#sherryweek2020

Christmas pudding in a glass. It often surprises people that Pedro Ximénez is a white grape (as are all three grape varieties used to make sherry) because of its dark, ebony colour. The grapes are picked late in the season and before pressing they are sunned to concentrate the flavours and sugar. This helps create the deep raisiny-figgy nose, and the oxidative ageing process adds depth to the slightly bitter toasted finish. Dark chocolate is the classic pairing, but a very easy way to enjoy PX is to just pour some over vanilla ice cream, or for some contrast try it with a lovely aged stilton. Here we have paired our PX with a selection of aged cheeses at @parpatanaparpatana, manchego cheese ice cream at @espacioeslava and bonet piemontese (chocolate flan with cocoa, egg, rum, amaretto cookie) @lagallinabianca #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #azaharsherry #manzanilla #tapas #sherrytapastour #sherrytapastasting #sevilla #sevillatapas https://www.instagram.com/p/CHVDKgQHjIO/?igshid=wkaz3ezue8f4

For many years the origin of Palo Cortado was shrouded in mystery and to this day it refuses to be typecast.Typically described as combining the bouquet of amontillado with the body/palette of oloroso, I prefer to think of it as a more elegant oloroso. Similar to amontillado, palo cortado began life as a fino or manzanilla, meaning it was obtained from the first grape pressing (olorosos are usually from the second pressing). But unlike amontillado, very little time was spent under the protective flor, and in some cases the flor never grew at all. I personally get very little amontillado on the nose, but taste wise it is definitely more refined than the more robust oloroso. This means that for pairings you can go with lighter meat dishes, blue fish such as tuna, or cheeses. Today we are pairing with a gorgeous meaty tuna tarantelo tartare with fresh pineapple, cashew ajoblanco, melon, hierbabuena granita at @restaurantepapirusa , simple grilled presa Ibérica at @casamoralessevilla and delicate grilled beef sweetbreads @lacasadeltigre #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #azaharsherry #manzanilla #tapas #sherrytapastour #sherrytapastasting #sevilla #sevillatapas https://www.instagram.com/p/CHP6D-nHxSN/?igshid=4hoyh17zx4hv

Oloroso is aged oxidatively without the velo de flor protection so, while still a dry wine, it maintains its original residual sugars and glycerine. This results in a fuller, round nutty flavour that goes great with meat and game dishes. Today we are pairing it with garlicky fried rabbit ribs at @azoteasevilla , THE famous pringá montadito at @bodeguitaromero and with tender carrillada Ibérica in a rich red wine sauce @casa_roman #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #azaharsherry #manzanilla #tapas #sherrytapastour #sherrytapastasting #sevilla #sevillatapas https://www.instagram.com/p/CHNRbItHMhW/?igshid=hfdr1c6z7gq3

Amontillado is probably the most versatile of sherry wines as it has "lived two lives", first aged biologically under flor and later oxidatively, and so it has characteristics of both ageing processes. Basically this means that whatever you can pair with finos and olorosos would also be a good match for amontillado. But where amontillado shines is with difficult to pair foods such as artichokes or asparagus. Here I have chosen marinated mojama (cured tuna loin) with spring onion and cilantro @mariscos_emilio, artichokes in tempura with romesco sauce @palo_cortao and grilled mushrooms filled with parsley alioli @barlasgolondrinastriana #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #azaharsherry #manzanilla #tapas #sherrytapastour #sherrytapastasting #sevilla #sevillatapas https://www.instagram.com/p/CHKva1SHbve/?igshid=q04ffljd9klw

Fino tends to have a somewhat sharper bouquet than its sister wine manzanilla, though both are still light on the palate and bone dry with less than 5 gr residual sugar per litre. Its natural salinity and freshness makes it a great wine to pair with anything salty (nuts, olives, cheeses, cured meats) as well as fish and seafood. Here I am pairing this exceptional fino by @bodegastradicion with @cincojotas Jamón Ibérico de Bellota at @barlasteresas, a stunning matrimonio (anchovy & boquerón) with alboronia and a light alioli @lacayetanasevilla and grilled hand-caught chipirones de anzuelo gallego @labarradecanabota #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #azaharsherry #manzanilla #tapas #sherrytapastour #sherrytapastasting #sevilla #sevillatapas https://www.instagram.com/p/CHH8MQ2n4Dw/?igshid=2zallrektjuk

As this is the first day of #SherryWeek and also #ManzanillaMonday it's a no brainer to start off with manzanilla sherry. Somewhat more delicate than its sister wine fino, manzanilla is only produced in one town in the whole world, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where its distinct microclimate ensures that the all important flor stays quite robust year round. Super fresh seafood is the obvious choice here for pairing and I have chosen gambas blancas from Huelva at Bodega San José, tortillitas de camarones @restaurantebarbiana and the delectable sopa de galera @labarradeinchausti #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #azaharsherry #manzanilla #tapas #sherrytapastour #sherrytapastasting #sevilla #sevillatapas https://www.instagram.com/p/CHFxx-KnXml/?igshid=zydxkclfvux0

Yay, #SherryWeek is here at last! And since this is 2020 it will be a largely virtual affair, so this week I am going to take you through one of my Sherry & Tapas tastings, one wine per day (7 in total) with some of my favourite pairings. Hope this gives you a little inspiration for trying sherry as it was meant to be enjoyed, with good food and good friends. If you have any questions about the wines or the pairings please ask! #sherryweek2020 #sherry #sherrylover #sherryeducation #azaharsherry https://www.instagram.com/p/CHFqT8QnRLr/?igshid=84pkswwls42n

Daily MCO Drink #228, MCO Day #230: UP TO DATE, made with 1.5 parts Tio Pepe Fino sherry, 1.5 parts Rittenhouse Straight Rye whiskey, 1/4 parts Grand Marnier, 2 dashes Angostura Bitters, stirred over ice and strained. . It’s International Sherry Week this week! And what better occasion to finish off this bottle of Tio Pepe? . This is adapted from a 1916 recipe by Hugo Ensslin (who invented the Aviation cocktail). . The rye whisky comes to the fore at first, which is only to be expected for an excellent 50% ABV rye like Rittenhouse. But the sherry starts to take over on the mouthfeel and the finish, that musty dry grap-ish flavour coating your tongue and giving the rye spiciness a run for its money. Quite tasty and surprisingly well balanced. . #sherryweek #sherryweek2020 #sherry #wine #tipsyturvywine #tipsyturvywhisky #ryewhiskey #whiskey #whisky #tipsyturvycocktails #cocktails #mytipsyturvy #dailyMCOdrink https://www.instagram.com/p/CHFT5POJxui/?igshid=f6c6axfyo1qf