are ready to splash out, grab a bottle of VORS (‘Very Old Rare Sherry’ in English) from the ranges offered by Bodegas Tradición, Gonzalez Byass or Lustau, and see what these different styles become at 30, 40 or 50 years.

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These styles are produced via biological ageing, which involves the formation of a veil of flor yeast on top of the barrel during maturation. Such flor is responsible for the development of these wines’ unique flavours and texture and is therefore generally understood to be an integral part of their terroir expression. ‘We have dual terroir,’ said Barbadillo vineyard manager Catina Aveledo, ‘the vineyard terroir and the bodega terroir, which is about the air (temperature, humidity and circulation) so maybe “aeroir”. Both are important for Sherry. The latter, vitally important for Manzanilla.’

The study points out that traditional ‘cathedral’ Sherry wineries are ‘good examples of nearly zero-emission buildings (NZEB)’, as their design provides the necessary levels of humidity and temperature for the flor to develop and thrive without the need for energy intensive cooling systems.

‘Jerez’s cathedral warehouses were built over 100 years ago and since then they’ve worked perfectly,’ César Porras Amores, who was involved in the study, told Decanter. ‘We know that climate change is a reality and the temperature in the world is increasing,’ he continued, ‘and for that reason we have simulated the indoor conditions in a futuristic scenario… to understand how the winery will behave in that scenario.’

According to the research paper, temperatures in the region will rise by an average of 2.3°C by 2050, and up to an astonishing 4°C in the summer of hot years. Some cathedrals would struggle to absorb such a shift, meaning that they might fail to provide the necessary conditions for the production of biologically aged Sherries. ‘If the climate change estimates presented in our research are confirmed in the future, [wine] companies will have difficulties retaining the comfort temperature inside the warehouse [such as] high natural ventilation.’

Fermín Hidalgo, owner of leading Sanlúcar de Barrameda-based Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana, highlighted how the yeast required to ferment and mature Manzanilla wines is particularly sensitive to heat. ‘Climate change will affect biological ageing in many wineries. However, all of our wineries are built in the best possible way… one of our wineries is the tallest cathedral-style winery in the Sherry area, 14.5 metres high.’

Alongside height, Hidalgo argued that proximity to the sea offers a further mitigating element. ‘All of our wineries are located in the low part of Sanlúcar, less than 500 metres from the sea. Therefore, so far, we have not needed to implement anything in our wineries.’

He admitted however that some bodegas, particularly those with lower ceilings, surrounded by buildings, or far from bodies of water will indeed suffer the effects of the warming climate.

‘The temperature in those wineries will increase. A way to try to reduce that increase in temperature may be by installing watering systems in the soil at wineries. However, the watering systems will not reduce 100% the increase in temperatures.’

The team of researchers at UPM is now working on the development of a new NZEB building specifically designed to absorb the forecasted temperature rise by employing new ‘intelligent’ construction materials, esparto blinds – which stimulate ventilation while minimising sun radiation – and innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

‘We would like to have results as soon as possible as the wine sector is asking for them,’ said Porras. ‘We want to take it easy, but I think in probably one year, or something like that, from now we will provide the wine industry with new solutions in terms of construction materials that can help build cathedral warehouses suitable for the future climate.’

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Whisky is emphatically a product of place. The flavours in the glass conjure images of the spirit’s origin, from an Islay malt’s distinctive peat smoke to the exotic perfume of a Japanese blend.

Traditionally, however, that local accent is lost when spirit is filled into cask. The vast majority of Scotch malts and blends, for example, are matured in oak sourced from thousands of miles away, and previously used to age bourbon or Sherry.

Some whiskies might venture into more exotic territory. Think rum casks, perhaps, or Madeira, Port or red wine. Fewer still are exploring the possibilities of native oak casks sourced from their own locale. But here the results, in terms of both provenance and flavour, are increasingly impressive.

Going local

So impressive, indeed, that Aberdeenshire distillery Fettercairn has planted 13,000 oak saplings on nearby Fasque Estate. The project is an effort to create a local and sustainable source of Scottish oak casks for the future. And we do mean the future – it might be 200 years before the fully mature oaks are ready for felling.

In the meantime, we have the newly released Fettercairn 18 Year Old (see below). This single malt is finished in Scottish oak casks, which are sourced from three sustainably managed forests in Ross-shire, Stirlingshire and Perthshire.

Beyond the back-story, what’s immediately impressive about the whisky itself is the full-on flavour. This is a richly spiced and structured whisky; the oak adding a fresh dimension to the distillery’s tropical fruit signature.

Scottish signature

Partly that’s the result of predominantly using ‘virgin’ casks – oak that hasn’t been softened by a previous maturation (as is the case with ex-bourbon or ex-Sherry wood). But it’s also clear, even at this early stage, that Scottish oak has a flavour identity all of its own.

So assertive is this character that Fettercairn master whisky maker, Gregg Glass, decided to ‘condition’ some of the casks with a pre-maturation of new make spirit for six months, just to tone it down a little. Glass is the driving force behind distillery owner Whyte & Mackay’s Scottish oak programme.

Glass’s approach won’t come as any surprise to Royal Salute master blender Sandy Hyslop, given his experience in creating Royal Salute 26 Year Old Kingdom Edition Scottish Oak Cask Finish. So concerned was Hyslop by the speed of maturation that he and his team were checking the casks every two weeks. The fear was, in Hyslop’s words, that the blend might become ‘too strong, too powerful, too dark’.

He explains: ‘After four months, it was beginning to freak me out a little bit. Are we going to have to sample it every week or it’s going to fall over? It was all about experimentation in the end – and fortunately this one absolutely worked out perfectly. But I’ve never seen a take-up of flavour like that.’

Sustainability focus

As the example of the Fettercairn forest illustrates, these native oak projects are often as much about sustainability as flavour. It’s a recognition of the fact that Scotland – and indeed, the UK in general – simply doesn’t have the culture of managed forestry that has been in place in France since Napoleonic times.

As in Scotland, Ireland’s oak population has been exploited and decimated over the past millennium or more. Forests have been stripped for agriculture, ships and construction. The pendulum is now slowly swinging back as replanting occurs in places such as Kylebeg Wood in County Laois, boosted by the investment of private sector operators such as Irish Distillers.

Kylebeg is the backdrop for the latest chapter in the Midleton Dair Ghaelach project that began in 2009 (‘dair ghaelach’ means ‘Irish oak’). The Midleton Very Rare Kylebeg bottlings take provenance to a new level. This is a range of seven blended whiskeys, each matured in American oak for 13 to 25 years, then ‘finished’ for 15 months in Irish oak casks. Those casks are made using the wood of seven specific oak trees felled at Kylebeg.

‘Every bottling is traceable to a single tree,’ explains Midleton master distiller Kevin O’Gorman. And every tree plays a slightly different tune… Tree 7 combines plummy fruit with pot-still spice. While Tree 1 shows an elevated sweetness: black banana, caramel and crème brûlée.

‘There are subtle differences, tree to tree,’ says O’Gorman. ‘And you have to pick the right whiskey to go into these Irish oak barrels, because Irish oak matures quite fast and has lots of tannin. They’re heavy hitters… We’re definitely learning as we go.’

Around the world

Ireland and Scotland are not the sole pioneers here. Japan’s distillers have long been exploring the fragrant, exotically spiced nature of their own mizunara oak (Quercus cispula). Meanwhile in the Pacific Northwest of the US, the Westland distillery is enhancing its own story of provenance, with a series of single malt whiskeys matured in locally sourced Quercus garryana oak.

At their best, these ventures do more than just create exciting new whiskies for drinkers to enjoy. The oak replanting programme at Kylebeg has lured pine martens back to the surrounding forest. And pine martens, it turns out, like eating grey squirrels, in turn allowing red squirrels to return. Trees, it appears – rather like whiskies – are powerful things.

Whiskies aged in native oak to try

Fettercairn 18 Year Old

Known for its tropical fruit character, Fettercairn is lured into darker, forest fruit territory by a finish in virgin Scottish oak. Wonderfully textured and punctuated with oak tannins and an array of spices – ginger, cinnamon, clove – plus a roasted arabica note. Alcohol 46.8%

Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kylebeg Wood Tree 2

The seven bottlings in this series – each matured in casks that were coopered from a different tree – are all fascinating. But Tree 2 is my pick: mouthfilling and creamy, with an elevated, fragrant mix of spice, anis and white pepper. Hard to find, but worth seeking out. Alc 56.1%

Royal Salute 26 Year Old Kingdom Edition Scottish Oak Cask Finish

A muscly, structured Salute blend that marries fleshy berry fruits with darker scents of treacle and molasses. With a whisper of smoke from Caperdonich peated malt – and from the Scottish oak – this is densely packed, but lifted by Longmorn’s juicy fruit. Alc 40%

The GlenAllachie 15 Year Old Scottish Virgin Oak

Another Scottish oak ‘finish’, this is a ripe and satisfying dram, with stewed plums and candied orange peel alongside dark honey and black banana. There’s also zesty citrus fruit and butterscotch mingling with treacle toffee and white chocolate notes. Alc 48%

Westland Single Malt Garryana 5th Edition

This single malt from Washington State has the highest proportion yet of whiskey matured in locally sourced Quercus garryana (aka Garry oak) casks. Sawmill aromas vie with zesty lemon, caraway, cinnamon and feral smoke from some peated spirit. Alc 50%

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

A vatting of Bordeaux wine, Sherry and mizunara casks makes for an über-fruity whisky, full of ripe strawberry and white chocolate. Mizunara oak brings a lovely fragrance – dried flowers and sandalwood – and it’s a lot more affordable than a fully mizunara-matured Yamazaki 18. Alc 43%

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Imagine, for a second, that you’ve been told about a region where, for decades, wine production had been focused on churning out huge volumes of non-vintage bottlings. While many people loved the consistency afforded by the homogeneity of these wines, others had been seduced by wines from more innovative regions.

Scroll down to see top picks from Jerez

Over time, producers began to feel trapped by the constraints of making and marketing the same wines each year, and started to seek excitement in the creation of vintage wines and cuvées produced from grapes grown in single vineyards. Small boutique producers began to flourish alongside industry behemoths, and wines that had spent years slumbering quietly in cellars were finally bottled and sold.

If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re reading Decanter’s guide to Spain (2022 supplement), you could easily conclude that the passages above were a historical description of Champagne (other than, perhaps, the bit about people drifting off to pastures new). But it all makes sense when you realise that these changes have been taking place in Spain’s far southwest, in Jerez.

For years, Sherries largely passed under the fine-wine radar, a situation exacerbated by enduring perceptions of these wines as being predictable and unchanging. Now the winds of change are blowing through Jerez, rewarding aficionados with increasing diversity and some seriously world-class wines.

Rediscovering en ramas

Arguably, the first Sherries to generate a real buzz were the en ramas. These lightly filtered wines, with a greater degree of zestiness and flavour than the norm, were largely unknown outside Spain – although they were not new to the Jerezanos themselves, who have a long tradition of pitching up at their local bodegas to buy their finos and manzanillas straight from the butt.

‘There had been en ramas before,’ acknowledges Melissa Draycott, managing director of Gonzalez Byass UK, the company whose Tio Pepe En Rama 2010 was a groundbreaker in terms of popularising the style. ‘But no one had really made a noise about them. The excitement about Sherry seemed to kick off around that time, and since then there’s been a growing thirst for interesting and different products.’

Ever since, the Jerezanos have been rising to the challenge of meeting increasing demand for variety – and biologically aged Sherries (finos and manzanillas) are now at ground zero for many of the most fundamental changes. A key trend here is the growing respect for Jerez’s terroir, and a renewed focus on single-vineyard wines.

Vineyards & grapes

According to Francisco Lopez, export director of Bodegas Luis Pérez, one of the producers spearheading the move towards vineyard-focused wines, this interest in specific sites marks a return to the values of the past. ‘We first zonified our pagos in the 18th century according to their climate and soils, but in the mid-1970s we moved from artisanal to industrial production and took a commercial decision to blend every vineyard into one single solera,’ he explains.

‘When you get to a fork in the road and take the wrong path, you need to retrace your steps in order to get yourself back on the right one,’ he says. ‘That’s what we’re doing now – adapting our traditions to incorporate contemporary knowledge and understanding.’

The one-size-fits-all approach was also applied to grape varieties; dry Sherries in Jerez have long been synonymous with Palomino Fino. In fact, more than 95% of the region’s vineyards are planted with this one variety. But, once again, Jerez is moving back to the future, and growers are beginning to replant pre-phylloxera varieties such as Beba, Mantuo Castellano and Vigiriega, and to explore the potential of Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel to make dry as well as sweet styles.

While it will take time for these grapes to make their presence felt in the region’s wines, an alternative approach to viticulture is already making an impact. Traditionally, Sherries are made from grapes grown on high-yielding vines – thus diluting both flavour and sugar accumulation. However, some producers are now using their best sites (and lower yields) to create wines that don’t need to be fortified prior to being aged under flor for several months.

Unfortified wines

‘If you make stock by putting your ingredients in a pot with four litres of water, you’re going to get a different result than if you put the same ingredients in with 500 litres of water,’ Lopez points out. ‘It’s the same with Sherry. In the fortified Sherries, you get an empty mid-palate, then warmth from the alcohol on the finish. If the wines aren’t fortified, though, the additional concentration fills the mid-palate, and you’re going to have more layers of flavour and structure, and the balance means that you won’t experience the heat of the alcohol.’

Owen Morgan, director of the 44 Group, a small chain of tapas bars and restaurants, points to the accessibility of these unfortified wines as a reason for their growing success. ‘They’ve got all the minerality and salinity that you get from contact with the yeast, but they’re still white wines that you can sip in your garden,’ he says.

Producers in the region are currently working with the local consejo regulador with the aim of allowing these unfortified wines to be recognised legally as part of the Jerez-Xérèz-Sherry DO. But, for now, the wines must be bottled under regional or IGP designations.

Unique bottlings

Innovation is, perhaps, less obvious when it comes to Jerez’s oxidative styles, but look closely and there’s plenty to get excited about. An exploration of these wines might begin with Gonzalez Byass’ annual release of the Palmas, which charts the progression of Sherry from fino to amontillado via four separate bottlings of wines at different stages along the evolutionary pathway. After that, you could perhaps move on to añadas, vintage wines that recapitulate Jerez’s tradition of bottling wines from individual years rather than solera blending.

Alternatively, well-heeled Sherry buffs might get a kick out of exploring the growing number of single-cask bottlings. These wines are the unexpected dividends of the Jerezanos’ long slumber in the doldrums of the fine-wine market, which left many wines maturing tranquilly in the quiet cul-de-sacs of Jerez’s Sherry ‘cathedrals’. Both large-scale producers such as Barbadillo, with its Reliquia bottlings, and smaller almacenistas including Equipo Navazos, whose raison d’être is to seek out outstanding individual barrels for limited-edition bottlings, are now involved in rediscovering some of these incredibly collectible treasures.

These wines are, of course, far pricier than the Sherries you’ll find on the supermarket shelves, but as Laurence Walker, a buyer at London’s Hedonism Wines, points out: ‘They offer mad value compared with anything else in the wine world. They’ve got flavour profiles you won’t see anywhere else and some of them have incredible age for [relatively] very little money.’

The pace of change in the once-sedate world of Sherry is picking up speed, and while the range of wines now available may initially appear baffling, there are rich rewards to be had. As Morgan points out: ‘From a wine lover’s perspective, Sherry has never been more exciting.’

Dynamic Jerez: Hughes’ 10 to explore

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In Jumilla, the odds are that you will bump into someone wearing sturdy boots, with a trowel and a magnifying glass in their backpack. These are the tools of the seekers after soils – the geologists. I met a jovial party of them from Holland at the next table on my first night of my stay in the region.

The fact that Jumilla is such a favourite with geology students can be taken as a guarantee that these diverse soils will make fine wines, too. Take a walk in the vineyard at the foot of one of the region’s two extinct volcanoes, and you will understand.

Scroll down to see Sarah Jane Evans’ pick of 10 Jumilla wines

Jumilla is located at the eastern part of the Baetic Cordillera, which extends to the Rif and Tell mountains in north Africa, and across to the Apennines. The soils are a mix of marine origin and calcareous, with good permeability and capacity for water holding. The lack of organic matter has been significant in holding off the phylloxera louse in many places.

It’s an extraordinary landscape, pre-desert, and has an extreme climate. It is windy, too, as evidenced by the wind farms marching across the hillsides.

In winter, the thermometer sinks to zero. In summer, it rises to 40°C and more, though with the relief of cooler nights: ‘It’s brutal,’ they say at Carchelo. Bodegas Carchelo is in the shadow of an astonishing salt mine that extracts and refines salt from a saline diapir (a geological intrusion into the rocks above) far below ground.

Dry-farming bush vines is demanding, and many farmers here are choosing to replace their vines with the easier economy of almond trees. It’s a pity. Monastrell (see ‘at a glance’ box, below) has, for too long, been left in the second rank of grape varieties. Yet this is the grape of France’s Bandol, of Domaine Tempier, with a significant role in Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (30% of the 2020 and 2021 vintage blends). Known as Mourvèdre in France, the variety originated in Spain, probably in Valencia. Confirmation comes in Wine Grapes (Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz, 2012) which instructs readers looking to learn about the variety: ‘Mourvèdre, see Monastrell’.

Jumilla is not far from the coast – some 50km – but the Mediterranean’s influence is slight. The climate is dry and continental. Traditionally, this has led to a style of Monastrell that is rich and full of jammy fruits. Overlaid with extended barrel ageing, this makes an impressive mouthful, layered, with alcohol easily reaching 14.5%.

There is still a global market for wines of this nature. However, a new generation are reflecting their own vineyards more narrowly and making wines that they would prefer to drink. As a result I’m delighted to find words such as ‘precise’ and ‘linear’ creeping into my tasting notes, where once I used to say ‘bold’, ‘jammy’ and ‘full-bodied’.

Surely bush-vine Monastrell, raised in the heat, with its small berries, is never going to make a lightweight wine? In fact, there are different ways to handle the fruit. José María Vicente, the expert at this variety, is blunt: ‘Monastrell badly made has raisined fruit and low acid.’

Today, at Vicente’s Casa Castillo, we can savour the pleasure of his careful years of massal selection (taking cuttings from the best-quality old stock in a vineyard or area, to preserve clonal variation). The result: a larger berry with greater juice-to-skin ratio. He has been able to increase the quantity of must obtained at pressing by 50% from the same vineyard, simply by increasing berry size over time. Then, in the winery, he follows on with short maceration at a higher temperature.

Jumilla at a glance

DO Created in 1966, the oldest in the region

Vineyards More than 22,700 ha (2020), between the provinces of Albacete and Murcia; 40% are around the town of Jumilla itself; about 80% of the vineyard area is dry farmed

Altitude On a high plateau at 400m-900m

Producers 1,800 growers, 39 registered wineries

Wines Red 90%, white 5%, rosado 4%, sweet and fortified 1%

Grapes Red The dominant variety is Monastrell, accounting for 80% of the total vineyard area. Also Cencibel (Tempranillo), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot. A Jumilla Monastrell must contain 80% of that variety

Grapes White Airén, Macabeo, Pedro Ximénez, Malvasía, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscatel de Grano Menudo (‘small grain’)

Vines 1,000ha are own-rooted (known as ‘pie franco’); they are more than 50 years old, dating back to the time when grafting was not compulsory. Phylloxera arrived in 1989, although some soils are still resistant to the pest

Climate 3,000 hours of sun annually; average rainfall 300mm: both contribute to climatic conditions which avoid extremes of vintage variation

Organics The climate also enables organic farming: more than 90% of vineyards are farmed organically

Source: vinosdejumilla.org

Growing & grapes

Driving across the denomination, it is possible to feel oneself transported to a different time, as medieval castles appear on the hillsides. Similarly, some wines are still trapped in a traditional style. But there’s one area in which Jumilla can innovate and take the lead, thanks to the climate: organics. It places the DO ahead of some of the international competition. It carries its advantage lightly, though, maybe even diffidently. Only one of the wines I have chosen (see tasting notes, below) says ‘organic’ on the front label. Or is it that organic is still not a key selling point?

The ‘at a glance’ box (above) shows the wide range of varieties in Jumilla vineyards. However, beyond Monastrell, their numbers are small to minute. Although Monastrell is the key grape, that didn’t prevent producers from bringing in international varieties, which can work in blends.

White varieties are surely a lost cause, only good for distillation? Surprisingly not. Juanjo Cerdán at Cerrón makes a strong case for Airén. He says the grape is completely adapted to its environment. He has been working with 0.5ha in a vineyard which his aunt gave him for his birthday in March this year. Stratum El Cerrico is fermented in a 350-litre tinaja, and then matured in 600L oak, resulting in a fresh, linear, chalky original.

Bodegas Luzón even has a sweet Sauvignon Blanc. When it comes to sweet wines, though, Monastrell is the king. Across this southeastern region, not just in Jumilla, producers make delightful fortified sweet Monastrell. Olivares is a fruity delight, with layers of figs and Morello cherries, made for chocolate or blue cheese.

Ancient and modern

Jumilla is steeped in history. Every visitor should make a pilgrimage to the astonishing hilltop settlement of El Tolmo de Minateda. It was occupied from Neolithic times, through the Pax Romana, to the Visigoths and on to Islamic occupation until the 11th century. There were still people living on its slopes as late as the 1960s. The site was not fully explored until the 20th century.

For me, the most striking sight was the outline of the Visigothic cathedral, the bishop’s palace to one side, and the tombs of men, women and children close by. Jumilla was once a strategic stopping-off point on the way to and from the Mediterranean. Take time to explore its sites, and step back into its history, between the wine tourism. Visiting Jumilla, you encounter the striking contrast between its ancient and modern history; just as you can acknowledge the transformation of its wines over the 50-plus years of DO Jumilla’s existence.

In response, the market for Jumilla wines is changing. I’ve received half a dozen emails in as many months from importers in the UK wanting to know my thoughts about Jumilla and any recommendations. They see the region as a source of great-value wines, which is the major demand for retailers and consumers.

Jumilla does indeed represent good value, but it has the potential to be so much more. Indeed, that ‘value’ image can be damaging to the reputation of those who make fine wines. José María Vicente says he is happy as he is, producing wines within the DO, despite the clamour for his wine in light of his Casa Castillo Pie Franco 2020 being awarded a 100-point score by a major US publication in May this year. ‘We don’t make wine for rich people,’ he insists.

Costs are rising at every stage of vineyard to consumer but, in words of universal application, he adds: ‘Wages are an investment, not an overhead.’

Eight (or nine) Jumilla producers to know

Bodegas Alceño & Silvano Garcia

Cheating slightly, I know, but while you’re in downtown Jumilla it’s important not to miss out both Alceño and Silvano García, two producers you will find not far from each other there – I have taken the liberty of choosing both. Silvano García not only runs the winery (founded in 1925) but is also president of the local consejo regulador. Alceño was founded in 1870 when the French put the spotlight on Jumilla – it has vineyards, known as the Laderas del Volcán, below the Cancarix volcano.

Bodega Cerrón

The new one that everyone in the Spanish wine world is talking about. Brothers Carlos and Juanjo Cerdán are taking their father’s organic wines to the next stage with their Stratum series. Biodynamics (certified in 2022), amphorae, concrete tanks: despite the buzzwords in the winery, the vineyard is their focus, and they are working up to 980m altitude with small parcels.

BSI – Bodegas San Isidro

This is Jumilla’s largest cooperative, founded in 1934. With the help of outside consultants it is an impressive machine today, with its forests of brightly painted tanks. Its Gémina (named after the original name of Jumilla) Selección Monastrell 2019 won a Bronze in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 competition. They have access to sufficient volumes of grapes to be able to release sets of three single-vineyard wines reflecting the varying geology and terroirs of the DO.

Casa Castillo

The treasure in Jumilla – a winery first established by French émigrés during the 19th century. Today, we can enjoy the results of José María Vicente’s intense, undeviating focus on his family estate (174ha). Year by year, using massal selection, always choosing the best way and not the easiest, has resulted in a truly exceptional selection of wines. Vicente sums it up as follows: ‘Our daily battle is to make the best wines possible.’ Among Spain’s greatest. @casacastillo_bodega

Bodegas El Nido

El Nido’s arrival rightly caused a stir. Australian winemaker Chris Ringland was invited to come to Jumilla to create a polished, top-of-the-range duo. The Gil family (see below) provided the impressive vineyards of Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the winery; Ringland brought his Antipodean magic. El Nido (Cabernet dominant) is favoured by many; I’m more inclined to Clio (Monastrell dominant).

Juan Gil

The Gil family are extensive landowners across Spain; in Jumilla they have more than 300ha of certified organic land. With their ‘label’ series (yellow label, blue, etc), they created a strong, recognisable brand within the DO. They also have a major focus on sustainability, recycling and composting: the Jumilla estate uses 100% renewable energy and is a zero-waste facility. Member, Wineries for Climate Protection.

Parajes del Valle

An artisan project? Yes – and no. Yes, because Parajes makes just two wines, and works with growers. Winemaker Maria Jover previously worked at Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero. At the same time, Parajes’ parent Vinival is a major bulk wine producer. Informal packaging with handwritten labels add to the handmade image. Nevertheless, the approach is promising – especially the top Terraje.

Viña Elena

The third generation, Elena Pacheco runs her family winery with her sisters and nephew, producing a lively, great-value range. She also runs Viña Elena with Isio Ramos. While the former is mainstream, the latter (named Bruma del Estrecho Marín) are very different reflections of terroir. There’s more: spot the demijohns of Airén in the winery with a layer of flor.

Mostly Monastrell: Evans’ pick of 10 Jumilla wines

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The fifth of Redbreast’s Dream Cask offerings, released to mark World Whisky Day tomorrow (Saturday 21st May), is a 30-year-old single pot still whiskey produced by Irish Distillers at its Midleton Distillery in Co Cork.

Unlike previous single-cask releases, this year’s Dream Cask combines two casks chosen as their favourites from Midleton’s vast inventory by master blender Billy Leighton and blender Dave McCabe.

Leighton’s cask is a first-fill Oloroso Sherry butt filled in May 1990, while McCabe’s is a first-fill ex-Bourbon barrel filled in November 1991. The two were then married to create the final whiskey.

‘The Dream Cask collection has always been about sharing our most rare and special casks with Redbreast fans around the world, and we are thrilled to showcase two distinct casks with this release,’ said Leighton.

McCabe added: ‘The traditional Redbreast style is so often associated with the influence of Sherry casks that we sometimes overlook the role Bourbon casks play in its composition.’

In all, 714 bottles of Redbreast Dream Cask Double Cask Edition will be available exclusively via an online ballot from 23-30 May on Redbreast’s online members’ club, The Birdhouse, priced at €550 for a 50cl bottle.

The ballot is open to entrants from Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, England, Scotland and Wales.

Tasting notes

Rich, dark aromas of plum, blackcurrant and damson leap from the glass, undercut by zesty mandarin. There’s vanilla and nutty toffee, fig and a herbal undertone reminiscent of tobacco leaf. Sherry-forward with lots of dried fruit, polished leather and baking spices, along with a healthy pinch of aniseed. Big, bold, but balanced, this may just be the finest Dream Cask yet released.

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Only 3,600 bottles of Tobermory 24 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish will be available, following last year’s release of a 23-year-old Hebridean Series single malt from the same batch.

Bottled at 52.5% abv, Tobermory 24 has spent the last nine years in Oloroso Sherry casks sourced from González Byass.

The series is part of a new focus on aged Tobermory releases under Brendan McCarron, master distiller for parent company Distell, master blender Julieann Fernandez and Tobermory manager Cara Gilbert, 28, said to be the world’s youngest distillery manager.

As a result, Tobermory’s core expression has moved from 10 to 12 years old. ‘There’s a feeling that Tobermory gets better with age,’ said McCarron. ‘I think those two years create a lot more value in terms of flavour and depth … It just takes time and patience to turn into something special.’

Tobermory’s whisky is relatively scarce, with the distillery producing only 700,000 litres of pure alcohol a year. Half of this is accounted by peated single malt Ledaig, which is increasing production, while fewer batches of Tobermory are being processed because of longer fermentation times.

The distillery only operates five days a week, and expansion is unlikely because of its cramped location between a sheer cliff face and the sea. ‘We are going to make far less Tobermory,’ said McCarron. ‘Older whiskies will be the focus.’

The Hebridean Series will comprise five single malts in total, all from the same batch of casks, including 25-, 26- and 27-year-old releases over the next three years.

Tobermory 24 Year Old is available exclusively from Berry Bros & Rudd for £320 a bottle for the next two weeks, before launching on Tobermory’s website on 10 March.

TASTING NOTE:

Tobermory 24 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish: The plush citrus and honeyed sweetness of last year’s 23-year-old release moves into darker territory here, with more depth and breadth – partly thanks to its higher abv. There’s dark honey and a hint of coffee bean, but the fruit is the star: blackberry and black cherry, undercut by notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. A rich and rounded Tobermory to savour.

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Looking out across the rolling immensity of the Atlantic ocean, the city of Cádiz, perched on the southwest coast of Spain, is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Europe.

Situated at the end of a long sand spit on what was once an island, it has been like a little world unto itself since the Phoenicians first came here some 3,000 years ago.

Cádiz sightseeing guide 

While Cádiz offers fewer major monuments than some of its counterparts, there is still history and architecture aplenty.

From the cathedral and the recently uncovered Roman theatre in the old Barrio del Pópulo, to the famed fish market and merchants’ watchtowers, the city has a character all of its own.

Stroll along the seaside garden promenades and through the gracious squares dating from the city’s 18th-century economic heyday to the iconic Balneario (bathhouse) on Caleta beach, with its tiny fishing boats anchored in the bay, and the stone causeway leading to the 1706-built Castillo de San Sebastián fortress.

To the south of the city, heading out into the province of Cádiz, the white sand beaches of the Costa de la Luz stretch as far as Tarifa at the southern tip of Spain, not far from Gibraltar.

In late spring and early summer this stretch of coast is where the annual tuna catch, the Almadraba, takes place. A visit to the local fish markets in Conil (about 43km down the coast from the city by road), Barbate (66km) and Zahara de los Atunes (75km) is well worth the effort, as are the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia in Bolonia, between Zahara and Tarifa.

In the nearby Sierra de Grazalema mountain range you’ll find a number of Andalucía’s famous white villages perched on rocky hilltops, including Vejer nearer the coast (62km), and inland Arcos de la Frontera (65km), while in the north of the range sit Grazalema itself (111km) and Zahara de la Sierra (116km).

Cádiz wine country: wineries to visit

In the northern part of the province, bordered by the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the famous ‘Sherry triangle’ with the production of all Sherry wines governed by the Denominaciones de Origen of Jerez and Manzanilla.

The Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz regional appellation oversees the production of unfortified still wines (vinos de pasto) throughout the province, and is gaining a reputation for the quality and individuality of its wines.

Some bodegas are using native grape varieties, such as Tintilla de Rota and Uva Rey.

Bodegas Luis Pérez

Just outside Jerez is Bodegas Luis Pérez, founded in 2002 by Luis Pérez Rodriguez and his family with the aim of recovering some of the indigenous grape varieties of the region to produce both Sherry and non-fortified wines.

The original Vistahermosa farmhouse, located in the countryside and surrounded by its own vineyards on the El Corchuelo estate, is still in use, though a new modern winemaking and office facility has been built alongside.

Visits include a tour of the vineyards and winery, and a wine tasting in the elegant main room of the farmhouse.

Huerta de Albalá

Set in some 90 hectares (ha) of rolling hills overlooking the Bornos reservoir (an area also known as ‘the Tuscany of Spain’) east of Arcos de la Frontera, the vineyards and winery of Huerta de Albalá are the life’s work of the late Vicente Taberner Carsi, the result of his dream of creating a great Andalucían red wine.

Visits are by appointment and are available Monday to Saturday. They include tours of the vineyards, winery and cellar, and a sampling of the bodega’s Barbazul and Taberner brand wines.

Bodega Tesalia

Bodega Tesalia was bought in 2007 by Richard and Francesca Golding when they came to Arcos from London and fell in love with the countryside on the edge of the Grazalema range.

Their aim became to create high-quality red wines, now marketed under the names Tesalia, Arx and Iceni. As well as the vineyards and winery, the estate is used for breeding horses and general agriculture.

Visits are run by daughter Natalia and are available by appointment only.

Bodega de Forlong

In 2007, Alejandro Narváez and Rocío Aspera took over the derelict estate formerly known as El Olivar de Forlón, just outside El Puerto de Santa María, and began the work of restoring the old vineyards, olive groves and orchards.

Thus Bodega de Forlong was born. It is truly a labour of love – and especially a love and respect of terroir, in this case the local chalky albariza soil, with the wines expressing both the distinct and subtle differences between plots.

The winery specialises in a delightful range of artisanal and ecological wines. Visits are available upon request.

Bodegas Primitivo Collantes

More than 150 years ago, brothers Primitivo and Tomás Collantes arrived in Chiclana de la Frontera from their northern home near Santander and set up their first winery, making wines from the local Palomino grapes.

In 2014, with grandson Primitivo at the helm, Bodegas Primitivo Collantes expanded on its full range of of DO Jerez Sherry wines to include dry and semi-sweet still wines, and more recently has also recovered the indigenous Uva Rey variety.

Due to its seaside location, towards Cádiz city itself, Chiclana benefits from the sea breezes to maintain the high quality of its biologically aged wines (aged under a layer of flor yeasts that protect it from the effects of oxygen).

Visits to the bodega are offered Mondays to Fridays.

Bodega Gutiérrez Colosía

Founded in 1838 this classic-style bodega, with its arches and high ceilings (affectionately known as Sherry cathedrals) has been owned by the Gutiérrez family for more than 100 years.

Visits are available Monday to Saturday at 11am (booking required) and include a winery tour and Sherry tasting.

My perfect day in Cádiz

Morning

I always love starting the day with a market visit, and the Mercado Central in Cádiz is one of my favourites, but today we have to be at the Maritime Port Terminal to catch the 9.55am catamaran to El Puerto de Santa María.

A pleasant 35-minute glide across Cádiz bay, and then just up the Guadalete river, leaves you pretty much at the doorstep of Bodega Gutiérrez Colosía. As noted above, visits are available Monday to Saturday at 11am, with booking required.

Lunch & Afternoon

After your bodega visit you’ll have time for a quick Sherry cocktail next door at Bespoke, run by daughter Carmen Gutiérrez, before heading to local seafood and wine mecca Restaurante El Faro de El Puerto for an unforgettable lunch.

Chef and owner Fernando Córdoba not only offers one of the best traditional menus in the province of Cádiz but, since opening in 1988, he has amassed an incredible wine cellar of more than 800 references, mostly Spanish, with about 220 available by the glass.

Sommelier Javier Manso is on-hand to guide you; when you book, you can request the option of starting your meal with aperitifs inside the magnificent 150m2 bodega.

Evening

After lunch, a short train ride will bring you back to Cádiz.

Once rested up, start off your evening with a glass of Sherry straight from the barrel at Taberna La Manzanilla on Calle Feduchy before stopping in at Mesón Cumbres Mayores for its exquisite Ibérico pork dishes.

One of the many things I love about Cádiz is that nothing is very far to walk and that any route you take back to your hotel will include pretty streets, parks, squares and perhaps a seaside stroll. Perfect.

Your Cádiz address book: Where to stay, eat and shop

Hotels

Casa de las Cuatro Torres

Traditional luxury in an 18th-century neoclassical-style merchant palace on the edge of Cádiz old town, with splendid rooftop views of the port and across the city.

Hotel Argantonio

A perfect blend of classical Andaluz and Moorish architecture combined with modern comfort in a beautifully restored 18th-century house in the old city centre.

Parador Atlántico

A thoroughly modern version of Spain’s famous Parador hotels, the Atlántico has all the luxuries you’d expect including a gym, spa and pool, in a perfect seafront setting with stunning views.

Best Cádiz restaurants

Casa Manteca

If you haven’t been to Casa Manteca you haven’t been to Cádiz. They’ve been serving traditional charcuterie and Sherry in their tiny bullfight memorabilia-festooned bar since 1953 and it’s a natural starting point for pre-lunch or -dinner tapas. Their new freiduría (bar selling fried fish) across the street is also worth a visit.

Ciclo

Chef Luis Callealta developed professionally alongside such great names as Angel León of Aponiente in El Puerto and Martín Berasategui near San Sebastián on Spain’s north coast – both three-star Michelin. This new venture, near the cathedral, combines classic culinary excellence and professional service based on locally sourced quality products, with an excellent wine list to match.

El Faro de Cádiz

Three generations of the Córdoba family and almost 60 years in the business have made El Faro de Cádiz one of the best known spots in the city for local fish and seafood, with tapas bar or restaurant options and an impressive wine list.

Shopping

Alándalus Club

Just outside the old city, this is the place to go for locally sourced gourmet quality produce (from wines and conserves to olive oil and cheeses), cosmetics, and everything in between. You can order online, too.

Mercado Central

Founded in 1837 with major renovations completed in 2009, the Central Market is the hub of commercial activity in the city. It has the full usual range of fresh produce, but the star of the show is the fabulous fish market, with plenty of small bars and shops lining the outside walls to refresh yourself and enjoy a snack.

Sherry Wines Shop

A great place to stock up on Sherry and vermouth from Bodegas Lustau in this charming stall located on the outer parade of the Central Market (stall No6). And of course you can try before you buy.

How to get to Cádiz

There are frequent flights from various destinations in Europe to Seville and Jerez de la Frontera with easy train connections to Cádiz.

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Prices on Port and Sherry could increase by around 13% in the UK if the government presses ahead with its duty tax reform as planned, according to industry leaders.

Producers and merchants have been left incensed by the plans, said the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) today (9 December), following a meeting with members connected to fortified wine.

‘If you like a glass of Port or Sherry at Christmas we suggest you make the most of it this year [because] it might be priced out of your Christmas shop in the future,’ said Miles Beale, the WSTA’s CEO.

Industry bodies recently praised the government for freezing duty tax on alcohol, but there has been rising disquiet in the wine trade about duty tax reform. A key tenet of the new ‘simplified’ system would be the basic principle of ‘the stronger the drink, the higher the rate’, ministers have said.

Sparkling wine would see its tax burden reduced but some other wines could see their tax bill rise. A government consultation has opened on the plans, which would be implemented from February 2023.

‘I do believe that the politicians drawing up these proposals have no intention of damaging the fortified category, but if the proposals remain unchanged it will result in the retail price of a bottle of Port increasing overnight by £1.09,’ said Steve Moody, MD and chairman of importer Fells.

‘That’s an immediate increase of more than 13%,’ he said. Fells imports Symington Family Estates Ports, such as Graham’s and Dow’s, as well as Blandy Madeira, Pellegrino Marsala and Barbadillo sherries.

Andrew Hawes, MD of importer Mentzendorff, said, ‘Local wine merchants up and down the country are aghast at the suggested tax rises which will see their popular Port and Sherry brands, such as Taylor’s and La Gitana, take on the largest single alcohol tax rises in UK history.’

Melissa Draycott, MD of González Byass UK, said, ‘As passionate producers we have been working hard to pass on the sector’s rich heritage and introduce a new generation to the joys of a beautifully crafted Sherry, through its use in lower alcohol cocktails or served alongside food.

‘However, the proposed duty rise would create a significant barrier to purchasing this festive favourite which has enjoyed a strong role in British culture for centuries.’

She added, ‘Although Port and Sherry have a higher abv than wine they are traditionally enjoyed in smaller measures on special occasions as an aperitif or at the end of a meal.’

Port sales at retailers in the UK – the so-called ‘off-trade’ – were set to rise by 4% in 2021, to 8.8m bottles, the WSTA said.

The consultation period for the proposed duty reform ends on 30 January.

Introducing the consultation document, Helen Whately MP, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, wrote, ‘The system we are setting out today represents a pragmatic balance between the social, economic and fiscal considerations that affect alcohol duty.’ She said the proposed system was based on logical principles.

In particular, the government has been keen to highlight its efforts to support pubs and the wider hospitality sector. Final plans were due to be set out next year.

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Which region produces the finest white wines in the world? Burgundy? Sancerre? Mosel? Santorini? Whatever you think, probably the last place you’re likely to propose is Jerez. But for the past few years, a new chapter in this region’s convoluted history has been unfolding.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Smith’s top dozen unfortified Jerez wines

What’s happening now amounts to a reversal of 200 years of tradition – of fortifying Sherry wines with brandy and relying on oxidative or biological ageing (see below) to determine wine style.

Look around the Marco de Jerez area of southwestern Spain and you will see a flowering of terroir-focused projects, born of a dedication to the Sherry that existed pre-fortification. You will also see experimentation from winemakers who sense a kind of magic in the twin treasures of Palomino and albariza soil – without a solera [the traditional system of barrel ageing and fractional blending of wines across several vintages] in sight.

The history books tell us that during Sherry’s ‘golden age’ (early- to mid-19th century), many bodegas began to ship finos, amontillados and olorosos around the world in prodigious volumes.

What they don’t say is that, back in Andalucía, the Jerezanos were enjoying unfortified wines made from the many grape varieties which then grew in the region. Even later, when historic wineries such as Agustín Blázquez and De La Riva were at the height of their fame and highlighting Sherries from specific vineyard sites, locally produced unfortified wines – known as vinos de pasto – were all the rage, with the best of them commanding high prices.

Skip forward to the 20th century and as foreign demand for fortified Sherry grew, while the price domestically became more affordable, vinos de pasto were virtually forgotten. It’s a sign of how far things changed that, in 1964, when Barbadillo introduced its Castillo de San Diego unfortified Palomino into the market, the locals cried heresy.

By the 1970s – the historic peak of Sherry production – the only conversation relating to Sherry was about barrel ageing and flor: the film of yeasts that forms naturally on the surface of certain Sherry wines in the barrel, providing protection from the effects of oxidation to enable ‘biological ageing’.

Historical inspiration

It took an intervention from renowned Portuguese winemaker Dirk Niepoort to steer people’s attention back to white wines. Working with Jesús Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda of Equipo Navazos, Niepoort released the first vintage of Navazos Niepoort in 2008, a flor-aged unfortified Palomino from the historic pago (vineyard area) of Macharnudo. This is now recognised as the turning point for unfortified Palomino as a premium, site-specific wine.

‘If you could taste the Navazos Niepoort 2008… It’s fantastic – perfect Palomino,’ says Luis (aka Willy) Pérez, of Bodegas Luis Pérez, who, with his long-time friend and collaborator Ramiro Ibañez [of producer Cota 45 and a consultant for many others] is more responsible than most for the rediscovery of this extraordinary terroir story.

In 2008, Pérez was working in Australia. He was trying to understand how to produce reds in a hot climate. Then he stumbled across a book written in 1833 by James Busby, the father of Australian wine. Busby had visited Andalucía to learn about planting a vineyard in Australia and had interviewed Pedro Domecq who, along with Manuel Maria González Angel (founder of González Byass), was considered the prima causa of the ‘Big Sherry’ we know today.

‘What I was reading was crazy,’ Pérez explains. ‘These people were not talking about biological ageing, about criaderas and soleras – not a word! They were talking about grapes, about different soils, about how to develop the vineyard, ripening of grapes, pressing – everything related to my generation. And these ideas were from the founding fathers of Sherry!’

For Pérez, this was life-changing. ‘What we discovered was gold. We discovered a new kind of Sherry, a new kind of viticulture, a new kind of winemaking – and that’s what we have been making since then.’

Palomino pioneers

The first generation to produce true-terroir, unfortified Sherries at the beginning of the 20th century included figures such as the Marqués de Domecq, Count Aldama and Gumersindo Fernández de la Rosa. Pérez and Ibañez could be regarded as the second generation, making not only unfortified Sherry but also straight-up fine white wines. Their work ranges from educating the third generation about the historic vineyard parcel and pago classifications (these were already established in the 18th century) to consulting with other winemakers, wineries and growers

– encouraging them to make their own white wines. They are the students-turned-teachers of this Sherry revolution.

Currently, there are about 20 such projects (Pérez believes it needs 50 ‘to make the region great again’), each with its own approach. Some are at the crossover point of Sherry and white wine: some age with flor, others do not; some age in Sherry butts, others in French oak or steel, even clay. What unites them is an appreciation of Palomino’s ability to transmit the subtleties of albariza soil and Jerez terroir more generally. One of the most significant entrants into this field is Muchada-Léclapart – established in 2017 by Cádiz-born Alejandro Muchada and Champagne producer David Léclapart. Muchada works with 3ha of vines, mainly in Miraflores Alta and Miraflores Baja in Sanlúcar, where proximity to the sea means cooler temperatures and longer ripening than Jerez, with more Atlantic expression and ‘verticality’ in the wines. His dedication to working in the vineyard, learning from the old mayetos (peasant farmers) of Sanlúcar, has yielded profound Palominos.

But there are a host of other exciting projects. Callejuela in Sanlúcar is a former almacenista (wholesaler) which, in addition to an excellent range of Sherries, produces unfortified Palominos that reveal the terroir differences between pagos located in Jerez and Sanlúcar. Similarly, Primitivo Collantes in Chiclana, from a bodega of the same name formed in 1889, was one of the first to explore the nebulous zone between white wines, sobretablas (the top row of barrels of youngest wines in the solera system) and biologically aged Sherry. The ubiquitous Ibañez has consulted for both historic wineries.

Younger entrants are more experimental, often flying the natural wine flag. Alejandro Narváez and Rocío Aspera of Bodega Forlong – the only organically certified winery in El Puerto de Santa María – highlight the traditional asoleo (sun-dried) style of unfortified Palomino with their La Fleur cuvée. In San Fernando, brothers José and Miguel Gómez of Vinifícate make distinctive, unembellished Palomino without added sulphur from biodynamic vineyards in Sanlúcar, Jerez and Chiclana. Meanwhile, an exciting new face is Raúl Moreno, whose Vinos Oceánicos natural wines – all raised in amphorae – are groundbreaking. Ibañez has also had a hand in forming the Mayetería Sanluqueña – Sanlúcar grape-growers who have come together to preserve the low-yielding old Palomino vines of some of the most famous pagos of Jerez and Sanlúcar (Añina, Atalaya, Charruado, Maína and Miraflores). They produce their own high-quality terroir wines under the Corta y Raspa label .

Opening new doors

The shift to unfortified Palominos has not escaped the attention of the big bodegas either. Historic houses such as Barbadillo (Castillo de San Diego), Valdespino (Ojo de Gallo) and Williams & Humbert (Finolis) have all made inroads. At Barbadillo, Armando Guerra has been tasked with helping veteran winemaker Montse Molino develop new products. He recognises the economic necessity of changing Sherry’s status quo but believes these new wines should be an entry point for new consumers to appreciate the fortified classics that are the region’s great calling card.

‘What we produce in [Sanlúcar] is good Manzanilla,’ Guerra says. ‘We are the best in the world at flor wines and this should continue. These new white wines should exist alongside Sherry. It’s going to change very fast. In the next five to 10 years, we’ll see a lot of good white wines which are going to be a complement to Sherry.’ What will really open the doors wide is the attitude of the consejo regulador. White wines are still not recognised under the DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry – but progress is being made. In July 2021, the regulatory council announced some changes to the DO rules to include the authorisation of unfortified wines (in a Sherry style, with minimum alcohol reduced to 15%) and the use of new native grape varieties.

The debate continues among consejo members to reduce minimum alcohol levels further, as well as to incorporate wines with less than the current minimum two years’ barrel-ageing into the DO. This could be seen as preparing the way for still wines in the near future.

This can only be good news as the region looks to adapt to a changing market – and changing economics. Yes, fino, manzanilla, palo cortado, amontillado and oloroso are some of the greatest gifts ever bestowed on wine lovers – but they are not the whole story. As well as representing the untold story of Sherry terroir, vinos de pasto provide a fantastic link between the perennially undervalued (and underpriced) fortified wines of Jerez and the fine dry white wines of the world.

Unfortified Jerez wines: Smith’s dozen top Palominos to explore

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Sherry country’s quiet revolution

We tend towards an innate conservatism when considering dishes to match our wines. The first place we usually look for a happy culinary marriage is in the gastronomic traditions of a wine’s region of production, and we’re rarely tempted to push beyond those boundaries. As a result, the default option for Sherry is to reference either tapas or seafood, and then to explore no further.

The truth is that Sherry, with its diversity of styles and flavour profiles, is actually a far more versatile ‘food wine’ than the obvious pairings might suggest. Nowhere is that made clearer than when you consider its ability to keep pace with the dishes of Asia, a continent whose complex, varied flavours will challenge the imagination of most wine lovers.

A taste of Japan

Take fino and manzanilla. These biologically aged Sherries (those matured under flor) have long been acknowledged as the perfect partners for all kinds of Spanish seafood, so by extension they should be a match for Japan’s sushi and sashimi. Be aware, though, that to perfectionist Japanese palates, there is no one-size solution.

Raku Oda, currently at The Fat Duck (Heston Blumenthal’s three-star Michelin restaurant in Bray, Berkshire), was formerly head sommelier at Yashin Ocean House, one of London’s premier sushi destinations. He enthusiastically endorses the match between Spanish Sherries and Japanese raw fish dishes: ‘The slight saltiness of fino and manzanilla, as well as the green apple character, works particularly well with delicate white fish. If, on the other hand, you have sushi made with aged tuna (particularly if the rice is seasoned with a more robust red vinegar), you need to match it with an amontillado. The richer, more complex flavours of the sushi need the weight and intensity of amontillado for perfect balance.’

Momoko Izumi, who works at Tokyo’s Sherry Club (which has one of the broadest Sherry lists in the world), is also a fan of pairing Sherries with sushi, claiming that they are ‘even better than saké’ at bringing out the umami of the ingredients and cleansing the palate.

Although she agrees that finos and manzanillas work well with most types of fish, she strongly recommends pairing palo cortado with sea urchin. ‘The rich taste of sea urchin is balanced perfectly by these Sherries, which combine the delicacy of amontillado with the rich flavours of oloroso,’ she says.

Izumi also advocates matching grilled eel nigiri with oloroso. ‘The salty-sweet sauce used to flavour juicy roast eel goes so well with the oxidative flavours and the rounded glycerol palate typical of oloroso,’ she explains, pointing out that oloroso is also a terrific partner for glazed yakitori skewers – whose ‘tare’ sauce has a similar sweet/savoury richness to the sauce used for the eel nigiri.

Sherry can be used to cut through the fattiness of deep-fried dishes, too. Izumi suggests that the dry salinity of fino and manzanilla can act like a squeeze of lemon, offsetting the slight oiliness of tempura batter. Oda agrees but believes that the kind of Sherry you should pair with tempura changes with the seasons. ‘Chilled fino or lighter amontillado works well with fresh vegetables and fish, but when the seasons turn to autumn and you’re deep-frying rich sweet potato or mushrooms, oloroso works better,’ he explains.

Chinese cuisine

The ability of Sherry to act as a foil for rich flavours doesn’t stop with Japanese dishes. ‘Fino enhances the flavour of dim sum in the same way as a little pinch of salt makes flavours pop,’ observes Jan Konetzki, director of wine at the Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square in London’s Tower Hill, where he oversees the wine list for Mei Ume – a restaurant that unites Japanese and Chinese flavours on its menu.

Konetzki is a fully committed Sherry enthusiast when it comes to the wines’ ability to handle the often-extreme flavours of Chinese cuisine. ‘Chinese cooking can be far more dramatic than classic French or Italian cooking, with high acidity and sweetness, as well as spice from chilli or black pepper,’ he comments. ‘The fortification of Sherry makes it more robust, and an ideal bulwark against the dramatic flavours of the food.’

Reeze Choi, a Hong Kong-based sommelier and consultant, agrees, referencing oloroso’s richness and complexity when it comes to providing the perfect foil for many of China’s most renowned dishes.

‘Hairy crabs, which are in season from August through to October, are very rich and intense, with lots of umami, and we usually dip them in vinegar, too. The resulting dish, which might prove challenging to most wines, goes perfectly with oloroso, thanks to its intense flavours,’ notes Choi. ‘Come winter, we have claypot rice, studded with dried sausage and black beans. Red wine is good for it, but oloroso is even better. The intense savoury character of the cured meat, the black beans and the soy is perfectly matched by the intensely savoury Sherry.’

Michael Peng at Hunan, a long-running regional Chinese restaurant in London’s Pimlico, is a big fan of pairing palo cortado with the punchy, flavoursome dishes served in his dining room. ‘It’s a great all-rounder,’ he explains, adding that his favourite match for this style of wine is pan-fried chicken with a fermented red-bean dressing. ‘It’s a really big dish with big flavours, and the roundness and richness of palo cortado, as well as its elegance, just hits a sweet spot with its robust flavours.’

Konetzki, on the other hand, prefers to drink his palo cortado with Peking duck. ‘The hazelnut and dried plum notes you find in a great palo cortado make it an epic match for the gamey, fatty duck and sweet, rich plum sauce. The cucumber and spring onion served with the dish usually throw pairings off as they can mess around with more delicate wine flavours, but with palo cortado there is no risk that the wine will be overwhelmed.’

India and beyond

With its rich sauces and complex array of spices, the Indian sub-continent offers a different set of pairing constraints. Laurent Chaniac, wine consultant for the Cinnamon Collection group of restaurants, believes Sherry is more than capable of rising to the challenge, but he cautions that some styles of Sherry fare better than others.

‘Biologically aged Sherries are incredibly dry, with firm acidity, which raises the heat factor in Indian food – so definitely not the way to go,’ he states firmly. ‘Look instead to olorosos and palo cortados, especially those with a bit of sugar, which lends viscosity to the wines. The glycerol in these wines wraps itself around the spices in the dish, helping to soften their heat rather than raising the temperature.’

In addition, the core Indian spices of cumin, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns find aromatic echoes in the oxidative styles of Sherry. ‘What makes Sherry such a good match for Indian food is that it has layered flavours. The fact that there are so many things to taste in a glass of Sherry is what allows it to pair so well with complex Indian flavours, creating harmony rather than contrast,’ observes Chaniac.

Sherry’s ability to partner Asian cuisines other than those of China, Japan and India is, perhaps, less well tested. Nevertheless, Konetzki suggests that beef rendang, one of Malaysia’s classic dishes, could find a match in dry oloroso. ‘The sticky sauce, with its rich spicing and intense beef flavours would work really well with the meaty, nutty flavours you find in dry oloroso.’

In a similar way, the nutty flavours, mild spicing and smoky grilled notes in a satay dish can harmonise well with the equally nutty notes of an amontillado.

Choi points out that the fermented fish sauce nam pla that is so ubiquitous in Vietnamese and Thai dishes finds echoes in salty manzanillas.

Recent home experiments, conducted in light of his comments, suggest that manzanillas and finos do indeed work well with lighter seafood stir-fries spiked with nam pla. Be wary of pairing the Sherries with spicier Thai offerings, though, as the fiery chillies fight with the alcohol in the wines – with unpleasant consequences.

Regardless of the occasional blind alley, it’s clear that there are rich rewards awaiting anyone willing to explore beyond the safe confines of the Iberian peninsula for dishes to pair with their favourite Sherries.

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Four months after an initial agreement was signed, the Consejo Regulador of D.O. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry has now finalised and validated a document approving several important changes to its core rules. Many of the contents of the agreement represent historic developments in the 86-years of the denomination.

The decision happens against the backdrop of an enduring conflict between Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda around matters of production and representation of Fino and Manzanilla. Yet, the agreement goes well beyond the settlement of the ongoing feud and introduces important steps towards greater diversity and commercial competitiveness.

Commenting on the changes, Sarah Jane Evans MW, renowned Spanish wine expert and Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, said that the changes are encouraging and ‘reflect the fact that Jerez is diverse and dynamic.’

She believes the new set of rules ‘at last gives Jerez the chance to talk about grape varieties, soils, diversity, wine making.’ By reflecting historical practices in Jerez, the agreement is ‘a welcome return to some of the old ways,’ Evans concludes.

César Saldaña, president of the Consejo, confirms, ‘These elements need to be integrated into the DO regulations to allow us to enforce diversification.’

Here is an overview of the main Sherry regulation changes, now approved and set to come into force in November:

New (old) grape varieties authorised

Several indigenous white varieties, widely planted in Jerez before phylloxera devastated the region’s vineyards, will now be allowed in the Sherry DO alongside Palomino, Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez.

Mantúo Castellano, Mantúo de Pilas, Vejeriego, Perruno, Cañocazo and Beba fell into oblivion but will hopefully now be reintroduced. Some producers have already started experimenting with these forgotten grapes without being able to label the wines under the DO’s stamp – until now.

Unfortified wines

Wines can now be labelled as Fino and Manzanilla even if they are not fortified. The other requirements of the production process – namely a minimum of two years ageing under floor – remain unchanged, as does the requirement of a minimum alcohol strength of 15º. (An indirect consequence of this decision is that Sherry can no longer be generally classified as a fortified wine).

Pagos: an updated map

Along with the new rules, the Consejo will release an updated and more extensive map of the Jerez pagos. These identify groups of vineyards with specific and differentiating micro-terroirs.

Single production and ageing zone

Arguably the most disruptive of the new rules: the end of the iconic Sherry Triangle. Until now, young base wines could be produced across the wider Jerez production zone, but the maturation of Sherry was restricted to the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Going forward, Sherry can be aged throughout the entire production zone, with a much larger number of bodegas now able to label their wines with the DO stamp.

Manzanilla Pasada and Fino Antiguo

While these two categories are not new, the new regulations now set a minimum of seven years ageing for both.

Fino de Sanlúcar: an end to the ambiguity

Some Sanlúcar producers, such as Barbadillo, historically produced a full-bodied biologically aged wine which they labelled as Fino, due to its structural characteristics, rather than the expected Manzanilla. This was at the core of the conflict between Jerez and Sanlúcar, and was also questioned by the European Commission (i.e. the use of of the term Fino for a wine with the same technical specifications as Manzanilla, within the Manzanilla area). The new agreement defines that Fino can only be produced in Jerez and El Puerto. And all biologically aged wines produced in Sanlúcar can only be called Manzanilla. There will be a transitional period of 10 years to phase out existing Fino de Sanlúcar stocks.

Tabancos and despachos – regulating informal bulk sales

Sales directly from the barrel, or in tavernas, restaurants, shops within the bodegas (despachos) and Jerez’s unique Sherry bars (tabancos) have been a long-standing informal practice. The wines were sold without any labels or technical information. The new agreement will now authorise and regulate this traditional local supply-chain, allowing establishments to sell and fill two and five-litre PET containers.

Other, perhaps more anticipated measures, such as the incorporation of white still wines (not aged, unfortified and below 15% ABV) and the creation of a premium Jerez Superior category, were left pending for now.

However, Saldaña remarked that these Sherry regulation changes are ‘a big step and a first step’ and that other changes could well be on the horizon.

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It’s very difficult confidently to identify a wine as a Fino or a Manzanilla in a blind tasting as the differences between the two are incredibly subtle.

Both are made in the same way, and the most profound influence on their character comes from ageing under a veil of flor (yeast cells that float on the surface of the wine in barrel, protecting it from oxidative influences). The differences between Finos and Manzanillas can be ascribed to the locations in which the wines are aged.

Fino is matured slightly inland, in cellars in Jerez and El Puerto de Santa Maria, while Manzanilla is made only in the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. The greater exposure to cooling, humid breezes in Sanlucar helps to maintain a deep layer of flor year-round, while the drier, hotter conditions elsewhere in the Jerez region means that the flor waxes and wanes over time, exposing the wines to a touch more oxygen during the ageing process.

As a result, Manzanilla is usually that little bit brighter and fresher than Fino, and often has a distinctive salty note and a hint of green apples. Fino, in contrast, tends to be richer and broader on the palate, with a gently savoury character.

When it comes to matching these wines with food, by and large they both go down incredibly well with the kinds of finger food you’d enjoy in Andalucia’s tapas bars. The saline freshness of these wines makes them terrific partners for all kinds of shellfish – deep-fried calamari rings and gambas al pil-pil (prawns sauteed in garlic and chilli) are two of my favourites.

And who can resist a plate of pata negra, especially when you realise how well the deep umami flavours of the ham chime with the yeasty richness of the sherries?

Ten top Jerez Sherry bars to visit

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No longer ‘just an airport’, Málaga has reinvented itself as a world-class travel destination over the past decade. With the addition of several museums and art galleries, a revamped port and the rejuvenation of its charming old centre (now mostly pedestrianised), Málaga is the perfect city break if you’re looking for sun and sand in a vibrant, cosmopolitan setting.

The wine scene has also been changing and the once-prominent raisiny sweet wines from historic wineries have been joined by wines from a new generation of small producers who are reviving old vines, as well as introducing new grapes to the region.

There are five geographical sub-areas within the overlapping DO Málaga and DO Sierras de Málaga: Axarquía, Montes de Málaga, Costa Occidental-Manilva, Norte and Serranía de Ronda. Most wineries are within an hour’s drive of Málaga city and there are plenty of opportunities to visit bodegas, either on your own or as part of an organised tour.

Back in Málaga you won’t be short of choice when it comes to local gastronomy, from barbecued sardines on the beach to haute cuisine elegance in the city centre. Take a food tour when you first arrive to get your bearings. The old city centre and beyond has something to suit everyone’s culinary tastes.

Málaga travel guide: wineries to visit

Bodega F Schatz

DO Sierras de Málaga, Subzone Serranía de Ronda

Friedrich Schatz comes from a family of winemakers from Württemberg that dates back to 1641. He came to Spain in 1982, aged 18, and started planting at Finca Sanguijela, an old Roman vineyard located about 10km from Ronda. Schatz, a pioneer vintner in the area, is a great believer in equilibrium and harmony in nature and his was the first winery to obtain organic certification in Andalusia. There are six biodynamic wines in the Schatz range: a Chardonnay, a rosé and four reds, including the signature label Acinipo, which is named after the nearby Roman amphitheatre. Tastings at the bodega begin with a stroll around the grounds, overlooking the Serranía de Ronda, before heading inside the lovingly restored bodega.

• Address: Finca Sanguijela, Ctra Ronda – La Vieja, km0.5, Ronda
• Open: by appointment only

Bodega Descalzos Viejos

DO Sierras de Málaga, Subzone Serranía de Ronda

Architects Flavio Salesi and Paco Retamero first took over this abandoned 16th-century monastery in 1998 and, along with local winemaker Vicente Inat, have created one of the most unique wineries in the region. Once home to the order of Trinitarios Descalzos, many of the original architectural and artistic elements have been recovered and restored, including ancient frescos over the main altar that have miraculously survived years under numerous layers of plaster. Enjoy spectacular sweeping views over the 16ha of vineyards spread out below while sampling the single-vineyard selections. Visits are conducted by Flavio, in either Spanish or English.

• Address: Partido de los Molinos, 29400 Ronda
• Open: by appointment only

Bodegas Dimobe

DO Málaga, DO Sierras de Málaga

Set in the impossibly picturesque white mountain village of Moclinejo, the Dimobe winery is located below the family home of Juan Muñoz Anaya, whose grandfather founded the bodega in 1927. It also houses Viñedos Verticales, a separate boutique project run by Muñoz Anaya with winemaker Vicente Inat. As is usual in this area, the vineyards are made up of small plots scattered around the Axarquía region, with 60-70° slate slopes facing either inland or towards the Mediterranean. Grapes are typical of the region – Moscatel de Alejandría, Pedro Ximénez and Romé – with the more recent additions of Syrah and Petit Verdot.

• Address: San Bartolomé 5, 29738 Moclinejo
• Open: by appointment only

Bodegas Bentomiz

DO Málaga, DO Sierras de Málaga

Originally from Holland, Clara Verjeih and André Both founded Bodegas Bentomiz in 2003 on their stunning property that sits above the tiny white village of Sayalonga in the Axarquía. What began with the simple production of wines for personal consumption turned into a passion for Verjeih, while Both took over the design and construction of the magnificent slate building that houses the bodega and restaurant. Their Ariyanas range of dry and naturally sweet (unfortified) wines are made primarily from Moscatel de Alejandría and Romé grapes. Visits include a tour of the premises and a tasting in the restaurant, with the option of staying for a market-based set lunch menu that’s created daily specifically to pair with the wines.

• Address: Finca El Almendro, Pago Cuesta Robano, 29752 Sayalonga
• Open: Wed-Sun 12.30-6pm

Bodega La Capuchina

DO Málaga, DO Sierras de Málaga

This sprawling estate, located just north of Antequera, has been in the García Segura family since the beginning of the 1980s, with the restoration and construction of the winery finishing in 2004. Once home to a monastery run by friars of the Capuchin order, it remains very much a family-run venture, with respect for both the land and local traditions. In keeping with the style of Andalusian haciendas there are magical courtyards and gardens throughout, with the main buildings housing the bodega, family apartments and function rooms. In the 1990s, the old vineyard plots were replanted with white varieties typical of the area, such as Pedro Ximénez, Doradillo and Moscatel de Alejandría, and now also include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

• Address: Finca Capuchina, Mollina, 29532 Málaga
• Open: 8am-3pm

Where to eat and drink in Málaga

Andrés Maricuchi

The former fishing village of Pedregalejo is on the eastern edge of Málaga and easy to reach from the city centre. Superb fish and seafood are prepared on the beach in a traditional boat barbecue. You’ll also find great wines, a fabulous sea view and friendly, efficient service at this family-run establishment.

• Address: Paseo Marítimo el Pedregal, 14, Málaga 29016
• Open: Tue-Sun 12pm-midnight

Anyway Wine Bar

Charming little bar with a terrific selection of regional wines, excellent charcuterie and inventive tapas. The owner, David Camino, is a sommelier and professional jamón cutter. He hosts regular wine tastings at the bar and is also happy to set up a personalised tasting in Spanish or English.

• Address: Paseo Reding n15, 29016 Málaga
• Open: Mon-Sat 7-11.45pm

Araboka

The ‘heritage kitchen’ menu created by owner Antonio Fernández and chef Pachu Barrera, aims to recover and update the recipes of their mothers and grandmothers. Their signature dish, a tartare of Málaga sausage, is not to be missed; while the wine list, created by Fernández, is a joy to behold (and taste).

• Address: Calle de Pedro de Toledo, 4, 29015 Málaga
• Open: Wed-Mon 1-5pm, 8pm-midnight

El Refectorium Catedral

Minimalist chic interior and terrific traditional tapas at the long, elegant bar. Larger plates (raciones) are available at the tables. The slow-grilled octopus is sensational.

• Address: Calle Postigo de los Abades, 4, 29015 Málaga
• Open: Tue-Sat 1.30-5pm, 8.30pm-midnight; Sun 1.30-5pm

La Deriva

Boasting one of the city’s most extensive wine lists (with over 200 references), as well as an impressive cheese table (with more than 50 options), La Deriva offers a market-based traditional menu with dishes that show creative contemporary touches.

• Address: Alameda de Colón n° 7. 29001 Málaga
• Open: daily 12pm-midnight

Mesón Mariano

Mesón Mariano is an unpretentious, friendly spot, run by Mariano and his family. Home of the artichoke and baby goat, both expertly prepared in several different ways. Great fried green tomatoes too. Bring your appetite – and perhaps a few friends to share plates with.

• Address: Calle Granados 2, 29008 Málaga
• Open: Tue-Sat 1-4.30pm, 8pm-midnight; Mon 1-4.30pm

Taberna Uvedoble

Modern tapas are smartly served up by chef Willie Orellana at this minimalist taberna in the heart of Málaga, just a stone’s throw from the cathedral. Be sure to try the swordfish collar in Iberian pork fat, and the toasted fideo noodles with tiny calamari and alioli.

• Address: Calle Císter 15, 29015 Málaga
• Open: Mon-Sat 12.30-4pm, 8.30pm-midnight; Sun 12.30-4pm

Outside Málaga

Los Marinos

José Fuengirola’s seafood temple is just a short drive or train ride from Málaga, and is a firm favourite with both locals and visitors. Sitting on their beachside terrace overlooking the Mediterranean, while sipping a chilled local rosé, is a special kind of heaven.

• Address: Paseo Marítimo Rey de España, 161 Carvajal, Fuengirola
• Open: Tue-Sat 1-4pm, 7.30-11pm (closed for holidays December-January)

Arte de Cozina

Chef Charo Carmona recreates Antequera’s history through the memory of flavour, by finding and reviving ancient – often forgotten – recipes, some of which date all the way back to medieval times. A beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse is the setting for the restaurant and tapas bar, which also has a small guesthouse on the upper floors if tourists would like to stay here.

• Address: C/Calzada 27, Antequera, 29200 Málaga
• Open: daily 1-11pm

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As part of a revenge strike against the Spanish Armada, England’s queen Elizabeth I sent Francis Drake to sack Andalucía. He brought back some 3,000 barrels of ‘sack’ (Sherry) and it was an instant hit in the royal court.

So began a love affair that continues to this day. Sales hit a peak in the 19th century with many British merchants marrying into wine- producing families, thus creating ‘Sherry dynasties’. Anglo names are still seen on some of the region’s best bottles.

The Sherry trade made the small city of Jerez an economic powerhouse, which is reflected in its grand and varied architecture. Jerez today is quite different, though: it has resisted globalisation, favouring the conservative comfort of tradition and a quiet life.

Things move slowly here. People stop to talk, to have a drink. While Jerez’s aversion to change arguably stymies its progress, it also preserves its storied, deeply cultural past. The result for those visiting is an enchanting experience, where engaging with its highlights is an activity done in the company of locals.

Despite the importance of Sherry, it’s not all about wine. The city’s claim to be one of Spain’s major flamenco hotspots is ratified at the annual Festival de Jerez every February, where the latest, greatest productions are premiered.

Flamenco is a quotidian concern, too: Sherry bars noted for their performances are not seasonal tourists traps. Friendly local patrons stand cheek to jowl year round, sipping cheap – but excellent – dry wine, while braying their praise at spirited artists on tiny stages.

These traditional Sherry bars are called ‘tabancos’, a portmanteau of the words ‘tavern’ and ‘tobacco’.

As local Sherry expert Juan Bosco Trigo Caparrini explains: ‘Tabancos were originally “half taverns”, where you drank and ate tapas, but also bought tobacco and wine, often in bulk, to take home.’

While this is rarely so nowadays, the more traditional tabancos still serve Sherry directly from the barrel. There is, however, a slowly growing number of establishments deftly pairing food – from tapas to fine-dining cuisine – with this very special wine. Here are 10 of my favourite places to drink Sherry in Jerez.

Ten of the best Jerez Sherry bars

Albores

• Calle Consistorio, 12

There’s something flashy about the slick interiors of this see-and-be-seen establishment. But it’s not all show: a carefully curated and rather extensive Sherry list will sate the most curious wine lovers, and an upmarket menu puts Andalucía’s prized almadraba tuna front and centre. A large seating area outside is one of Jerez’s best spots for people watching.

Bodegas Tradición

• Calle Cordobeses, 3

‘Some of the best VORS [Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum, translated as Very Old Rare Sherries] I’ve ever tried,’ says local expert Juan Bosco Trigo Caparrini. Indeed, all the Sherries here have been given a VOS or VORS designation. The place to drink them is on the cosy patio as part of a tour, the highlight of which is a remarkable art collection. Works by Velázquez, Goya and El Greco all grace the bodega walls.

Despacho de Vinos La Bodeguita

• Avenida San Juan Bosco, 5

La Bodeguita’s owner also has a vineyard – Viña La Constancia – out of town and uses this micro wine shop and tabanco to sell its wares. The Sherries span the full gamut of styles and everything’s keenly priced. Try the standout oloroso straight from barrel and then ask them to fill up a bottle for the gentle saunter back to your hotel.

La Carboná

• Calle San Francisco de Paula, 2

Best known for its knowledgeable team’s food and Sherry pairings, this former winery-turned- restaurant is a popular spot with well-heeled locals. Top-quality wines are matched to not- inexpensive set menus, with Sherry in nearly every dish. Chef Javier Muñoz Soto, son of the owners, trained in food mecca Cantabria and returned with a masterful grasp of fish and meat dishes, such as palo cortado-glazed veal sweetbreads with celeriac.

Tabanco El Pasaje

• Calle Santa María, 8

Twice a day, you can hear the snap of metal and leather on wood as a flamenco dancer (along with his or her cadre of musicians) performs a sizzling display on the bar’s corner stage. It gets so packed that you may be forced to watch the beguiling performance via a huge mirror deliberately placed behind the bar. Order a little tumbler of manzanilla for €1 and pair it with any of the super-fresh seafood tapas.

Tabanco La Pandilla

• Calle Valientes, 14

One of the most traditional tabancos in Jerez, La Pandilla dates back to the 1930s. Following a period of closure, it’s now open again with owners keen on maintaining its film-set charm and bullfighting heritage. That’s why you’ll find old posters and other memorabilia decorating its well-worn walls. Its food offer is more progressive, though: try pairing the tuna sirloin toast with a glass of sweet and sticky Pedro Ximénez.

Tabanco El Guitarrón de San Pedro

• Calle Bizcocheros, 16

Locals swear by this backstreet tabanco, where the savviest drinkers come to enjoy palo cortado, a rare style of Sherry with near- mystical status. The bar’s highly knowledgeable owner, Mireia Dot Rodríguez, is only too happy to guide you through her exhaustive selection. The bare stone walls and dim lighting may lend an unassuming feel, but on the weekends it’s abuzz with discerning (but invariably friendly) locals.

Tabanco Las Banderillas

• Calle Caballeros, 12

Another food-forward tabanco, Las Banderillas’ exceptionally friendly staff serve much of its Sherry straight from the barrel. Try a dry, salty manzanilla with some Ibérico ham. Bullfighting is venerated here, with one of the seating options resembling a burladero: the name of the shelter where bullfighters take cover before coming out into the ring.

Tabanco Plateros

• Calle Algarve, 35

Sherry fans and novices alike will be thankful for El Plateros’ wine flights, which span dry and delicate fino through to dark and sweet PX, via oloroso, cream and amontillado. Careful though – they don’t scrimp on the measures here. In the evening, the kitchen opens at about 8pm, offering a wide selection of paper-plate tapas treats. Don’t miss the superlative chicharrones especiales: finely sliced crispy pork belly.

Tabanco San Pablo

• Calle San Pablo, 12

Possibly the most characterful of them all, San Pablo has all the attributes that charm: old wooden doors lead into a double-height space decorated with vintage vineyard memorabilia. The lighting is strangely office-like (bright white), but that matters little when the house fino – straight from the barrel – is the best in town. It’s set on a pretty residential street, so you may be reminded to keep it down when you leave.

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Founded in 1821, Bodegas Barbadillo is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year with the release of four exceptional old Sherries.

The Reliquia range includes an Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado; just 81 numbered half-bottles of each are being released, alongside 17 half-bottles of Pedro Ximénez.

Scroll down to see the tasting notes and scores for Barbadillo’s limited-release Reliquia range

Drawn from soleras that have been maturing in the Barbadillo cellars in Sanlúcar de Barrameda for centuries, the selection has been curated by winemaker Montse Molina. ‘These wines are very special. They’re a way to taste the 200 years of Barbadillo history,’ she comments.

Acquired by Bodegas Barbadillo in 1939, the 18th-century La Casa de la Cilla (The House of Cilla) contains the ‘Reliquias de Barbadillo’ (relics of Barbadillo) – a number of Sherries dating back to the company’s 19th century origins. The Amontillado and Oloroso Reliquia casks rest in a small cellar alongside family reserve single-cask Sherries. Meanwhile the extremely rare Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez Reliquias are aged in a special section of the cellar called the La Sacristía (The Sacristy).

With no detailed records, the exact origins of these Sherries is shrouded in mystery. ‘We don’t know the vineyard source or the origin of these wines,’ explains Molina. ‘We know the butts go back to the 19th century but we can’t even guarantee that it’s the Palomino grape inside.’

Barbadillo’s international area director, Tim Holt, adds: ‘It’s not possible to know exactly how old these wines are, but it’s around 100 years. The Oloroso is the oldest.’ Technically the Sherries would be categorised as VROS (wines over 30 years) but as they are so much older than that – essentially placing them in a category of their own – Barbadillo has eschewed the appellation label.

Individual character

The Reliquia Amontillado traces its roots back to Barbadillo’s Pedro Rodriguez winery in the 1870s. In the 1920s it was blended with Soberana Amontillado and an 1890s Amontillado called Hindenburg. ‘We keep the casks completely full, so oxidation is light,’ says Molina. With acidity at 10g/litre and 22% abv, it’s an intensely concentrated wine that reveals a hint of salinity from its distant biological ageing as a Manzanilla.

Reliquia Palo Cortado originates from the 1850s, when Barbadillo purchased a number of old wines from Don Manuel Argüeso – paying 14,000 pesos per butt at a time when a single butt of Manzanilla cost just 1,200 pesos. These casks contained wine from Sanlúcar de Barrameda’s most prestigious wineries and formed the basis of Barbadillo’s first Palo Cortado solera. They are now at the last stage in a slow-moving nine-cask Palo Cortado solera.

‘It’s really an oloroso, made by oxidative ageing,’ comments Molina. ‘The humidity of Sanlúcar helps a lot; it’s a good place for this slow ageing.’ Also at 22% alcohol, but with 12g/litre acidity, this mahogany-coloured wine is less dry than the Amontillado, but equally concentrated in terms of its flavours and aromas.

See all Decanter Barbadillo tasting notes and scores

The origins of the oldest Sherry, Reliquia Oloroso, can be traced back to the death of Antonio Barbadillo Ambrossy in 1921. His will included a number of wines that were noted as belonging to ‘the grandfather’. His grandfather was Benigno Barbadillo Hortigüela, who founded the winery in 1821. These wines continued to be passed down through the family for over 150 years, until they reached today’s sixth generation.

‘The oloroso is really, really old – you can taste this age in the wine and the nose is very different,’ notes Molina. ‘This wine is concentration, concentration, concentration!’ With 15g/litre acidity, it has an intense and powerful palate.

Released in tiny quantities, Reliquia Pedro Ximénez originates from casks of PX that were left to Don Antonio Barbadillo Ambrossy at the end of the 19th century, making up a solera established in 1921 in the Potro winery. With 350g of sugar, the sweet, opulent palate is intensely dark and viscous.

Lasting impression

All of the Reliquia Sherries offer a unique tasting experience, thanks to their phenomenal concentration. ‘Stay with these wines for half an hour, an hour,’ advises Molina. ‘They have a lot of complexity, so find a moment to taste just a sip.’ After six hours in the glass, these wines are still opening up and offering more nuanced flavours and aromas: a little certainly goes a long way. ‘An open bottle can last for months,’ adds Molina.

Barbadillo’s previous Reliquia releases were packaged in distinctive decanter-shaped bottles, but due to both practical reasons (these bottles are no longer produced) and to place more emphasis on the liquid than the packaging, the range has a new look. The traditional Sherry bottles are wax-sealed, with distinctive labels by Spanish calligraphy artist Goyo Valmorisco. The label for every numbered bottle is drawn by hand. ‘Each bottle is individual and unique in this sense,’ says Holt.

Given the scarcity and age of these wines, it’s no surprise that they are being sold on allocation, mostly in Spain but also to key markets such as Japan and the UK. London retailer Hedonism will be taking most of the UK allocation, with individual half-bottles retailing for around £365 each. ‘Compared with similar-aged wines, it’s great value,’ believes Holt.

See below for full tasting notes and scores for the 2021 release of Barbadillo Reliquia by Simon Field MW…

See the tasting notes and scores for Barbadillo’s limited-release Reliquia range

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Decanter’s Complete Guide to Sherry

Rare Sherry Versos 1891 released at £8,000 per bottle

The release each May of the year’s new en rama Sherries has become an annual indulgence for Sherry lovers, as it provokes a restrained frenzy of activity to track the bottlings down. Yet this is one of the most misunderstood categories of wine.

‘En rama’ means ‘from the branch’, as in ‘the fruit picked from the tree’. As a result, ‘people say it’s completely unfiltered and unfined’, says Natasha Hughes MW, who wrote her Master of Wine dissertation on en rama in 2014. ‘But they don’t stop to wonder if that’s the case, why are there no cobwebs or dead yeasts in the bottles?’

All the same, en rama fits perfectly with our contemporary desires for artisanship and low intervention. No wonder some marketeers like to use the slogan ‘Real Sherry’ to describe the style. These wines are a reminder of how fino and manzanilla used to be.

Looking back

Eduardo Ojeda, technical director at Grupo Estévez, dates the beginning of the modern era of en rama to the 1970s, when the practice of clarifying became common. The 1980s saw the introduction of more aggressive clarifications to make the wine much paler. ‘Consumers fled from the roundness of the finos, which were typically older than manzanillas and bottled with higher alcohols.’

Ojeda explains that the striking conversion of these expressive wines into watery, pale versions was started by Rumasa, the once-powerful holding company that had interests across Spain and particularly in Sherry. ‘Rumasa introduced a younger fino, very pale in colour and at 15% [the minimum alcohol level permitted],’ he says. ‘Manzanillas followed, and almost all of the rest of the more commercial finos joined in. They were all made in this younger style and bottled at 15%.’

These light, refreshing wines went on to become the textbook styles that students learned about in wine classes. Ojeda is a partner in Sherry specialist Equipo Navazos, which came early to the practice of bottling from the butt. The recognised pioneer in en rama, however, was ‘Toto’ Barbadillo, the late, famed head of Barbadillo in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. He decided to launch en rama wines, says Tim Holt, Barbadillo’s area director for the UK and Asia-Pacific, ‘in a reaction against the carbon-filtered manzanillas – he wanted to offer something more authentic’. Barbadillo’s half-bottles, with their elegant bird labels, continue to this day.

En rama’s most recent incarnation owes much to The Wine Society in the UK, and its former Sherry buyer Toby Morrhall. He had the inspired idea 10 years ago to introduce en rama to his list and worked with González Byass and its Tío Pepe Fino solera to do so. En rama quickly created a market in the UK and has spread internationally.

Drink now or keep?

Nevertheless, en ramas have suffered from negative publicity: I used to be told repeatedly by the wine trade that en rama must be drunk on purchase as it would rapidly spoil. In fact, whether to drink or keep is a personal choice. Ojeda says: ‘Not all en rama wines necessarily improve, although the best wines age really well and last many years.’

I agree. At a 10-year tasting of all the Tío Pepe releases, I found some older wines had aged beautifully. Tío Pepe winemaker Antonio Flores makes his saca (the withdrawal from the cask, or butt) in April when the flor – the layer of yeasts protecting the wine from oxygen and giving the wine its characteristics – is at its most abundant. Before bottling, it goes into a stainless-steel tank for a week to settle. There’s no clarifying or filtering, only a metal mesh to collect the larger matter.

See also: Top 10 Spanish whites for your cellar

While the ‘regular’ Tío Pepe is a blend of many butts to create a consistent style, the en rama is a selection of specific butts – this is why each year’s release can differ from the last.

In his selection, Flores looks for the vineyard character with its albariza soil: tiza (chalkiness); agarre, or persistent grip; and sapidez (saline intensity). He also wants flor character: pungency, almonds, baked bread, citric notes, and a brisk, creamy palate.

Unexpected flavour

According to Flores, there are more than 300 volatile components that come from the soil, grape and ageing. Cold stabilisation and sterile filtering remove yeasts, proteins, flavones, acetaldehyde, ketones, terpenes and more. It may sound like a chemical textbook, but this is what makes these styles of wines memorable.

Since it comes from the butt, I suppose en rama is fresher? Ojeda disagrees: ‘Most consumers would say that the “regular” bottling is fresher. After all, the en rama has a deeper colour, and colour has a strong influence on perception. Also, the flavour is unexpected because it’s rounder and definitely has more body.’

For all their fame among Sherry lovers, en rama wines are bottled in tiny quantities and are remarkably discreet. Many don’t declare their category at all. Remember, too, that it’s not just fino and manzanilla Sherries that can be bottled en rama. Take the Williams &Humbert vintage range. The fino, amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado are all en rama, as well as the 20- and 30-year-old VOS and VORS bottlings. ‘When I select for en rama, I’m looking for something that moves me, which provokes feelings,’ says Williams & Humbert head winemaker Paula Medina. ‘The job is to capture those feelings and bottle them so that the consumer can enjoy the wine.’

No wonder that one of Hughes’ conclusions back in 2014 was that we urgently need a clear definition of en rama. Six years on, there is none. The latest news from Sherry’s Consejo Regulador is that they are working on it, and it will be included in the next regulations.

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Expert’s choice: Manzanilla

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The ranking of these wines shows you exactly where my enthusiasms lie when it comes to manzanilla. I like wines with intensity and an appetising astringency. Unfortunately there is plenty – too much? – manzanilla in the marketplace that is watery in colour and in taste. These are inoffensive wines that have had the character and colour filtered out, so they won’t frighten off nervous Sherry drinkers. This light, summery white wine was meant to lure in new drinkers. In the end, though, those people chose Sauvignon Blanc, or even Pinot Grigio. Anything with a bit more flavour.

Manzanilla has characteristics which make it different from typical ‘dry Sherry’. There’s the humid influence of the confluence of the Atlantic and the legendary Guadalquivir river. The poniente wind emphasises this humidity. Sanlúcar knew of a saline character in wine before the rest of Europe had even thought about it.Manzanilla wine was first mentioned in a document from the second half of the 18^th century, and the first text written on manzanilla winemaking came in 1806. Nowadays manzanilla has its own DO, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, though confusingly it shares the same production area, production method, controls and regulatory body as the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO.The defining factor for manzanilla is that the ageing under flor has to take place in Sanlúcar itself. The maritime microclimate, cooler with higher humidity, ensures a different character to the flor yeast, which protects the wine from oxygen. The fact that there are two parts to the town, the lower sea-level part and the upper part on the hill, also creates stylistic differences.

This was a blind tasting with two styles: the young, light manzanillas; and the manzanilla pasadas, wines with eight or so years of age – the flor begins to die and oxidative, amontillado-like characters appear, as well as more golden colours. In both categories there were en rama examples: wines taken almost straight from the butt.

My highest praise went to the characterful individuals. One of them was a rare vintage wine; another had a well-balanced 17% alcohol. I do recognise that they won’t please everyone. So in this selection you will also find subtler styles, with typical notes of apple, almond and camomile. The notes make clear which style you will find.

The regulatory body recommends serving these between 6°C and 8°C. Stored in the dark, in consistent temperatures, the pasada wines can last for a couple of years. The lighter styles are best drunk in the short term and, once opened, finished within the week.

Evans’s top 18 manzanilla picks

Sarah Jane Evans MW is excited to witness a quiet revolution in Jerez, driven by outside investment, a renewed focus on terroir and the development of different wine styles...

In the sunshine of Jerez, within the city’s historic Alcázar fortress, a remarkable sherry tasting took place last summer. Entering the Mezquita inside – the mosque that was turned into a church in 1264 – I had no idea of the significance of what was to unfold. The Mezquita is small, circular and very picturesque, but not the easiest venue for a tasting. Never mind, we were engrossed. At the end, there was a prolonged ovation: not the typical reaction to a wine tasting.

Scroll down for Sarah Jane Evans MW’s pick of new-wave Jerez wines

In retrospect, that tasting at Vinoble, the biennial trade fair for fortified and sweet wines, was another turning point in sherry’s variegated history. All those of us packed into the room on that day want sherry to reclaim its place as one of the great wines of the world. However, the last 30 or more years of decline have seen wheat fields replace vines on those precious chalky albariza soils.

The event was, put simply, an exposition of research that explained the different vineyards or ‘pagos’ of the sherry zone: the Marco de Jerez. Each taster was given a box with 12 soil samples; each sample showing subtly different versions of albariza soil. With the geological treasure box came wines to taste from the pagos, and a presentation about the geography, climate, people and history of each of these special vineyards.

The tasting was almost forensic in its thoroughness. The presenters were Ramiro Ibáñez and Willy Pérez. Their names have become strongly linked in the revival of Sherry, but they could not be more different as people. Someone later described them to me as ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Bordeaux’.

Want to visit Jerez? Read our weekend guide here

Forces of change

Ibáñez, from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the silent one, the consultant winemaker who has moved his work to focus on an ever-closer expression of the pagos, working both with other growers and bodegas, and on his own account with the Cota 45 wines. Pérez is the great communicator, from the family winery Luis Pérez. He has been an exceptional positive force, spreading the understanding of the pair’s joint researches into Jerez history and Sherry’s old ways, and pushing boundaries within the historical constraints of the Sherry world. In some cases the door was ready to be pushed wide open. In other areas there has been some resistance.

What does the change in Sherry amount to? Well, at the heart of it, not much apparently. After all, the main categories of Sherry continue. To be sure, there have been tweaks over recent years. En rama Sherry, bottled (almost) directly from the cask, has become a seasonal event. Special selections – an idea led by Equipo Navazos with its negociant business of numbered bottlings of selected casks – are produced by a number of bodegas today. Antonio Flores at González Byass manages the Palmas range, an annual selection of four wines of increasing age, from the Tio Pepe solera. And Paola Medina at Williams & Humbert has been bottling vintage finos (two words that are rarely seen in the same sentence), with further innovations planned.

Meanwhile, Peter Sisseck of Dominio de Pingus in Ribera del Duero has invested in Sherry, resulting in a beneficial and positive wave of attention for Jerez. With Carlos del Río González-Gordon, his business partner from Hacienda Monasterio (also in Ribera del Duero), Sisseck bought the Fino Camborio solera of Angel Zamorano from Juan Piñero and a 10ha vineyard in the pago of Balbaína.

The connections in the fine wine world of Sherry are close: consultant winemaker Ibáñez has been supervising the solera in recent times. To walk into the little bodega now is to be charmed. It’s a perfect match of historic white-walled bodega, but scrupulously tidy, with all the necessary technical kit. Sisseck is in no hurry to rush out his first vintage, much as we may be keen for him to do so.

Sherry or not?

These, though, are Sherries. What is discernible more recently is a trend towards what might be called ‘not-Sherries’. These are wines from the Marco de Jerez that are not fortified to the minimum 15% alcohol. They are made from the Palomino grape, grown in the famed albariza pagos, and fermented in stainless steel or cask. Many grow a light layer of flor in the relatively short time they are in cask – enough to make a significant change to the palate structure and aromatics.

In addition, the traditional asoleo practice – drying grapes on straw mats in the sun – has been reintroduced. The idea is not to raisin the grape, but to introduce sufficient sugar in it to increase the alcohol level. I can remember long ago seeing grapes spread out on the ground in the vineyard to dry, but the quick and easy process of fortification supplanted that practice. In years of high demand, this was the way to achieve a consistent product.

As I say, not all of this ‘innovation’ is unthinkable to the regulators. César Saldaña of the Consejo Regulador tells me that the board of the consejo has already agreed to modify its requirements. ‘Sherry is by definition a vino de licor [liquor wine] and in our case, this makes fortification compulsory.’ He adds: ‘These non-fortified Sherries obviously require alternative techniques in order to reach the minimum 15% alcohol: specific viticultural techniques to concentrate sugar levels in the grapes, which result in very low yields, and sun-drying or asoleo.’

As regulations currently stand, producers such as Luis Pérez and Williams & Humbert cannot currently claim that their wine is unfortified. To be Sherry a wine needs fortification, even if only minimal. It’s a requirement that should disappear when formal approval comes through.

Not all is plain sailing – non-fortifed/non-aged wines are still being discussed at board level. They also need to sort out the difference between a local white wine from the Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz, and a non- fortified white ‘Sherry’. Perhaps the difference will be flor-ageing, but nothing is certain.

Overall, Saldaña sees consensus for the acceptance of change. This new category of wine needs to reflect the region so, he suggests, there could be a place for the varieties that were once significant but were abandoned after phylloxera: Beba, Cañocazo, Castellano, Mantúo, Melonera, Perruño and Vigiriega (and possibly others).

Style innovations

There are a number of other players in this new/old world, some returning to wine styles similar to the 19th-century favourite known as vino de pasto. Eduardo Ojeda at Grupo Estévez introduced Ojo de Gallo, with its light layer of flor, under the Valdespino label in 2015. Then in 2017 he launched José Estévez Albariza, a lighter style, its name obviously laying claim to the local terroir.

Montserrat Molina at Barbadillo has a huge wine range under her remit, from popular to treasure-trove; Mirabrás is among the innovations in her portfolio. Working with her is Armando Guerra, who is closely in touch with a new generation of wine-growers, from Primitivo Collantes to Alejandro Muchada of Muchada-Léclapart. They can often be found bringing bottles to taste and discuss in Guerra’s bar, Taberna der Guerrita, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

The energy is palpable. Ojeda in particular could be forgiven for being a little world-weary at this sudden ‘discovery’ of unfortified wines under flor. After all he is also the winemaker behind Equipo Navazos, the business that he started with Jesús Barquín. Was he the first with flor wine? ‘Yes. We had the idea in 2007, and the first wine of this type was the joint venture with Dirk Niepoort – Navazos Niepoort – which was launched in 2008,’ he says. ‘Later we made Florpower in 2010. Since 2011 we have made OVNI, including a Pedro Ximénez and a Palomino Fino, lightly marked with flor. Logically, Navazos Niepoort 2008 marks the before and after of this trend and is the most representative. Everything since has been as a consequence of that wine,’ he adds.

Its influence has travelled abroad. From New Zealand to Argentina – as well as France’s Jura region – there are winemakers who are fascinated by flor and its effect on a wine. Jerez – and the traditional wines of Andalusia – need to make sure that they retain the moral rights, the ‘ownership’ of flor.

In context

For Ibáñez, it’s important to understand Sherry in the context of 3,000 years of winemaking. ‘There was the period of aromatised wines – with honey, herbs and so on – in ancient times, through to the system of criaderas and soleras, to post-phylloxera Jerez and down to the wines we have today,’ he says.

The consejo’s Saldaña points out that Jerez lost many varieties after phylloxera. What fascinates him and illuminates the quality of his wines is what he refers to as, ‘the circle of soil-plant-grape-wine-bottle, with man and all his idiosyncrasies – political, family, religion, diet, lifestyle’. He says: ‘I call it “vinodiversity” and it’s what explains the differences, such as differences between Sanlúcar and Jerez.’

What caused the emotion at the Vinoble tasting is that Ibáñez and Pérez were putting Jerez back in touch with its own soul. The Burgundians have known and celebrated their terroir for several hundred years. In Spain, Priorat and Bierzo have been leading the way in soil studies. This tasting was a way of putting into public ownership some of the knowledge retained by growers or capataces (the cellarmasters). The small-scale and the artisan have become a requirement of so many wine lovers. This tasting and the research behind it gave Jerez the chance to celebrate the fact that it can produce world-class wines from a distinctive terroir.

There’s a word of caution from Ibáñez, however. ‘While we have seen en rama wines, aged Sherries, emerge, what we are missing is any quality differentiation except that of old wines,’ he says. ‘I have an image of my ideal Jerez bodega, based on only 25%-30% of existing Sherries – only those of the highest quality – and the remainder would be young wines.’ He adds that he would like: ‘A kind of Port/Douro way to classify the wines, plus a Jura model to give a pyramid of prices.’

The last word should go to an outsider, someone drawn to fino as a great white wine. At the time of his purchase in Balbaína, Sisseck said: ‘Jerez’s great pagos have long been clearly defined, but no one has paid attention to them for years. That’s something we want to change.’ This is significant. The pagos have never been forgotten in the region. Sisseck’s arrival has given the Marco de Jerez a renewed impetus to talk up its treasures, not only in its wine, but also in its vineyards.

Sarah Jane Evans MW is DWWA co-Chair and author of The Wines of Northern Spain

See also:

Rioja 2010 panel tasting results

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For a long weekend in wine country, there’s nowhere better than Jerez in Spain, says Sarah Jane Evans MW....

It’s a historic city, whose cobbled streets are filled with bars offering tempting tapas. This is the place to discover just how well Sherry goes with jamon, oxtail and tortillitas de camarones (crunchy little fritters of baby shrimp).

Jerez stands proud on a hill, looking out over the gently rolling slopes of brilliant white albariza soil, a key to the quality of the best Sherries. Its full name is Jerez de la Frontera, recalling its strategic role as a frontier town when the 15th-century ‘Catholic Kings’, Fernando and Isabella, drove out the Moors. Visit the Alcázar, the fortress, next door to the two icons of Jerez’ history: the church, represented by the gothic cathedral, and wine, represented by the González Byass bodega.

Bodegas abound here. If you turn up unannounced you may not gain entry, or may be given only the basic tour. If you are interested in a more serious visit, then book online, or write to the bodega beforehand.

Except for during the hottest months, Jerez life is lived on the street. There’s no need to spend your weekend in museums. Put away the GPS – just allow yourself to wander.

The glory of the old city is getting lost, and coming across something unexpected. It may be a group of men practising carrying one of the religious floats for Easter Week. It might be a bride posing for photos with her husband and 16 of his friends, all in identical dinner jackets. Jerez is like that: its old buildings and its people tempt the photographer and charm the eye.

Sanlúcar de Barrameda

If you can stay an extra day, don’t miss Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a half hour’s drive away. Enjoy a seafood lunch with chilled manzanilla down at the mouth of the River Guadalquivir at one of the restaurants on the Avenida Bajo de Guía. Spend the afternoon walking along the sand, or take the little ferry over to the nature reserve, the Parque Nacional de Doñana.

When to go

Early spring in Jerez offers sun after a cold winter. In May, come for the jacaranda trees, their mauve blooms setting the city alight. Summer is hot, with the fields bleached golden – so make sure to choose a hotel with a large swimming pool. Autumn is pretty, with more comfortable temperatures.

The Feria or traditional Horse Fair (11-18 May 2019) is a terrific, week-long event, featuring flamenco, a funfair and plenty of Sherry. But it’s only really fun if you know an insider who can invite you into their caseta (the colourful booths that line the streets of the Feria site). Holy Week (4-21 April 2019) is another busy time, but for the best Easter processions, Seville is the place to go.

Insider’s tip

Follow the local timetable. There’s nothing more depressing that turning up too early to eat, or finding the streets eerily empty. Aim for lunch sometime between 2pm and 3pm, which means you will need to stop for a sustaining copita and a tapa with a dose of people-watching around midday. Time for a siesta after lunch. Watch the world returning to life around 6pm. Dinner is from 8.30pm, but in summertime can start as late as 10pm.

Sarah Jane Evans MW is the Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. This guide first appeared in the February 2017 issue of Decanter. 

Spanish wine specialist Sarah Jane Evans MW talks you through the key styles of Sherry. Also see top Sherry recommendations from Decanter's tastings team...

Sherry: Quick facts

Production zone 10,000ha

Ageing zones Jerez, El Puerto and Sanlúcar de Barrameda only

Bodegas 59 registered with El Consejo Regulador

Continue reading below

TRAVEL: Jerez de la Frontera

Decanter’s guide to Sherry styles:

Top-rated Manzanilla Sherry

Fresh and salty...

Top-rated Fino Sherry

Aromatic and dry...

Credit: Bon Appetit / Alamy

Top-rated Amontillado Sherry

Arguably the best of both worlds, Amontillado starts life as a Fino...

Top-rated Palo Cortado Sherry

A product of natural flor deficiencies, this is one of the rarest Sherry styles...

Top-rated Oloroso Sherry

Full bodied and relatively high in alcohol...

Top-rated Pedro Ximénez Sherry

Best paired with chocolate or coffee, or poured over ice cream for a really extravagant treat...

The rolling landscape with its brilliant white soils – this can only be Sherry country. Other countries may have tried to make a fortified wine in the style of Sherry but none can reproduce the terroir found in this corner of Spain.

The albariza soil is up to 40% calcium carbonate, acting like a sponge for the rains. The average rainfall is 620-litres per square metre.

Another key aspect of the climate is the winds. The Poniente is the humid west wind. The Levante is the south-eastern wind, hot and dry, and renowned for driving the residents of Tarifa further down the coast road. Best to stay indoors when the Levante blows and whips up the sand and grit.

The third factor is water. The region is bounded by the Guadalquivir River on one side, and the lesser Guadalete on the other, and to the west, the Atlantic. Sanlúcar, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, shows the maritime influence most strongly with its pungent but delicate wines. Jerez finos are bolder, more structured, reflecting the more intense climate and the distance from the sea. El Puerto lies beween the two, geographically and stylistically.

Centuries of change

Winemaking began with the Phoenicians at ‘Xera’. Then came five centuries of prohibition under Islamic rule, dating from 711 AD. In the city then known as ‘Sherish’ grapes were used for raisins, for distillation for perfumes, and for ‘medicinal purposes’, though some wine was consumed. Five centuries later King Alfonso reconquered the city. As it was at the frontier it acquired the name Jerez de la Frontera.

The wine trade with England and the Low Countries prospered. In the late 19th century phylloxera interrupted supply. With the replanting, the diverse range of varieties narrowed to the three that prevail today, mainly Palomino (with some Moscatel and a little Pedro Ximénez, both used for sweet wines).

The next challenge was commercial. Inevitably, perhaps, it came from the British. They fostered the Empire’s imitations: from Cyprus, South Africa, Australia, as well as ‘British Sherry’. It was a number of decades before Sherry was able to defend its right to its own name. Its regulatory body, the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Consejo, is the oldest in Spain, established in 1933. Manzanilla was officially recognised in 1964 with the creation of the Denomination of Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Finally came the long years of decline as drinkers moved to other wines. The vineyard area diminished substantially. Too many wheat fields now stand where once were vineyards.

With the 21st century there is a renewed interest in the dry Sherries. Individuality and artisanship are in demand. Each butt in a solera differs slightly from its neighbour, depending on how close it is to an outside wall or the end of a row. Producers have begun to bottle individual butts. Some have developed seasonal bottlings en rama; others aged wines that are practically amontillados.

In the glory days of Sherry production, there was no need to provide limited editions. Today, the need to find new consumers is uncovering treasures.

En rama

Meaning ‘raw’; en rama Sherry is taken directly from the butt and bottled ‘unfiltered’. The result is a richer colour and flavour, as if tasted in the cellar itself. Currently there are no regulations about what en rama means; most producers actually filter out the largest particles.

Storing Sherry

Even the aromatically delicate Finos and Manzanillas can be kept for 12 to 18 months. Some aged Finos can develop further in the bottle. Once opened, recork the bottle and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

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Originally published in Decanter magazine's March 2014 issue and now available online in full, with tasting notes exclusively for Premium members

• 71 wines tasted with seven rated Outstanding

• The panel tasters were: Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW & Nick Room

Depth of flavour (and colour) and the range of styles were undoubted highlights, though the en rama wines, while exciting, were uneven in quality and freshness, says Sarah Jane Evans MW…

The results are excellent news for Jerez. They make clear what Sherry lovers have long known – that among the finos and manzanillas there are exceptional wines.

The first interesting feature of this tasting is depth of flavour. Until recently – and still on far too many wine lists and retail shelves – dry Sherries have been about watery pale colours, and wines that have had life and soul filtered out of them. Yet the top seven scorers in this tasting all have colour and character. Just look at the tasting notes.

The second feature of interest is the range of styles. There’s more to dry Sherry than ageing in a solera under flor. This tasting did include ‘regular’ Sherries, but there were also pasada and amontillado versions, as well as en rama wines.

Scroll down to see the top wines from this panel tasting

The judges clearly preferred the more mature Sherries with their added complexity: hence their votes for Hidalgo-La Gitana’s Napoleon, as against the consumer favourite La Gitana. This much is clear: there is something for everyone in Jerez – floral or pungent, salty or mild, sunshine or tempest, there is a wine to match.

Quick link: View the tasting notes & scores

En rama

The third point relates to en rama. This has undoubtedly been the latest fashion among UK aficionados. However the performance of the en ramas was uneven. They mainly showed bolder flavours and deeper colours but were also more extreme: we marked them up for expression, but frequently down for astringency or bitterness.

It’s worth noting that these en ramas also came from different seasons, so some were definitely fresher than others. Perhaps for this reason en rama did not always come top against its own brand: Valdespino Deliciosa, for instance, did much better than the En Rama Deliciosa.

Were there any surprises? In general most of the top producers figured among the Highly Recommended and Outstanding wines. Any of Equipo Navazos, González Byass, Fernando de Castilla or Emilio Hidalgo could have made the top seven, but just missed out.

Some producers are more famous for oxidatively aged wines, and so did less well overall. Fernando de Castilla is one of these – a regular DWWA award winner, but usually for the non-flor wines.

No Sherry producer wants to be told that their wines are great value or a bargain. They’d like to be in a situation to charge more. But in the meantime, and before the rest of the world wakes up to these pleasures, snap them up!

The scores

71 wines tasted

Entry criteria: Producers and UK importers were invited to submit fino, manzanilla or amontillado Sherries.

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 7

Highly Recommended 12

Recommended 37

Commended 0

Fair 14

Poor 0

Faulty 1

The results

Our judges were impressed by the experimentation and complexity among these finos and manzanillas – particularly with older wines – showing the how far this category of Sherry has come. Tina Gellie reports…

For those who thought fino and manzanilla were only pale in colour, light in body, dry, simple and meant to be drunk young, this panel tasting will make you think again. Our tasters were amazed at the diversity – and consistency – of this Sherry category. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever marked so highly,’ said Nick Room. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW agreed: ‘Of all the wines, there were only about four that were really poor. This would have been unthinkable 10 years ago.’

Ballesteros Torres said Sherry producers had worked hard to improve the quality of their finos and manzanillas. ‘There has been lots of experimentation: with the lees, with ageing, exposure to oxygen… It’s proof that while producers are trying to preserve the real core of Sherry, they are also adapting to the needs of the consumer.’

Room agreed, but said there was a danger that such a plethora of styles might be confusing unless merchants and sommeliers did more to explain and promote them.

The only experiment not appreciated by our judges was where the Sherries were overwhelmed by oak. ‘I’ve never seen this before with Sherry,’ said Ballesteros Torres. ‘And now I know why.’

The most popular new style is en rama, which is bottled without fining or filtering. ‘It’s an interesting trend,’ said Sarah Jane Evans MW, ‘but at the moment there isn’t a precise definition of it. These wines should be bottled straight out of the barrel, but some may be more processed than others. Some taste like they’re on steroids!’

Evans said it has been remarkable to see the progression in manzanilla. ‘ For 10 years or more we’ve had these very processed wines: a pale, cool drink for summer without much flavour. Now, while some are still producing these anodyne wines, others recognise that there is a demand for more flavour and complexity.’ For example, the manzanilla pasadas (where longer ageing means it becomes more like a nutty amontillado) were ‘absolutely delicious’.

She ‘expected more’ from the finos, which the panel agreed were not as consistent as the manzanillas. Again, quality came down to length of ageing: ‘Fino and manzanilla now can be just two years old – it used to be a minimum of three years in the solera,’ she said. ‘There were some good young wines, but undoubtedly the better ones had four years of age. It’s only that way that you’re going to get the complexity.’

Our experts all remarked on the ‘rainbow’ of colours of these Sherries, from water-white to amber with red highlights, thanks to the different expressions. Equally, the traditional apple, almond and chamomile hallmarks of manzanilla and fino progressed through to bread, oak, sulphur, mushrooms and walnuts, depending on the ageing and solera treatment.

Fino and manzanilla can have alcohols between 15% and 17%, but Ballesteros Torres was impressed with producers’ moves to stay at the lowest end of the scale. ‘The consequence is that now many table wines are higher in alcohol, which make fino and manzanilla much more suitable to go with any food and with any occasion.’ The increase in the number of 500ml and 375ml bottles also benefitted this, he added.

Sherry is ready to drink on release, so none of these wines would benefit from further ageing. ‘You should drink en ramas within three months,’ said Evans, adding that many producers were now adding bottling dates to labels to aid this. Once your bottle of Sherry is open, drink it within a week.

While limited quantities mean some of these Sherries are hard to find, Ballesteros Torres urged readers to persevere. ‘It’s a taste of something great and unique,’ he said. ‘It’s impossible to find wines with this expression anywhere else.’

Our tasters each pick their top 3 wines from the tasting:

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW

‘First, in these times of increasing standardisation, few wines provide as acute a sense of place as fino and manzanilla. I do not know any other wines that, at astonishingly affordable prices, deliver so much character.

‘Secondly, most classic finos and manzanillas are fortified to 15%, instead of 15.5% as in the past. Because of climate change and other reasons, this is the alcohol content of many table wines. But at 15% these tend to be heavy and alcoholic, with overripe aromas, while fino and manzanilla show lightness and freshness. At table, their restrained aromas, with little primary fruit, exalt the expression of subtle food, such as raw fish and fusion cuisine.

‘Third point: the degree of variation, emulation and experimentation among producers is amazing. The best wines come from the self-confidence of relying on one almacenista or even a single 500-litre butt. Many others rediscover the complexities of pasado and amontillado, the purity of en rama wines (not always evident), and vintage and terroir-specific wines.

‘The sad period of the 1980s is definitely over. Nevertheless, I would not advise to buy blindly. Recognised fino and manzanilla brands and producers deserve much confidence and our selections are sound recommendations.’

Bodegas Hidalgo, Napoleón, Manzanilla Amontillada

One of the few remaining family-owned bodegas, whose grapes come only from its own vineyards, in pagos close to the sea. The wine is a rare example of a true amontillado, keeping the freshness and salinity of the original manzanilla while taking on the weight and dry nuts aromas of non-biological ageing. 96/100

Williams & Humbert, Fino En Rama 2006

This house has a long tradition of setting some butts aside from the solera system, with gorgeous results. But I did not know this en rama style – terrific! One for delicate fish dishes. 96

Equipo Navazos, La Bota No 35 Marcharnudo Alto, Fino

A terroir wine by one of the most creative teams in the world. Each of the wines by Equipo Navazos is a story in itself, something deeply original while firmly classic. Share with friends that know when silence is the best word. 93

Sarah Jane Evans MW

‘The tasting promised to show a number of young, polished, super-light Sherries (the minimum permitted age of fino and manzanilla at bottling has been cut to just two years). They surely would have been indistinguishable. As it turned out there was a deliciously diverse selection – more than 78% scoring Recommended or higher, including seven Outstanding wines.

‘The real excitement was undoubtedly in the increasing category of Sherries aged under flor which are being released at eight, 10, 12 or more years when the protective flor coat is fading fast. Manzanilla amontillada may no longer be a legal category, but goodness it can be delicious.

‘It’s good to see more bodegas following the trend pioneered by Equipo Navazos and Fernando de Castilla of selecting specific barrels. Their bold character is a welcome contrast to the consistently reliable but unsubtle brands. The most recent fashion is en rama, freshly bottled Sherries with little or scant pre-bottling treatment. The ones we tasted all scored highly, and proved that en rama is not just a fashion, but a pleasure, tasting (more or less) as Sherry would if you were in the bodega.’

Bodegas Hidalgo, Napoleón, Manzanilla Amontillada

From the Sanlúcar producer renowned for the super-refined stripling La Gitana and for Pastrana, the most famous Pasada. Yet there are all sorts of more mature pleasures hidden in its cellars. This seductive Napoleon shows age triumphing over youth brilliantly. 96

Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo, La Panesa, Fino

This small producer in Jerez does not seek publicity but is worth tracking down. All the wines are excellent and several exceptional. The complex La Panesa is one for the grown-ups, at the very limit of flor ageing, at an average 15 years old. 95

Equipo Navazos, La Bota No 35 Marcharnudo Alto, Fino

Equipo Navazos’ Sherries are single-cask bottlings from different cellars. No 35 is a single-vineyard wine from the Macharnudo Alto, and comes from Valdespino’s famed Inocente solera. Typically Sherries are blended; by contrast here’s a vividly individual fino. 93

Nick Room

‘I was impressed with the wines shown in this tasting but there were a few that did not hit the spot. Excess sulphur was a remark for a handful, then there was a curious use of oak on a couple; and the perennial problem of oxidation appeared on one or two samples. Now, having dispensed with the negatives, I can enthuse about the remainder.

‘Sherry is a unique product made (in this case) from one solitary and relatively neutral grape variety, but boy can it turn out some gorgeous results. I was struck by the variation in the styles of manzanilla and fino: pale, water-white examples showing moderate character and weight, to amber coloured, deeper, more complex, richer wines that were hugely satisfying. The divergence of styles can be fantastic for the adventurous consumer, or could be utterly confusing for the novice Sherry drinker.

‘For those in the know, the scope here was captivating, and I’d urge those familiar with the excitement Sherry can bring to urge their friends to try a cross-section of the more successful wines in these flights.’

Bodegas Hidalgo, Napoleón, Manzanilla Amontillada

This wine met all my expectations of a true amontillado. It’s the purity that marks this out; delicate yet concentrated, pungent yet very fine. There’s such a lot going on in this glass – truly bone dry, toffee and roasted nuts with underlying saltiness that makes it uniquely manzanilla. 95

Lustau, Papirusa, Manzanilla

Lustau’s position as a premium Sherry producer continues and this manzanilla was a fabulous example. Stylish, perfectly integrated, with wonderful balance; fresh, layered, superbly textured, and very long on the finish with a fine apple and fresh-baked bread flavour. 95

Valdespino, Deliciosa, Manzanilla

It’s often remarked that Grupo Estévez has respected Miguel Valdespino’s style when the latter sold his stock on retirement to this much larger company. So hats off again to Estévez – this wine exemplifies Miguel’s searing style. In my notes I said this wine makes an enthusiastic ‘statement for Sherry’; yes, it does. 95

Sherry: the facts

Production zone 10,000ha

Production (2013) more than 80 million kg

Ageing zone Jerez, El Puerto and Sanlúcar only

Bodegas 64 exporters, plus 30 or so who do not export, including almacenistas (wholesalers)

Top scoring dry Sherry from the panel tasting

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Jefford on Monday: The coming of Jésus

It appears that Sherry has helped to oil the wheels of diplomacy between the UK and Spain after royal families from both countries enjoyed a glass at this week's state visit.

Buckingham Palace hosted a state banquet for the King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain this week.

King Felipe was quoted afterwards as saying that he was sure that Britain and Spain could overcome their differences. Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has amplified a dispute over the future of Gibraltar.

And it appears that a discussion about Sherry might have helped the two sides find some common ground.

Guests at the Palace were served a glass of ‘Laureate’s Choice’ Manzanilla Sherry, although it is common knowledge among royal servants and correspondents that the Queen is not normally a wine drinker.

It is just over three decades since Spanish Sherry producers revived a centuries-old tradition of giving England’s Poet Laureate a butt of Sherry, equivalent to around 720 bottles.

The Sherry served yesterday came from the butt handed to current Poet Laureate to Queen Elizabeth II, Professor Dame Carol Ann Duffy, who also wrote the poem ‘At Jerez’ after visiting the region.

It is a custom that began in 1619 with Poet Laureate Ben Jonson, but the tradition temporarily stopped in 1790 when Henry Pye, the Laureate of the day, decided that he would rather take the money instead – agreeing £27 per year from the crown.

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Inverness-based wine store, WoodWinters Wines & Whiskies will be promoting seven winning Sherries from the Decanter World Wine Awards this summer

Located just a stones throw away from the River Ness, WoodWinters boasts an extensive wine list to suit every palate and pocket.

From 19 June to 31 of July WoodWinters will be promoting a special selection of award-winning sherries from this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. Customers will have the chance to buy these fantastic wines and receive double loyalty points on every purchase.

Purchase the below award-winning wines and receive double loyalty points this summer:

• East India Solera, Cream, Sherry, Spain, NV
• Los Arcos, Amontillado, Sherry, Spain, NV
• Don Nuño, Oloroso, Sherry, Spain, NV
• San Emilio, Pedro Ximenez, Sherry, Spain, NV
• Puerto, Fino, Sherry, Spain, NV
•  Emilin, Moscatel, Sherry, Spain, NV
• Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla, Fino En Rama, Sherry, Spain, NV

Quick – don’t miss out an opportunity to taste some of Spain’s finest sherries!

Promotional period: Ends 31 July 2017

Website: www.woodwinters.com

Address: Bow Court, 74 Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1HB

What wines should you try when on holiday in Malaga...?

Local Malaga wines to try

Sarah Delbeke, Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, asks: I’m holidaying on the Spanish coast near Malaga this summer. I know it’s famous for its sweet fortified wine, but how about dry wines.

Researching online, it seems to be mainly dull international grapes, and Tempranillo – the only grape that sounds remotely interesting is the red Romé. What is this like?

• Decanter travel guide to Mallorca

Sarah Jane Evans MW replies: Romé is found at higher altitudes above Malaga. It’s a pale red with good cherry fruit character.

Clara Verheij and André Both are producers of the Ariyanas wines at Bodegas Bentomiz in the Axarquia region east of Malaga, and have been reviving the variety. Given its low pigmentation, their 100% Romé is a rosado. Their red is a blend of Romé with three other varieties.

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Malaga is rightly famous for its sweet Moscatels, revived in recent times by Telmo Rodriguez. Do try them.

• Does wine taste different on an airplane? – ask Decanter

As for dry wines, look out for the aromatic dry white Moscatels. Try the Ariyanas Seco Sobre Lías Finas, and the partly barrel-fermented Botani from Jorge Ordóñez, both from the Sierras de Malaga DO.

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Weekend Chile wine tour – ask Decanter

Spanish wine company González Byass has made a first foray outside its homeland with the purchase of a controlling stake in Chilean winery Veramonte.

• Gonzalez Byass Chile deal a first for company outside of Spain
• Veramonte owns 600 hectares of vineyard land
• Set to boost Spanish firm in US wine market

Jerez-based Gonzalez Byass has bought the Huneeus family’s controlling interest in Veramonte, owner of brands including Neyen, Primus, Ritual and Veramonte. The Rojas family retains its existing, minority stake in the company.

Veramonte, which exports to 37 countries and is a market leader in the US, owns two wineries and 600 hectares of vineyard land across Chile, including plots in the Casablanca Valley and the Colchagua Valley, as well as the latter’s Apalta Valley enclave.

‘By taking this step out of Spanish wine production, we are reinforcing our strategy towards the internationalisation of the company, whilst strengthening both our portfolio of brands and international distribution operation,’ said the González family.

The presence of Veramonte will particularly boost the company’s American distribution operation, González Byass USA.

The Veramonte acquisition follows González Byass’ recent purchase of the Pazos de Lusco estate in Rías Baixas.

As well as its historic Sherry and brandy de Jerez business, the company owns Spanish wineries including:

• Bodegas Beronia (Rioja and Rueda)
• Cavas Vilarnau (Barcelona)
• Finca Constancia (Castilla)
• Finca Moncloa (Cádiz)
• Viñas del Vero (Somontano)
• Pazos de Lusco (Rías Baixas)

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Andrew Jefford meets a saviour of the Sherry world, and tastes some of his selections.

Just over a month ago, I wrote in this blog about Sherry’s tragic decline, and about some of the new unfortified, terroir-based approaches of younger producers in this distinguished, chalk-soiled region of southern Andalucia. What, though, of Sherry itself? Moribund?

Anyone who’s had a chance to taste the greatest, purest Sherries will fervently hope not. For the last three decades, though, the challenge has always remained the same: renovating the wine’s image, and making it a source of youthful gastronomic curiosity. Many have tried; most failed.

Not, though, Jesús Barquín, and his collaborators in Equipo Navazos, a singular Sherry bottling and exporting company which only celebrated its tenth birthday last December, and yet which may now sell more bottles of old, pure, unblended Sherry than any rival. (Singular, not least because it actually buys the sherry from those rivals.)

A word on intriguing names, first of all. Jesús (who has long been an atheist) points out that his own first name is a common one in Spain, and carries no more religious overtone than does ‘Mary’ in English. Navazos, meanwhile, is the traditional name used for vegetable allotments in Sanlúcar de Barrameda whose sweet ground water is lifted up through the sandy soils, unlikely as it may sound, by tidal pressure. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, moreover, the primary Equipo Navazos series of releases has been called ‘La Bota de …’. The Navazos approach may be innovative, but the great historical and cultural traditions which lie behind sherry and the Jerez region is very important to Barquín and his collaborators (the Equipo).

Every wine region needs a few extraordinary individuals to champion its cause, and Barquín is one. His family background was in gastronomic grocery stores, and he grew up going to restaurants with his parents and eating well. His keen intelligence, though, swiftly propelled him through university law studies to a professorship, though he might easily also have pursued scientific studies. He’s a criminal lawyer who has written two books on torture and mistreatment, who is interested in the limits between torts and crime, and who has recently been researching alternatives to prison.

Along the way, he spent a lot of time in Brussels, Strasbourg and Florence, researching the relationship between Spanish law and European law … and visiting French and Italian vineyard areas. He became, in other words, a wine fan in the kind of deeply committed, comprehensive and scholarly way you might expect of a law professor.

Since his University base was in Granada, it wasn’t long before he emerged as one of Spain’s leading experts and writers on sherry – a wine which, with all its complicated austerities, has always seduced the academic mind and palate. He also forged a close friendship with Eduardo Ojeda, one of Jerez’s leading tasters and blenders, who works for the notably successful Estévez group, owners of Valdespino and La Guita Manzanilla.

One day early in December 2005, Ojeda had to drive over to Sanlúcar to taste 400 casks of Manzanilla at the small bodega of Sánchez Ayala, and he invited Barquín to go with him. After they had cantered through the Manzanillas, they started tasting other things in the cellar, and discovered a ‘shrinking’ Amontillado solera which had been untouched and unrefreshed for 20 years.

“The casks were beautiful,” Barquín remembers. “But since there was no market for Amontillado, the owner had instructed that instead of refreshing the angel’s share, the solera should be topped up from existing stocks, so the original 74 casks were now 69 or 65, I can’t remember.” Forty years of crisis had left Jerez and Sanlúar littered with treasures of this sort. That was when the idea dawned on Barquín: why not buy a cask? He and Ojeda could then sell the bottles to their friends. The owner, cement producer José-Luis Barrero, wanted to give Barquín and Ojeda the cask, but they insisted on paying for it. In the end, they bought two, and that became Equipo Navazos’s Bota de Amontillado No. 1.

Now we’re well into the 60s in the Bota de … series, and there have been copious other releases via the ‘Manzanilla I Think’ range (the name a homage to Charles Darwin), plus unfortified Montilla in the Ovni range (an extraterrestrial reference, but also an anagram of ‘Vino’), plus Spanish brandy (Navazos-Palazzi), plus Cava whose production methods involve some use of flor yeasts and sherry wines in the dosage, made with the boutique Catalan producer Colet. Phew! The complete range exceeds even that of Penfolds for numerical and conceptual complexity, and you probably need to be a professor of something or other to understand its nuances fully.

We have, in other words, come as far from Croft Original Cream Sherry as it is possible to go — which of course was exactly what Sherry needed. I review some of the latest releases below.

I was puzzled, though, as to why Sherry’s leading companies should be so happy to have Barquín and Ojeda siphon off, bottle and sell some of the greatest treasures in their bodegas. “We need the right sort of competition,” says, simply enough, Ojedo’s own employer, José Ramón Estévez. “It’s opened a lot of doors for us,” says Jan Pettersen, owner of the small, classy bodega called Fernando Castillo, another supplier. “It positions you as being a great producer of Sherry.”

How far will Equipo Navazos go? Both of its directors, after all, are moonlighting from their main jobs, and have (they say) no intention of quitting them. Academic life leaves Barquín some free time, and he’s prodigiously energetic (and a gifted salesman). He’s become a leading figure, thus, in the disaster-striken sherry world: someone with optimism, vision, drive and probity, as well as possessing an assured intellectual command of international fine wine culture, its needs and interests. Actors of this sort are rare. We will hear more, I’m sure, of Jesús.

A Taste of Equipo Navazos

A selection of the finest wines from two tastings, one in London in December 2015 and one in the Sherry region in February 2016.

La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada 59, Capataz Rivas

Deep gold in colour, with scents in which the bready tide of flor has receded and settled into something harmonious and rounded, almost hinting at aniseed, honey and pollen. It’s genuinely and palpably saline on the palate, smooth, almost fat, alluding more to nuts than bread, with seaweed and umami notes, too: long, warming, intricate and deep. There’s a soft bite at the end. Eminently gastronomic. 94 points

La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada 60, Bota Punta

A ‘bota punta’ is the final, ground-level cask at one end of a solera: different by nature (since it is sampled more often, and may be exposed to different environmental conditions to the rest of the solera) and different by tutelage (often refreshed by the cellarmaster or capataz from the solera itself, rather than from younger criaderas). Absolutely grand, not so much in terms of its aromas, which are harmonious, arresting and tangy, but in terms of its concentrated, challenging and highly detailed flavours: fresh, mouthwatering and tongue-coating, a kind of Japanese banquet reduced to a single glass of wine, with a cascade of tuna flake, seaweed, ginger and green tea allusions. 96

La Bota de Fino 54

This single-vineyard Macharnudo Alto wine is a characterful clip from the Valdespino Inocente solera and second criadera. Resonant scents and flavours which evoke disparate notes (seaweed and green tea, but also mushrooms, sweet dust and wet plaster), bound up into a softly tangy, low-acid, nourishing and mouthfilling palate. 92

La Bota de Amontillado 58

A very fine, beautifully aged and refreshed Sanlúcar Amontillado: pale amber in colour, with penetrating dried apricot and dried cep aromas, then a strong, masterful, sword-waving palate: the concentration and aromatic refinement of the wine is such that we are approaching the limits of the sippable (a limit which many ancient sherries stride across, of course). This will send your salivary glands into orbit. 95

La Bota de Amontillado 61 Bota NO

A bota bearing the inscription NO is one that is not refreshed – because it has special qualities of some sort which the cellarmaster wants to preserve. This Amontillado, full of the thin, sharp character of Manzanilla which has gone beyond the age of flor, carries the heavenly cathedral scent of Sherry bodegas themselves: a combination of dried summer fruits, sweet dust and clean hessian fabric. On the palate, it is very beautiful but almost caustic in effect: a great sweeping scythe of saline acidity and dancing, firelit dust. Daunting but finally rewarding: a conversation stopper. 96

La Bota de Pedro Ximénez 56 Bota NO

Most PX wines seem better classified as food than wine, and you need an extraordinary fondness for sugar (or syrup of raisins) to enjoy them, so in general I’m not a fan – but then I tasted this. It incarnates the raisiny ideal with much more finesse than most, while on the palate it has such huge weight, purity and density of fruit as to be almost salty, almost tannic, and in general more satisfying for wine lovers than dessert addicts. 91

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Only 100 bottles of Barbadillo Versos 1891 Sherry have been released, with a price tage of £8,000 per bottle. Decanter's John Stimpfig was lucky enough to get a taste; here's what he thought.

In my experience, it’s pretty hard to spend a fortune on Sherry – however good it is and however hard you try. To many aficionados, it is one of the world’s most underrated wines and also one of the most attractively priced.

However, there’s almost always the exception to the rule. And right now, that honour unquestionably goes to Barbadillo’s recently unveiled Versos 1891 Amontillado, which has just gone on sale for a truly jaw-dropping £8,000 a bottle.

And no, that wasn’t a typo. The wine comes from a unique cask in Sanlucar de Barrameda which belongs to the Barbadillo family. From it, just 100 numbered bottles have been taken.

See the suitably glossy promotional video produced by Barbadillo to mark the occasion:

It is self-evidently a historic, rare and precious liquid asset in all sorts of ways. The cask was originally a gift to Manuel Barbadillo by his father as a christening present. Even then it was described as an old Amontillado. Manuel who was the winemaker at Barbadillo for more than half a century was also a poet and philanthropist and became Mayor of Sanlucar . He died in 1986, but the sherry clearly lives on.

How does £8,000 Sherry taste?

When I tasted it on Tuesday night, it was powerful, layered, pungent, nutty, spicy, and gloriously fresh, replete with rich extract and extraordinary length. The aftertaste went on for literally minutes. Barbadillo’s chief winemaker, Montserrat Molina, told me that, ‘ultimately, sherries are the result of time and patience. It has been my privilege to care for this exquisite Amontillado throughout my twenty years here.’

A first for Sherry

This is the first time that the Sherry category has attempted such a rare, luxury offering. Barbadillo are following a lead set by some of the Port Houses including Taylor Fladgate and the Symington group which have recently launched similar products. However, this is the most expensive fortified offering by some margin.

The bottle has been dressed to kill in a handmade crystal glass decanter in the shape of an ink well – a reference to Manuel’s status as a poet. The decanter is also adorned with platinum paint on the collar and has Versos etched into the glass in gold leaf. The whole ensemble comes in a beautifully crafted leather box.

Where can you buy it?

Bottles can be purchased from Bodegas Barbadillo and a number of select fine wine merchants around the world. One of them includes Hedonism in London, which confirmed to Decanter.com that it expects to have its allocation of bottles in store and on sale by next week.

Barbadillo is still 100% family owned and is the largest producers of Manzanilla in the Sherry region. It also specializes in Palo Cortado and produces a number of Amontillados and Olorosos.

• READ MORE: Andrew Jefford – The Jerez terroir challenge

The last three decades have been traumatic for Jerez. Its vineyard area has collapsed from almost 23,000 ha to around 6,500 ha now. Solar panels, not Palomino vines, now turn sunlight into energy in a number of the region’s great albariza vineyards, writes Andrew Jefford.

The Jerez terroir challenge

Many of the grandees have departed. Osborne has pulled out of sherry production; Domecq has been dismembered; Sandeman, Croft, Harveys, Garvey and Terry have gone, even though their names linger on, ghost-like, on labels. A number of high-quality Brandy de Jerez brands have been travestied and are now ‘spirit drinks’ containing no grape-based spirit at all, bottled at 30%. Much of the region’s future depends on the Chinese Filipino billionaire Andrew Tan, who not only owns Harveys and what remains of Domecq’s holdings in Jerez as well as other sherry and Jerez brandy brands, but who also owns an undisclosed but significant percentage of Gonzalez Byass’s assets.

Times of commercial catastrophe, of course, are also times of opportunity. Jesús Barquín and his Equipo Navazos (of whom more in a later blog) have had a huge impact in rekindling global interest in fine sherry and making it gastronomically relevant, even hip. The canny Estévez family now has a peerless sherry portfolio via Valdespino and La Guita. Jan Pettersen of Fernando de Castilla has shown that great sherry, beautifully packaged, can find a thriving market. Gonzalez Byass itself has been admirably creative with its beautifully packaged En Rama and Palma bottlings.

And then … there are the region’s youngsters. They too would like a role in saving their region for the future – but how? A benchmark fino like Valdespino’s Inocente is literally the work of generations, and financing its ten-criadera solera requires huge resources. Even buying an almacenista (a private stockholder or wholesaler) demands substantial capital. What if you don’t have any?

The answer lies in those great vineyards, but outside the DO. It means table wines, and it means terroir.

The sherry grape is Palomino, and at first glance it doesn’t seem well-disposed to the youngsters. It’s a low-acid white of neutral character, and Jerez (which lies south of Tunis and almost as far south as Algiers) has a hot climate. Barbadillo’s Castillo de San Diego is the leading local Palomino table wine and sells well nationally, though it doesn’t trigger much critical rhapsody. “It’s improved,” a Spanish friend told me. “It now tastes like wine, whereas it used to taste like water. But it’s still mostly drunk by people who don’t like wine.” You can buy this Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz for €3.58 from Barbadillo’s own website. A price like that betrays modest ambitions. It does its job honorably, but it won’t save Jerez’s soul.

Step forward, into this unpromising scene, Ramiro Ibáñez. He’s a deep-thinking, widely experienced consultant who formerly worked for one of Sanlúcar’s biggest co-operatives, Virgen de la Caridad, as well as the local viticultural research station. He now has his own little wine workshop down on Sanlúcar’s waterfront, within view of the ferry which shuttles to and from the Cota Doñana, working under the Cota 45 name. He gave me a crash course in the region’s seven different soil types in the region and their “mouth geometry”; he also explained the differences between vineyards which face the Atlantic Ocean and those which are sheltered from it. And through his wines, sold under a variety of different names and ‘editions’, he is attempting to lend all of these differences sensorial expression, mostly using Palomino, but calling on other varieties like PX and Uva Rey, too. If your only experience of Palomino table wine is Castillo de San Diego, Ibáñez’s wines are a revelation (see below).

Step forward, too, Fernando Angulo and Alejandro Muchada. Both of them have worked in Champagne, and know Anselme Selosse; both are mindful of the similarities between Jerez’s chalks and sands and those of distant Champagne. Both have seen and noted the grower revolution in Champagne, too – a region where the hegemony of the large company and its pan-regional blends, once thought absolute, is now at an end. Why not here, too?

From a tiny cellar in the centre of Sanlúcar, they produce a bewildering array or more-or-less natural sparkling wines and one or two still ones, too, under the Alba label. These include single-vineyard releases – since their quest, too, is for the complexity which can, they claim, only come from great sites treated with the maximum of respect.

No debate about maximising the sense of terroir in wines from Jerez would be complete, though, without alluding to the fact that this is palpable in sherry as well, particularly in Fino and Manzanilla styles. When recently in Jerez, I spent some time with the Estévez group’s winemaking chief Eduardo Ojeda, tasting young wines and different solera stages for both La Guita Manzanilla (including wines from the gently sloping, consummately maritime site of Miraflores, with its russet lustrillo soils) and for Valdespino’s Inocente (from the steeper, more ‘continental’ site of Macharnudo, with its brilliantly white albariza soils).

It is Ojeda’s almost obsessive contention that vineyard origin is just as important in creating the final personality of a sherry as is ‘the sherry method’ itself – and the comparison between the two sets of raw materials was certainly striking. Macharnudo base wines are masterful, voluminous, concentrated and structured, while Miraflores base wines tend to be supple, fugitive, grainy and saline. The group has set itself other terroir challenges: from 2015, for example, all its fortifying spirit is distilled from local Palomino (a sherry first), while it will have a Macharnudo brandy to sell in due course. “Whether it will be good or not, we don’t know yet,” says Ojeda “– but we’re certain it will be more authentic.” That, perhaps, sums up Jerez’s future.

Tasting Terroir in Jerez

Ramiro Ibáñez produces the best unfortified wines I’ve yet tasted from the Jerez region: sensitive, questing wines of great insight and nuance, though quantities are tiny and they require explanation if you are to get the most out of them. They prove firstly that Palomino can be a great vehicle for the non-fruit notes we call mineral; secondly that it can deliver wines of real substance here; and thirdly that marked acidity is not necessary for balance in Jerez table wines.

Best of all were two 2015 wines tasted from cask (one from the Carrascal vineyard of Sanlúcar and one from the Maina vineyard of Sanlúcar), both of which had been given two days of sun-drying after the harvest: truly dense, brimming with allusive richness (dry grass, rice, malt, seaweed). Among the bottled wines the non-vintage Cinque from the Pitijopos ‘Volume 1’ series was haunting (understated scents of bread, honey and powdered stone, with a mouthfilling, low-acid yet firmly structured flavour evoking, perhaps, quince and turmeric, 91) while the 2013 Palomino Centenario from the UBE range, made from three types of old-vine Palomino grown on grainy Antehojuela Albariza soils showed enticing wild hawthorne scents and had a more pungent, assertive flavour with an almost tannic finish (89).

The Alba wines are variable in quality but the best are unique and compelling, once again proving that Palomino can convey ‘minerality’ effectively, and that early harvesting for this grape in this place need not mean a raw, unyielding style or hard acidity. Jerez Palomino, remarkably enough, seems able to convey its intrinsic amplitude within an alcoholic spectrum which ranges from 10.5% to 14%. Best of all from Alba is the non-vintage Ancestral: teasing scents of saltmarsh, clifftop grasses and a little grape sweetness, with a poised, well-rounded, tingling flavour in which the flavours of straw, fennel, saffron and peach are expressed with typical chalk elegance and finesse (90).

It’s worth noting, too, that the Equipo Navazos range includes the unfortified Niepoort Navazos, pressed from Macharnudo grapes and butt fermented. The 2014 vintage is fresh, softly yeasty, tangy, with subtle, gentle, understated flavours of green malt and chalk dust (89).

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Credit: Andrew Jefford

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Sherry doesn’t immediately spring to mind as a choice to pair with chocolate at the end of a meal. But Decanter’s associate editor Tina Gellie discovers that the different styles lend themselves to some exciting matches...

Sherry wine and chocolate

Chocolate and wine matching is rarely successful due to the (usually) high sugar content of the chocolate and the relative dryness of the wine – a few jammy, high-octane Shiraz wines aside. But the nature of fortified wines is the reason why Port (particularly LBV) and vins doux naturels such as Banyuls are traditionally our go-to choices for chocolate desserts.

While these fortifieds have some residual sweetness, most Sherries are dry. However, it’s their nutty, dried fruit characters which lend themselves perfectly to a range of chocolates. And what better way to find your perfect pairing than to get a selection of fine bars or individual pieces (no Quality Street please) and a few Sherry styles, and mix and match between them.

‘No right answer’

‘There is no right answer – it really is what you prefer, though some styles of chocolate and Sherry will naturally work better with one another,’ advises Sarah Jane Evans MW, the Decanter World Wine Awards regional co-chair for Sherry who wrote her Master of Wine dissertation on the wine style, and is also a founder member of the Academy of Chocolate.

Evans says the ideal approach is to have a sip of the Sherry and think about all of its components:

• flavours
• acidity
• weight
• length

Then take one square of chocolate and let it melt on your tongue and, as with the wine, appreciate its sweetness, the flavours, intensity and texture in your mouth. When the chocolate is about two-thirds melted, then have another sip of the Sherry and see how the two marry together.

Perfect after-dinner debate

It’s the perfect after-dinner debate: which Sherry goes best with which chocolate; who agrees with whom. And as Sherry can be kept recorked in the fridge for one to three weeks (the more oxidative the ageing the longer they should last), there are plenty of opportunities to try the experiment again with a different set of wines, chocolates – or dinner guests.

• SEE ALSO: Top Christmas Sherries

Mix and match: Suggestions for Sherry and chocolate pairings

1. Lighter styles of dry Sherry, such as fino or manzanilla, are probably better early on in the meal, either as an aperitif with cheeses and charcuterie, or with a starter course of fish or shellfish. But if you are daring, you could try anything leftover in the bottle with a smoky dark chocolate infused with chilli or almonds that should complement the fresh salinity of these wine styles.
2. Amontillados are naturally dry (less than 5g of residual sugar) but can be medium dry up to medium sweet (115g/l). These wines are finos that mature under a layer of yeast called flor. This flor is then killed off by a second fortification, and the subsequent exposure to oxygen gives the wine a tawny colour and rich, complex nutty flavours. This flavour profile lends itself well to milk or dark milk chocolate studded with almonds, hazelnuts or sea salt.
3. Palo cortado Sherries also start life off as finos but, unlike with amontillados, here the flor dies off naturally early on. The wine is further aged after fortification with exposure to oxygen, giving a Sherry that is traditionally said to have the nose of an amontillado and the taste of an oloroso: fine, dry and elegant with citrus peel, roasted nuts and tangy saline notes. These complex Sherries need a chocolate that is not too sweet – ideally a high-percentage dark chocolate with complementary nut and fruit notes. Florentines or dark chocolate-covered apricots or gingers would be a good choice.
4. Unlike amontillados or palo cortados, oloroso Sherries never see a layer of flor as they are fortified early in their life. This full oxidative ageing means these dry wines are dark in colour and richer and denser in flavour – think figs, dates, raisins, treacle and coffee notes. Chocolates with a caramel centre, pecan praline, nougatine or marzipan, or simple chocolate-covered raisins or coffee beans would work well. Cream Sherries – and there are very good-quality ones out there, not what granny has in her cupboard – are sweetened olorosos (115g/l-140g/l residual sugar) that have been blended with PX.
5. Pedro Ximénez (PX) Sherries are made from the variety of the same name (the others are from Palomino), where the grapes are sun-dried and then fortified to give a thick, inky-black nectar that is frequently described as Christmas pudding in a bottle. As PX is so sweet (between 212g/l and 500g/l of residual sugar), a bitter 85% to 100% dark chocolate would be a good counterpoint.
6. Moscatel, from the Moscatel de Alejandria grape, is made in a similar way to PX but is not quite as sweet (minimum 160g/l). While still quite dark in colour, its flavour profile is more honeyed, marmaladey and floral, making it an option for chocolate-covered citrus peels or plain dark chocolate.
   

   See also:

Fortified wines for Christmas

Celebrate the festive season with fortified wines.

Decanter’s tastings team picks out the best sherries to drink this Christmas...

Sherry and food matching advice:

Treat Fino and Manzanilla as you would a white wine and serve them as cold as possible alongside hard cheeses, cured meats or prawns in garlic as an aperitif.

Good Amontillado pairs just as well with turkey as it does with a bowl of mixed nuts, while richer Oloroso should be tried with hung game or mature cheeses. Serve both cool.

Pedro-Ximénez is Christmas in a glass – deliciously sweet and viscous, with raisined, fruitcake flavours. If you can stomach it, drink a glass (chilled) with Christmas pudding. If not, pour some over ice cream for an alternative treat.

Know your sherry styles

Christmas sherry recommendations:

You might also like:

Sweet wine for Christmas

Tawny Port recommendations

Proper Sherry has been enjoying something of a hipster-ish revival in London, partly thanks to a surge in popularity for tapas, its natural partner. Decanter's content director John Stimpfig picks out his top six London bars for you to visit in the run-up to Christmas.

Looking for a different venue for Christmas drinks this year? Sherry fell out of popularity in the 1980s, but it has since become increasingly regarded as one of the world’s most underrated and undervalued fine wines by those in the know.

And the best way by far for Londoners to get a taste for its many charms is to visit one of the growing number of Sherry and tapas bars which have popped up right across the capital.

The best six London Sherry and tapas bars:

Bar Pepito

Outside it might be grey and cold but walk into the bijou Bar Pepito and you could be in the heart of downtown Jerez. With knowledgable Spanish staff, Sherry-butt tables and pata negra hams hanging from the ceiling, owner Richard Bigg makes sure that drinkers get a truly authentic experience. It has been around since 2010, when Bar Pepito was named Time Out’s Bar of the Year. Biggs keeps the Sherry menu simple and limits it to just 15 Sherries. But they cover all the bases from fino to amontillado and oloroso with some well chosen labels. And you’ll find very good tapas too.

barpepito.co.uk

3 Varnishers Yard, London, N1 9DF.

020 7841 7331

Capote y Toros

In stark contrast to Bar Pepito’s small but perfectly formed Sherry menu, Capote y Toros has London’s longest Sherry list with over 100 available by the glass. The idea here is that punters can experiment with a dazzling array of different styles and tapas dishes. The whole ensemble is relaxed, authentic and utterly memorable. You certainly don’t need to be a Sherry expert to enjoy it. Located on the Old Brompton Road, this bar is part of the popular Cambio de Tercio group of restaurants in South Kensington.

157 Old Brompton Road, London, SW6 0LJ

020 7373 0567

Jose

Jose, which opened in 2011, is the renowned Spanish chef and restaurateur Jose Piazrro’s first London venture. Inspired by the traditional tapas bars in Andalucia and Barcelona’s Boqueria Market, this intimate, lively and busy bar in trendy Bermondsey should be on every Sherry aficionado’s itinerary. The food is as good as the superbly curated Sherry list and changes daily depending on what fresh ingredients are sourced at the market. It’s also worth noting that you can’t book in advance, so you may have to queue at certain times of the day.

josepizarro.com/jose-tapas-bar/

104 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UB

020 7403 4902

Copita

Copita is the Spanish name for the traditional Sherry glass and all the Sherries featured on its list are available by the glass in servings of 75ml or 100ml, with by the glass prices beginning at just £3.75. The list includes Sherries from Hidalgo, Regente and one of my favourites Fernando de Castilla. Try the latter’s Fino Amontillado or Palo Cortado or a super sticky Pedro Ximenez. There’s also a good range of Spanish wines to boot. The food menu rotates daily and the no frills décor works for the casual ambience.

copita.co.uk

27 D’Arblay Street, London, W1F 8EP

020 7287 7797

Rosita and the Sherry Bar

Now in its fourth year, Rosita provides three different Sherry flights to enable novice Sherry drinkers to experiment with its different styles and flavours. In total, it has 20 well-priced Sherries all available by the glass, including a good number made by smaller producers. The Spanish staff, close set tables and marble-topped bar add to the authentic Andalucian experience. And for those who want to learn more, Rosita also organize Sherry tastings.

rositasherry.net

124 Northcote Road, London, SW11 6QU

020 7998 9093

Barrafina

This brilliant offshoot of the now sadly closed Fino Restaurant first hit London’s Frith Street in Soho in 2007 and has been attracting full houses ever since. Since then, two more locations have followed in Adelaide Street and Covent Garden 2013. The Hart Brothers’ winning formula includes an open kitchen, great sherries and mind-bogglingly good and inventive tapas.

barrafina.co.uk

54 Frith Street, London, W1D 4SL

10 Adelaide Street, London, WC2N 4HZ

43 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5AJ

• After a dinner of Sherry and tapas, head out to one of these wine bars in London to while away the rest of the night.

A refined and distinguished amontillado, with an elaborate nose of smoked walnuts, fresh leather, dark chocolate, raisins, roasted nuts, dates and umami notes. Explodes with flavour on the palate, which is full in flavour, concentrated, long and very true to type. A top wine (21.5%).

£75 Berry Bros & Rudd, General Wine Co

THIS WINE IS perhaps the ultimate expression of the en rama craze which has gripped Sherry fans in recent years – the bottling of ‘raw’ Sherries straight from the barrel, without clarifying or filtration.

Since 1880, the winemakers and winery managers of González Byass in Jerez have been using chalk to mark the casks of maturing wine in the bodega in order to identify their contents.

Long before the advent of barcodes and computerised scanners, a glance at the chalk would tell them all they needed to know: a single line meant a fino Sherry, a circle an oloroso. But then there were the few casks adorned with one or more palmas: meaning palm tree, the mark is a single chalk line with horizontal ‘branches’ coming out.

These wines are developed finos that are characterised by a special refinement, delicate aroma and longevity. As they mature further, they accumulate more branches on the cask – uno, dos and tres – until the final stage in their lives at cuatro palmas.

This wine is a remarkable 48 years old, making it a venerable amontillado, sourced from one of only six remaining casks in a part of the bodega known as the Museo Solera. Needless to say, this is very much a finite resource, with just one cask of Cuatro Palmas – equating to only 1,000 bottles – bottled each year.

The range was first released in 2011, when Jancis Robinson MW was involved in the selection and final blending of the wines. Since then there have been three further releases, always bottled in the autumn. For this Trophy-winning 2014 blend, winemaker Antonio Flores was joined by wine writer and blogger Jamie Goode.

González Byass winemaker Antonio Flores has only released four editions of Cuatro Palmas

Tasted against

There were no other Regional Trophies tasted in this category.

This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas. Sarah Jane Evans MW leads the way, in her Jerez travel guide.

Fact File

DOs Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, covers all production except for manzanilla; Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, has to be matured in Sanlúcar

Planted area 7,400ha

Main soils more than 90% classified as Jerez Superior. These are the albariza soils: crumbly, porous and limestone-rich. Smaller quantities of barros, clay, and arenas, sand and clay.

Main grapes Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Alejandría

Visit sherry.org and turismojerez.com

Quick links:

• My perfect day in Jerez
• Jerez: where to stay, eat and relax

Jerez de la Frontera is the archetypal city of wine. Nowhere do cellars and wine jostle citizens in quite the same way. From the old quarter to the ring road, it’s packed with bodegas – lofty ceilinged wine warehouses whose brand names are emblazoned in huge black letters on white walls with their distinctive yellow edging. Every pavement has its bars with tables made from blackened Sherry butts.

• See more Decanter travel guides to Spain

The vines too are everywhere around. Climb to the highest point of the hilltop that is Jerez, to the viewpoint at the top of the fortified Alcazar, and you can see vineyards stretching to the horizons. In the sun the chalky white albariza soil glints brilliantly. Here and there, patches of gold are visible where wheat has been planted to replace the vines. Across the nearby hills there are the inevitable wind farms, capturing the wind that comes racing up from the sea.

Head for the fair

There’s no better time to visit Jerez than in spring. The weather is warm and the tree-lined streets are starting to reveal the red of the bougainvillea and the electric purple of the jacaranda. The city is busy sprucing itself up for the Feria, one of Andalucia’s great spring fairs (10-17 May in 2015). In 2014 Jerez was European Capital of Wine, and deservedly so. This is a city that has to walk the tightrope between the tourist clichés of flamenco and bullfighting, and the serious business of making and marketing one of the world’s great wines. It has learned the lessons from other successful centres of wine tourism.

Today it has good transport connections, a wide range of hotels and, of course, open house at the bodegas. Always book ahead at the bodegas, and if you have a special interest then let them know, as they may be able to accommodate you. Start your visits with one of the smaller ones, partly because it’s more straightforward to understand the processes and the geography of Sherry-making, partly because it can be much more personal.

Fernando de Castilla (fernandodecastilla.com) is a great introduction to Jerez with its traditional cellar. Bright white paint on the walls outside, inside it is all shady patios and cellars, with the traditional sandy floors. Its Sherry vinegar is excellent, and worth buying, as is the brandy, not to mention the large range of wines.

Another gloriously traditional cellar is El Maestro Sierra (maestrosierra), again with excellent wines. Founded in 1830, it has been run since 1976 by Doña Pilar Plá Pechovierto, now with her daughter Carmen. Bodegas Tradición (bodegastradicion.es) is renowned for its focus on mature Sherries. However, it also worth a visit for its collection of Spanish paintings, from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

Next door to the Alcazar is González Byass (gonzalezbyass.com), home to Tío Pepe fino and much else besides. It receives more than 200,000 visitors a year and has developed a diversified range of visitor tours. It’s definitely worth booking ahead, especially if you are interested in a food-matching session. Not surprisingly, the company won an international award for Best Visitor Centre in 2014.

It’s also worth making time for a trip to Lustau (lustau.es), another multi-award winning company. Its tours include a 12-wine tasting with samples from the three Sherry towns – Jerez, El Puerto and Sanlúcar – to highlight the differences, and a Professional Sherry tasting, which incorporates food, brandy and vinegar too.

Make time for tapas

After bodega visits, next on your must-do list is enjoying tapas. Everywhere is easy walking in Jerez, since the centre is flat, and everything is close by. There are bars on every corner, each one potentially with better food (or sometimes worse) than the last. Keep moving, unless you find a bar that is exceptionally good. Look at what’s on offer on the counter. Check that the food looks fresh and hasn’t been sitting around curling at the corners. Top of my list are traditional tortilla (potato omelette), tortilla de camarones (shrimp fritters – a speciality of Cadiz), boquerones (anchovies), and the local Payoyo goats’ cheese.

Jerez has more to offer beyond bodegas and tapas: churches and cloisters abound; take a bicycle and wine tour (biwi.es); or there are museums for clocks, archaeology and carriages. See a show by the magnificent Andalucian horses (realescuela.org), or visit them at their stud in less formal surroundings (yeguadacartuja.com). Wherever you go, you’re not far from a chilled glass of fino.

Visit Sanlucar

Make time to spend a day or two exploring the faded glory of the old city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, one of the region’s other Sherry towns, along with El Puerto de Santa María. Here, the big bodegas to visit are Hidalgo-La Gitana (lagitana.es) and Barbadillo (barbadillo.com).

For food, head to the bars at Plaza del Cabildo – Balbino (casabalbino.com) and La Gitana are famous – and Bajo de Guía by the river, where top choices are Poma (restaurantepoma.com) and Casa Bigote. At Bigote’s restaurant next door (restaurantecasabigote.com), get a table by the window overlooking the river and the ferry to the nature reserve of Coto Doñana (info@visitasdoñana.com).

Finally, it’s not easy to shop for Sherries in the region, except at the bodegas. Taberna der Guerrita on the corner of Calle San Salvador and Calle Rubiños is an exception (guerrita.es).

How to get there

Fly directly (or via Madrid) to Jerez, and then take a train or taxi to Jerez de la Frontera, around 5km away. Alternatively, fly to Seville and catch a train or drive from there (90km).

Written by Sarah Jane Evans MW

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This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas. Sarah Jane Evans MW leads the way, in her Jerez travel guide.

My perfect day in Jerez

Morning

The day begins with a freshly squeezed orange juice and some fresh fruit from your hotel buffet. No need for eggs, toast or jamón – you’ll be eating these throughout the day. First call is the Mercado Central (Calle Abastos) to see what will be freshest when eating out later. Grab your morning coffee at one of the many bars clustered by the market. Order a tostada (toasted roll), con mermelada, with butter and jam, or con tomate, with olive oil and tomato. There’s always a stall selling chocolate y churros, super-thick hot chocolate, with deep-fried, sugar-sprinkled dough sticks. Walk off your breakfast by window-shopping. Apart from the chain stores, Jerez has plenty of small retailers. It’s the place for flamenco outfits and gaudy jewellery; and tweed tailoring for would-be caballeros. If you’re ready for your first winery visit, pick Fernando de Castilla or the late 18th-century cellar of Díez Mérito (diezmerito.com).

Lunch

Stop for a cold lager (a caña is a small glass) and a tapa, and people watch. That pre-lunch tapa is a necessary stop-gap here: depending on the season, lunch doesn’t start until 2.30pm or 3.30pm. Don’t hurry; you’ll notice no one else is. Afterwards, siesta time. If sleep eludes you, put your feet up and read some pages of Jerez history written by one of the great figures of the industry: Sherry: The Noble Wine by Manuel González Gordon (1935, latest edition 1990).

Afternoon

Make González Byass your afternoon visit. It is one of the few bodegas that is open after lunch, but be sure to pre-book if you want an afternoon appointment. After your visit, early evening is a lovely time to walk round the old city. Perfect for stopping and reading menus and deciding where to eat.

Evening and overnight

Dinner starts between 9pm and 10pm here and there’s lots to choose from. After, walk back to your hotel past a few bars to have a coffee or a brandy. With luck there’ll be some music and you’ll be tempted to linger.

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This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas. Sarah Jane Evans MW leads the way, in her Jerez travel guide.

Jerez: where to stay, eat and relax

Hotels

Hotel Sherry Park, Jerez

Between June and September, a swimming pool is essential. The pool here is large, if the rooms are a little dated. A brisk walk from the centre, this is a fine place to spend the siesta. hotelsherrypark.com

Hotel Casa Grande, Jerez

This is a small, friendly, family-run hotel, set in a typical house in a central location. casagrande.com.es

Asta Regia, Jerez

Centrally located, this relatively new hotel is close to the Alcazar. It has small rooms, and a polished, corporate feel. The rooftop terrace has a small pool. hotelastaregiajerez.com

Hospedería Palacio Duques de Medina Sidonia, Sanlúcar

The 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia led the illfated Armada. The family’s historic palace in Sanlucar’s upper town is now a traditionally decorated hotel in lovely gardens. Good café for tea and home-baked cakes. ruralduquesmedinasidonia.com

Hotel Posada de Palacio, Sanlúcar

This 18th-century building is around the corner from the Medina Sidonia palace, and offers a chance to stay in a typical Andalucian house. posadadepalacio.com

Parador de Cádiz

With its toes in the ocean, and superb sea views, this is at the very tip of the peninsula that is Cadiz. While the building itself is an unpromising, modern architectural block, this is convenient for the old city. parador.es/parador-de-cadiz

Restaurants

(For restaurants in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, see here)

La Carboná, Jerez

Period-setting in an old bodega, this has bold, straightforward, traditional cuisine and friendly staff who are happy to discuss the menu. Excellent beef, but order the bluefin tuna when in season (spring, early summer). lacarbona.com

Las Cuadras, Jerez

Relatively new tapas bar, designed to look like a charming museum piece. There is often flamenco singing, but it’s not touristy. lascuadras.es

El Almacén, Jerez

Traditional bar, with honest, uncomplicated food. Calle LaTorre 6, 11403 Reino de León, Jerez In the same street as El Almacén. This selfstyled gastrobar could not be more different from its neighbour. Tapas with a modern twist. reinodeleongastrobar.com

Tabanco San Pablo, Jerez

A typical, historic Sherry bar. Pick up a map to these tabancos in the tourist office (turismojerez.com). Can be stuffed with tourists, but nonetheless it is authentic. One of the many bars to serve snails in season – look out for the hay caracoles signs across the city in May. tabancosanpablo.es

A Poniente, El Puerto de Santa María

The Sherry triangle’s outstanding, creative, modern kitchen. With two Michelin stars, the focus is on fish and shellfish. aponiente.com

El Faro del Puerto, El Puerto de Santa María

After a quarter of a century, El Faro remains a fine introduction to the best of Andalucia. An extensive Sherry list, by glass and bottle. elfarodelpuerto.com

El Romerijo, El Puerto de Santa María

An El Puerto institution: a pile’em high, high-speed business, with every kind of fish fried, and every type of seafood served. romerijo.com

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Sherry producers need to help consumers understand more about the vineyards behind their wines, according to the president of the Sherry wine council, Beltran Domecq.

A snapshot of vineyards in Jerez, Spain’s Sherry wine region. Image credit: Sherry Institute

The prowess of the Solera ageing system that is centred on bodegas’ cellars needs to sit alongside greater recognition for the work that takes place in the Jerez region’s vineyards, said Beltran Domecq in an interview with Decanter.com in London.

He believes there is untapped consumer interest in the vineyards and their specific geological characteristics, and that this could be printed on more bottle labels.

‘50% of the quality of the wine comes from the vineyard,’ he said. ‘Vineyard distinctions are very important. We have the Solera system, but why not say if the majority of this particular Fino is from Anina, Carrascal or Macharnudo vineyards? It would help a lot.’

Some wineries have started doing this, and particularly for Manzanilla wines, he said. He added that the Jerez DO regulatory council is seeking to help producers by creating a central vineyard map as a reference guide.

‘We are writing to everyone who has a vineyard and asking which area they [think they] belong to.’

The amount of land under vine in Jerez has fallen significantly in the past three decades, from around 22,000 hectares in the late 1970s to 7,000 hectares now.

This reflects lower demand for the region’s wines in general, but Domecq re-iterated comments made to Decanter.com in March last year that the region has found a balance between production and consumption.

Those growers who remain have greater ability to invest in vineyard management, he added. ‘Over the last three years, vineyard owners have been receiving three to four times more than they were before,’ he said.

Domecq also spoke of his respect for the emerging trend for unfiltered ‘en rama’ Sherries, as well as the DO Council’s plan to continue to promote Sherry and food pairings – as long as the proper glasses are used. ‘No schooners, please, Sherry is a wine,’ he said.

See also:

• See the top-rated wines from Decanter’s recent Jerez and Montilla tasting
• Sherry producers shake off years of surplus

Written by Chris Mercer

Find out about our Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Sherry & Spain judging panel with biographies of the Regional Chairs Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW and Sarah Jane Evans MW plus Allan Cheesman, Ana Maria Martinez Terol, Annette Scarfe MW, Antony Moss MW, Aristide Spies MS, Arvid Rosengren, Barbara Philip MW, Ben Henshaw, Ben Llewelyn, Beverley Blanning MW, Beverly Tabbron MW, Bruno Murciano, Chris Murphy, Christine Parkinson, David Round MW, Dominique Vrigneau, Ed Adams MW, Ferran Centelles, Helen McEvoy, Jamie Hutchinson, Jean Marc Sauboua, Jo Ahearne MW, Juan Carlos Rincon, Luz Divina Merchán Díaz, Maria Antonia Fernandez-Daza, Matthieu Longuère, Melanie Jones MW, Nick Room, Peter Nixson, Pierre Mansour, Rhys Pender MW, Rut Cotroneo, Simon Woods, Stephen Skelton MW, Tom Forrest and Ulf Sjödin MW.

Regional chair: Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW

Ballesteros Torres has studied around the world, including in the renowned wine regions of Jerez, Burgundy, Napa and Bordeaux. He holds a degree in agrofood engineering and a masters in viticulture and oenology. A columnist at Spain’s PlanetaVino and Vino y Gastronomía magazines, as well as Vino! in Belgium, Ballesteros Torres works in four languages and is active in promotion and education. He is also on the Council of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the governing board of the Spanish Taster Union, and the Wine Expert Committee of the Basque Culinary Centre.

Regional chair: Sarah Jane Evans MW

Evans is an award-winning journalist who began writing about wine in the 1980s. She started drinking Spanish wine when a student at Cambridge University, which began a love affair with the country’s wines, food and culture, leading to her appointment as a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros de Vino for services to Spanish wine. In 2006, she became a Master of Wine, writing her dissertation on Sherry and winning the Robert Mondavi award for outstanding performance across all the theory papers. Currently vice-chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, Evans divides her time between writing for wine magazines and reference books, wine education and judging.

Judges

Allan Cheesman

Allan Cheesman has been in the UK wine trade for 42 years, spending 31 of them at Sainsbury’s, where he was trading director. As he was responsible for the supermarket’s own-label development in the 1970s and 1980s, Cheesman is attributed with demystifying and popularising wine in the UK. Now semi-retired, Cheesman consults for several global wine businesses, undertakes ad hoc work in the industry, and is the Chairman of the WSET Awards Supervisory Board. A member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino and an Officier dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole, Cheesman has lifetime achievement awards from Off Licence News and the IWSC and, in 2011, he was awarded the Order of Isabel the Catholic by the King of Spain, the country’s highest civil award, for services to Spanish wines.

Ana Maria Martinez Terol

Originally from Jumilla in Spain, Ana Maria Martínez Terol only discovered the world of wine after getting a job as a tour guide at a local winery. She moved to the UK in 2007 to improve her English, but has ended up settling here through the enjoyment of her work in various sommelier positions for a number of different restaurants. Martínez Terol is currently the assistant head sommelier at Hotel Terravina where she has worked or works with amazing guests and a fantastic restaurant team including Laura Rhys MS and Tanguy Martin, the 2014 Best Young Sommelier of the UK. Martínez Terol completed her WSET Diploma in 2013.

Annette Scarfe MW

Annette Scarfe MW consults for restaurants in London and Asia, including Spanish restaurants Pizzaro and Jose. She is an international judge at competitions in London, China, New Zealand, Australia and France. She runs regular training sessions for the on-trade at several restaurants in London. Scarfe is a regular member of magazine tasting panels.

Antony Moss MW

Antony Moss MW is director of strategic planning for the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). His current role covers long-term business planning and new product development, and he was previously responsible for the WSET’s textbooks and other education materials. Moss has worked for the company since 2004 and was the author of Wines & Spirits: Looking Behind the Label. Moss joined the wine industry in 1998 as a part-time sales advisor for S.H. Jones in Leamington Spa, and completed his WSET diploma in 2003 while working for Sainsbury’s supermarkets. He won the Austrian wine marketing board’s prize for both his WSET diploma and MW, and he is now a member of the education committee for the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW), supervising one of their two European second year residential programs.

Aristide Spies MS

Aristide Spies MS discovered his passion for the wine trade during a family holiday in the Périgord and immediately enrolled in a series of wine tasting and cookery courses on returning home to Belgium. Following secondary studies, he spent year as an exchange student in Australia, before beginning his wine career at the one Michelin star restaurant Les Forges du Pont d’Oye, as assistant to Pascal Carré, named Best Sommelier of Belgium 1992, 1996 and 1997. In 2007, Spies won this same title for himself, also winning the Club Gastronomique Prosper Montagné’s Premier Sommelier de Belgique. Spies then went on to represent Belgium at the Best Sommelier of Europe competition in Sofia in 2008 where he reached the semi-finals, and at the World’s Best Sommelier 2013 competition in Tokyo, where he was a finalist. Spies has written and broadcast about wine, and is a member of both the International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers (FIJEV) and the Jurade de Saint-Emilion. He currently runs La Cave des Sommeliers, a chain of wine shops in Belgium and Luxembourg, with his former mentor Pascal Carré.

Arvid Rosengren

Arvid Rosengren is the wine director of restaurant group Copenhangen Concepts, which owns and runs eight restaurants along three concept lines: MASH (steakhouse), Umami (Japanese/French fusion) and Le Sommelier (French brasserie). Joining the company in June 2011, Rosengren was previously the head sommelier at two of the group’s restaurants in Copenhagen, and prior to that worked in Stockholm at Restaurant Le Rouge, and spent a few months in the UK at the Hotel du Vin in Birmingham in 2008. Winning many awards on the sommelier competition circuit, Rosengren was named Best Sommelier of Sweden 2010 and last year became the Best Sommelier of Europe 2013, going on to compete in the Best Sommelier of the World semi-finals in Tokyo. Rosengren also teaches at sommelier schools in Scandinavia and writes for publications, including Livets Goda, and publishes his own blog at arvidrosengren.com.

Barbara Philip MW

Barbara Philip MW is a portfolio manager at the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) in Canada and is responsible for selecting European wines for the BC Liquor Store chain. Her career has included working as a sommelier and wine educator for many years, and she passed the MW in 2007. In addition to her role at the BCLDB, Philip also works as a freelance lecturer, radio columnist and wine judge through Barbariain Wine Consulting, a company she runs with her husband Iain.

Ben Henshaw

Ben Henshaw joined the wine trade in 2002 to work on the sales and marketing of Domaine Saint Hilaire, his family’s newly-acquired Languedoc vineyard. He set up Indigo Wine the following year, focusing initially on importing artisanal wines from southern France, and in the years since he has built up a diverse portfolio of Spanish wines.

Ben Llewelyn

Ben Llewelyn has worked in the wine trade since 1997, beginning at Oddbins, and then at Italian specialist Enotria. He moved his family to France in 2007 to experience the life of a winemaker while studying for his MW, and in 2008 he set up the wholesale wine agency and importer Carte Blanche Wines, which leans toward those producers who choose to make wine as naturally as possible and works with independent wine merchants and restaurants across the UK. Carte Blanche Wines purchased independent wine retailer Caviste in 2011.

Beverley Blanning MW

Beverley Blanning MW is a London-based independent wine journalist and the author of Wine Tasting and Biodynamics in Wine. A feature writer and taster for Decanter, and a contributor to other publications around the world, Blanning has judged at numerous wine competitions internationally. She is also a presenter and educator for corporate, consumer and trade events, including the Christie’s Wine Course.

Beverly Tabbron MW

Beverly Tabbron MW graduated from Kings College London in 1979 with a BA joint honours degree in German and Latin. Since passing her MW in 1996, Tabbron has been responsible for purchasing at Hallgarten Druitt, where she looks after its extensive portfolio, a role which involves a great deal of travel around the world visiting producers, and finding that there is always something new to discover in the world of wine.

Bruno Murciano

Bruno Murciano is the co-founder of De Vinos TASTESPAÑA. He was raised within a small family catering business and studied catering management in Castellon, Spain, following this up with a sommelier degree from Toulouse, France. In 2002 Murciano moved to the UK where he worked as a sommelier for Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford, before moving to London to join Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House as head sommelier and then the Ritz London as chef sommelier. He was named Best Sommelier of Spain in 2008. Murciano then spent five years with Bibendum Wines Ltd as Prestige Accounts Manager. Murciano owns a biodynamic vineyard in his native Utiel-Requena, where he makes a range of artisanal wines from Bobal with David Sampedro Gil. In 2012, Murciano and Sampedro Gil teamed up with Valencia based Valsan 1831 to make a range of white wines from Moscatel.

Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy has worked at Marks & Spencer for over forty years, and has spent the last three decades sourcing wines from around the world. For the past six years he has concentrated on the M&S wine club, Wine Online, and has judged at wine competitions both at home and abroad. Murphy has tried to adhere to the advice given him by Christopher Tatham when he was first starting out: “the first duty of a wine is to be delicious”.

Christine Parkinson

Christine Parkinson started her career in the kitchen, spending three years as a head chef. She then moved into management, eventually gaining responsibility for 39 restaurants, at which point she decided to follow her passion and concentrate on wine. In 2001, Parkinson created the first wine list for Hakkasan, and then became wine buyer for the group’s restaurants including Sake No Hana and Michelin-starred Hakkasan, Yauatcha and HKK, with sites worldwide. She is a regular judge at competitions including New Wave Spanish Wines, Decanter World Wine Awards and the IWC Sake Awards. Parkinson has been called “one of the most creative wine buyers in the UK” by Jancis Robinson MW, and has won awards including Wine List of the Year 2011, Taste On-Trade Influencer 2009 and Imbibe Restaurant Personality of the Year 2011.

David Round MW

David Round MW joined the wine trade in 1991, working on the shop floor in Fortnum & Mason’s Wine Department. In 1994 he moved to Berry Bros & Rudd to help set up their Duty Free Wine Shop at Heathrow’s Terminal 3, and soon transferred to the Buying Department. Round passed his MW in 1999 and became fine wine manager at Direct Wines the following year. In 2003 Round moved to Bancroft Wines (formerly H&H Bancroft) where he was joint buying and marketing director. In 2009 Round joined Jascots Wine Merchants as director of purchasing, PR and marketing, leaving in late 2013 to help run a family business and set up his own wine consultancy.

Dominique Vrigneau

Dominique Vrigneau joined Majestic on a work experience placement in 1986 after completing a five-year PhD in agriculture and oenology in France. He was soon promoted to the position of buying manager, and in 1991 he joined Thierry’s Wine Services after a chance encounter with founder Thierry Cabanne. He became the company’s buying director for France, Austria, Germany, Australasia and the US, and in November 2012 Vrigneau moved to a new venture, Watermill Wines, and now combines his buying capabilities with selling to key accounts. Vrigneau is also a Chevalier du Tastevin and has judged in key international competitions for many years.

Ed Adams MW

Ed Adams MW joined the wine trade in 1983, working at old Bristol wine firm Howells’ shop in Bristol city centre. He then worked at Wines from Spain (1985-86) before joining the Co-op as a buyer in 1987, ending up as bulk wines and spirits buyer at what later became Kingsland wines & spirits. He became an MW in 1991 and joined Western Wines in 1994 as purchasing and quality control director. After the Vincor/ Constellation buyout he left in February 2006 to work with Bruce Jack of Flagstone and Constellation in South Africa. He continues to work with Jack on their Spanish wine project, La Báscula, which now comprises six wines from various denominations throughout Spain and is being sold in 11 countries.

Ferran Centelles

Ferran was a sommelier at elBulli restaurant between 2000 and 2011. When elBulli transformed itself to become elBullifoundation, Centelles worked as wine director and was also part of the team of Outlook Wine (The Barcelona Wine School) and www.wineissocial.com. He currently works as the Spanish wine specialist for www.jancisrobinson.com. Centelles was named Best Sommelier in Spain in 2006 (Ruinart) and was awarded the National Gastronomy Award in 2011.

Helen McEvoy

After studying French and business at university, Helen McEvoy joined Sainsbury’s graduate training scheme as a trainee buyer in the wine department and was instantly hooked on wine. After spending eight years buying wine for various UK retailers, McEvoy took a sabbatical break to work the 2012 vintage in New Zealand. Upon her return to the UK, she re-joined Direct Wines to manage the wine buying team, after which she moved to the retail side of the business. McEvoy is currently the retail and events director at Laithwaite’s, with overall responsibility for every aspect of direct customer contact which includes the operation of the company’s stores and concessions, and the over 200 consumer wine tasting events hosted annually.

Jamie Hutchinson

Jamie Hutchinson is the managing director and co-founder of independent wine merchant The Sampler. After a career in venture capital, Hutchinson opened The Sampler in Islington in 2006, followed by a South Kensington branch in 2011, and plans to open other shops in the future. Hutchinson’s passions are Sherry, traditional Rioja, grower Champagne and Beaujolais, while his weaknesses are for wines with personality and that go against normal commercial conventions. Hutchinson is also the holder of the WSET Rafael Balao Lustau Memorial Trophy and won the WSET Cava and Penedes Wine Institute Bursary.

Jean Marc Sauboua

Jean Marc Sauboua is head of winemaking and Bordeaux buyer for Laithwaites Wine. He joined Laithwaites in 1993 after training at Château Haut-Brion and has been making premium wines around the globe for over twenty years in France, Australia, Chile, Italy, Moldova, Spain and South Africa.

Jo Ahearne MW

Jo Ahearne MW first worked in the wine trade in the early 1990s at Oddbins, and after two years she went to Australia to work a vintage for Charles Melton, with his Nine Popes and Rose of Virginia wines. While in the Barossa Valley, she decided to sell her house and belongings and enrol in a winemaking degree at Charles Sturt University in Australia, whilst also working at Pipers Brook, Bailey’s of Glenrowan, Leasingham and Tintara wineries. Following this, Ahearne worked as a flying winemaker in Spain and France, was assistant winemaker at Charles Melton, spent four years making Jacob’s Creek, and spent time in Fitou in the Languedoc. In 2004, Ahearne moved back to the UK to blend wines for Marks & Spencer, before a stint as wine and spirits buyer for Harrods. She now works as a winemaking consultant in France, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Macedonia.

Juan Carlos Rincon

Juan Carlos Rincón is a London-based professional wine taster, broadcast journalist, presenter and blogger (www.blog.rincondecata.com), and was the wine expert for the Spanish Americas department of the BBC World Service for eight years. He also consults on wine for Latin-American markets and is the ambassador for Latin America of La Cave de Tain l’Hermitage. Rincón is a Commandeur of the Commanderie de Bontemps du Vins de Médoc, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac, a Vigneron d’Honneur of La Jurade de Saint Emilion, and a member of Les Hospitaliers de Pomerol and is active in Bordeaux, having developed the Spanish website for the Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855, and as a translator for French wineries and wine organisations. Rincón’s most recent articles can be found in PlanetAVino, a leading Spanish wine magazine. He is currently developing his own website www.rincondecata.com.

Luz Divina Merchán Díaz

Luz Divina Merchán Díaz is the co-founder and director of www.quelujo.es, an online referral website about gastronomy and wine, and the co-founder of OCALAB (www.ocalab.es), a company dedicated to online marketing and strategy for the wine and food industries. Merchán Díaz graduated with degrees in agronomy and enology, following this up with a professional sommelier diploma from Madrid’s Chamber of Commerce in 2007. Merchán Díaz has been a sherry educator since 2009 and is a regular judge in international wine competitions. She is also a member of the World Federation of Travel Journalists and International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers and contributes articles showcasing Spain through its food and wines.

Maria Antonia Fernandez-Daza

Maria Antonia Fernandez-Daza is a Madrid-based consultant specialising in developing strategies for the internationalisation of Spanish wine companies. Since starting in the industry 25 years ago, Fernandez-Daza has witnessed significant changes in the Spanish wine trade in her numerous roles as winemaker, wine buyer, export manager as well as with her work for Icex and the Consejo Regulador of Rioja. Fernandez-Daza is also a wine lecturer, a regular panel taster for Planeta Vino magazine, and co-ordinates wine tours throughout Spain, a favourite part of her business. Fernandez-Daza holds a MSc in Viticulture & Oenology and the Diplôme Universitaire d’Aptitude à la Dégustation des vins (DUAD) from Bordeaux.

Matthieu Longuère

Matthieu Longuère MS is originally from Bordeaux and studied catering at college for six years before coming to England in 1994. Since then he has worked as head sommelier at Lucknam Park near Bath, Hotel du Vin in Bristol and La Trompette in Chiswick, and he is currently Le Cordon Bleu’s wine development manager at their school in London. In 2000, Longuère won the UK Sommelier of the Year Competition Trophée Ruinart, and he represented the UK as a semi-finalist in the Best Sommelier of Europe competition in 2010. Longuère became a Master Sommelier in 2005 and speaks French, Spanish, English and basic Swedish.

Melanie Jones MW

Mel Jones MW is a wine writer running quaffersoffers.co.uk, a website giving details of special offers at wine retailers, as well as providing tasting notes and forum discussions on great wine buys. She is also half of the Birds with Bottle duo on YouTube, a fortnightly fun wine programme, and has a weekly wine slot on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. Jones joined the wine trade shortly after leaving school, and has been running wine courses and writing about wine since the mid-1990s. In her spare time, Jones is a performance poet.

Nick Room

Nick Room joined Waitrose in 1987, initially buying beers and spirits before moving into wine. Passing the WSET diploma in 1992, Room worked in wine mail order for five years before returning to the main Waitrose wine buying office in 1998. Room specialises in South America, Spain, Portugal, sweet and fortified, and also buys all of Waitrose’s rosé wines. In 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2013, Waitrose won awards for its Iberian List, while its fortified wines are widely recognised as market-leading. Invested in 2006 for services to the Spanish wine industry, Room is currently serving as chairman of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and over the years he has spearheaded a number of initiatives designed to enhance the standing and reputation of the organisation.

Peter Nixson

Peter Nixson joined British Airways as an airline steward in 1973 – having never drunk a glass of wine in his life. Through his job he visited places including California, South Africa and Australia at the time when their wine industries were starting to become established. His interest in wine grew and, in 1982, he began to take courses at the WSET and earned his diploma with honours in 1986. The following year, he joined BA’s newly created wine department taking over its management in 1989. For the next 20 years he was responsible for the selection of all BA’s wines – over 450,000 cases a year – including the Concorde cellar. Nixson left BA in 2009, worked for Vinum, a specialist importer of Italian wines and currently owns wine consultancy firm Airline Wine Consultancy.

Pierre Mansour

Pierre Mansour spent four years with Berry Bros & Rudd as duty manager of its Heathrow store after an introduction to the wine trade in 1995 with the Antique Wine Company. He completed the WSET diploma in 1998 before joining Vinopolis as tastings manager, and in 2000 Mansour joined The Wine Society to oversee tastings and events, before taking on the role of buyer in 2004. He currently buys The Society’s Australian, New Zealand, Spanish, North American and Lebanese wines.

Rhys Pender MW

A passionate educator, wine lover, judge, writer, and grape grower/farmer, Rhys has worked in the wine industry since he was a teenager. Rhys pursued his food and wine passion by completing a Professional Culinary Diploma to ensure he eats well and all levels of the WSET programmes to make sure there was always good wine at the table. In 2004 Rhys began taking on the gruelling Master of Wine program, which culminated in Rhys becoming Canada’s youngest Master of Wine in 2010. Rhys runs a WSET wine school and consultancy through his business Wine Plus+ and, between travelling around the world, can be found with his boots in the dirt at his small four acre vineyard and winery in the Similkameen Valley – Little Farm Winery. He is a regular contributor to Canadian publications such as WineAlign.com, Macleans, Montecristo, Taste and Wine Trend. Rhys judges wine competitions internationally such as the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition as well as for WineAlign and the Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards in Canada.

Rut Cotroneo

Rut Cotroneo achieved her sommelier qualification in Madrid in 1999 and immediately started working in various sommelier-related and managerial capacities for the “Who’s Who” of the restaurant world, including Madrid’s one Michelin-starred El Chaflan, the three Michelin-starred El Bulli, and El Bulli Hotel, the two Michelin-starred Mugaritz, Heston Blumenthal’s three Michelin-starred The Fat Duck, and the five star and one Michelin-starred Restaurant-Hôtel Ferrero in Valencia. From 2011 to 2013, Cotroneo held the position of chef sommelier at the one Michelin-starred Restaurant Pur in the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, and has been the recipient of many awards. She currently consults for the two Michelin-starred Mauro Colagreco and his Menton-based Mirazur restaurant on a world-wide project.

Simon Woods

Simon Woods abandoned a career in computer systems design in 1988 to join the wine trade, thus indulging his two hobbies of wine and writing. In his twenty-five years of communicating about wine, Woods has been a columnist for The Financial Times’ The Business magazine, and five-times editor of the annual Which? Wine Guide. He was voted International Online Wine Columnist of the Year at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards 2010 for his work on simonwoods.com, a site offering a combination of tasting notes, rants and videos, and his books include the award-winning I Don’t Know Much About Wine But I Know What I Like.

Stephen Skelton MW

Skelton started his career in wine in 1975. After 12 months at Schloss Schönborn in Germany’s Rheingau and two terms at Geisenheim Wine School, he returned to the UK in 1977 to establish Tenterden Vineyards in Kent, where he made wine for 23 vintages. He was winemaker at Lamberhurst Vineyards from 1988–1991. Skelton is a consultant to the English wine industry and is involved with planting vineyards for the production of sparkling wine. He became a Master of Wine in 2003.

Tom Forrest

Edinburgh-born Tom Forrest first fell in love with wine, and especially Pinot Noir, at the age of 18 when he was given a bottle of Nuits-St-Georges by a hotel manager. Following a career in hotel management, he began teaching wine & spirits to hospitality students in 1982, and is currently the executive manager for wine experience and education at Vinopolis, where he has been working since 1999. A member of the Institute of Wines and Spirits and an accredited WSET wine educator, Forrest oversees the WSET education programme and the calendar of master classes at Vinopolis, which includes the ‘Meet the Experts’ series where Oz Clarke regularly features. He has judged at various international wine competitions since 1997, is the author of The Complete Wine Course, and in 2007 he won the UK Champagne Ambassador competition and was a European finalist. Forrest has appeared on TV shows including This Morning, the Daily Politics Show and Come Date With Me, as well as on various local radio stations in London and the South East.

Ulf Sjödin MW

Ulf Sjödin MW originally worked in chemical engineering, holding a masters in the subject, but switched to marketing when he joined the wine trade in 1996. He worked for importer and producer V&S, where he held the position as PR manager for 13 years, and after a period as a self-employed consultant on pricing and market analysis, Ulf joined the Swedish retail monopoly Systembolaget in 2010 to become head of category management, a position he holds today. In 2007, Ulf became the first Master of Wine in Sweden, receiving awards for best tasting paper, best paper on viticulture and best total result on the MW exam.

Written by John Abbott