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I'm going to be ordering some Spanish wines and I was wondering if anyone familiar with them can recommend some good ones to get. Red, White, Sherry...I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks.
I prefer manzanilla rather than fino de Jerez: best are Barbiana, Aurora, Goya. Many others good esp La Gitana. Avoid Muyfina and Zuleta. If you prefer Jerez, Tio Pepe remaing good, so does San Patricio. Of course you could choose amontillado, palo cortado or oloroso!
My house red at the moment is Conde de Valdemar, the best value for money I know, both crianza and reserva (but not gran reserva). Anything from Cune, Marques de Murrieta or Lopez Heredia (Tondonia) can be trusted.
The most reliable whites are from Galicia, from the Albariño grape: Laxas is good value but most are good. Navarra also has good wines: the white Otazu, from the chardonnay grape is my current house white.
Good cheap cavas are Rovellats or Anna de Cordoniu.
One of the best brandies is 1866 from Larios.
Don´t drink them all at once!
If you like sweet wines most from the Pedro Ximenez grape are reliable.
If you havent tried red wine from the region Ribera de Duero, get a couple of good quality Crianzas. In general the quality of the maker is more important than Crianza, reserva etc. But its important that it has been on oak.
I prefer manzanilla rather than fino de Jerez: .......... esp La Gitana.
Pedro Ximenez grape are reliable.
Sean I had no idea you were such an expert! When I went to the festival in Jerez last March I spent some happy hours familiarising myself with the many types available
There was this fabulous little bar which served only wines just opposite our hotel. We felt it was a duty to really get to know every variety, though the bar owner plainly thought we were a bit strange to keep chopping and changing.
Anyway, manzanilla was the definite winner for me, and I now keep a bottle in the fridge! Pedro Ximenez was amazing too - very rich.
The best way to drink manzanilla is directly from the barrel at bodega temperature. In Cádiz, the best place is Veedor, where it can be accompanied by mojama, jamon de 5 jotas, queso manchego or a selection of tortillas. Furthermore, you can take it away. Though a bodega en Sanlucar would be better still!
I bought a litre yesterday for 5 euros and have just had it with a tapa of berberechos al vapor. Followed by salmon al horno with brown rice salad and a bottle of gerwurztraminer from Alsace: one cannot always be drinking Spanish wines when the best come from France and Germany
ORIGINAL: TANúñez Ailsa mentioned keeping her Manzanilla in the fridge.
Yeah Sean is right it's not really the 'right' way to drink it, just a funny little habit of mine. Or maybe any way that you enjoy it is the 'right'way? In fact I like it at any temperature
The best way to drink manzanilla is directly from the barrel at bodega temperature. In Cádiz, the best place is Veedor, where it can be accompanied by mojama, jamon de 5 jotas, queso manchego or a selection of tortillas. Furthermore, you can take it away. Though a bodega en Sanlucar would be better still!
I bought a litre yesterday for 5 euros and have just had it with a tapa of berberechos al vapor. Followed by salmon al horno with brown rice salad and a bottle of gerwurztraminer from Alsace: one cannot always be drinking Spanish wines when the best come from France and Germany
Suerte
Sean
My mouth is watering right now. The food and drink is reason enough to leave everyting behind and move to España.
In Sanlucar the bodega "outlets" serve it (manzanilla) practically from the freezer. meaning REALLY cold. In the actual bodega bar La GITANA for example, we drank so much manzanilla that they "ran out" , meaning they wont' serve it right from the barrel literally. I would say the dry sherries have to be served "chilled".
For some cheaper Riojas I like Marques de Caceres and Faustino VII. Cheap but tasty.
Best manzanilla imo: Lustau's Papirusa Good buy: Chivete's GranFeudo crianza (Navarra) Some very good reds: Toro region. If you can, grab 'em.
As this is a flamenco forum, I feel we should discuss the effects. Extensive studies allow me to state the following:
Starting off with a copita (or two) you're less inhibited, relaxed; you're in perfect compas (especially Jerezano) you've got that groove ... YOU feel, you've never played better Time to swith to toque (muy) libre Fin de fiesta
Navarra is a very good wine district and the one I drink the most myself. You can get decent Crianzas for around 2,5 euros.
I was in "El Bierzo" and found some local wines based on the Mencia grape. Very nice experience. The problem is that you cant get them here where I live.
Tom, ost spanish reds should be served at a not to hot room temperature. Around 18 degrees celcius.
Yes, Navarra's nice. Our house wine is from Castilla y León, because it happens to be the best value one that we can get here in Ontario.
Tom, your shopping list is getting pretty long...so I may as well add to it!
While you're shopping for sherry, don't overlook Montilla (D.O. Montilla-Moriles) a region south of Córdoba which makes similar but distictive wines that are just as good, and superb value. It's also the origin of the term amontillado - 'in the style of Montilla', although they make finos and olorosos and all the rest.
Yes second that on Navarra. A friend pointed out to me that they are as good as Rioja without the price tag. Navarra being right next door, so similar conditions and grapes just without the well known name.
Here's a nice article about wines in Granada. I know we dont have the best reputation for wines, in fact the young Alpujarras wine is rough as hell but this may amaze you, supplier to the worlds top restaurants....
Tom, your shopping list is getting pretty long...so I may as well add to it!
Yes, the list is very long now but I will have quite a nice variety. There are a few places online that I found that import most of these wines. One popular Manzanilla seems to be 'La Gitana'. Everyone seems to be sold out of this stuff. They tell me is the best selling one in Sevilla. True?
Tom, your shopping list is getting pretty long...so I may as well add to it!
Yes, the list is very long now but I will have quite a nice variety. There are a few places online that I found that import most of these wines. One popular Manzanilla seems to be 'La Gitana'. Everyone seems to be sold out of this stuff. They tell me is the best selling one in Sevilla. True?
Would not be surprised. In the states, they started selling the little feria bottles at full bottle prices! They should be like 3 bucks, but here they charge like 11.99! But IMO La Gitana goes down the smoothest, hence the popularity.
Best cure for a manzanilla hang over....Listening to Gerardo Nuñez play Parilla, Sabicas, and Ramon Montoya falsetas in that big Cathedral for a couple hours. Or being called on to demo the picado we just learned in front of the class of top level players! That sobers you up pretty quick!
Best cure for a manzanilla hang over....Listening to Gerardo Nuñez play Parilla, Sabicas, and Ramon Montoya falsetas in that big Cathedral for a couple hours. Or being called on to demo the picado we just learned in front of the class of top level players! That sobers you up pretty quick!
Dude...you have a superhuman ability to absorb that material in almost any condition! I salute you. I honestly dont know how you do it. Somedays you were actually asleep in the second class...and you still learned it
Back to the wines....the Ribera del duero is my favorate too. It fruitier and less tanin than the rioja. The crianzas are great esp 2004. Protos is an excellent label but I checked online and its marked up from about 6 euros to $30 in the U.S.
The barbadillo blanco is a great white....serve really cold.
I agree with Sean about the sherry. I get it from the barrel usually. I got into Solea manzanilla in my first year in Sanlucar and so thats always good. Galvez produce an excellent and inexpensive Cream and Oloroso from Jerez...well worth checking out.
ORIGINAL: Sean Perhaps. to lighten the current mood of the forum, we could start another thread on favourite tapas
That's a good idea! It could be called "What are true tapas? Who makes them? Any rules or restrictions?" Seriously though, I think the word 'tapas' gets bandied about a lot worse than the word 'flamenco' these days, sheesh... I saw a cafe the other day serving greek 'tapas'...
Real tapas were given away free with a drink. Sadly this custom seems to have died out except for in the province of Granada, although I have been given free tapas in Madrid.
A tapa is usually a small dish, can be absolutely anything from paella to fried fish or chorizo, but then again I know bars where you can get given a tapa which is a quarter chicken and chips or a hamburger and chips.
Free tapas are usually served to you with no choice in the selection but then again I know places where you get to choose your tapa.
I have a favourite bar which I love as they always remember Harold is vegetarian and serve him something special. They have also got into the wonderful habit of giving me every tapa that comes out of the kitchen whether I order a drink or not and often give me a drink on the house just when I decide its time to go home. Did I mention its my favourite bar ? Best tapa, and I often order this one especially is malagueñas, big clams grilled with garlic.
Free tapas are a great asset to Granada. Apart from being free, it makes you feel happy. I used to visit Torre del Mar and they do it there too, but in Cádiz you have to pay
I like gambas al ajillo (pronounced gambajillo), carillada, and turbante de lenguado, stuffed with seafood or vegetables.
How is your exploration of Spanish wines going? Perhaps. to lighten the current mood of the forum, we could start another thread on favourite tapas
Sean
Hola Sean,
I'm currently waiting on an order of La Gitana to come in. This must be very popular as most places that sell it locally have been sold out. A favorite tapas thread would be interesting.
It could be called "What are true tapas? Who makes them? Any rules or restrictions?"
Brilliant! Brace yourself for a volley of quotations from the authorities of yesteryear
quote:
Seriously though, I think the word 'tapas' gets bandied about a lot worse than the word 'flamenco' these days,
That's true - sometimes it seems anything smaller than a full meal is 'tapas'
quote:
sheesh... I saw a cafe the other day serving greek 'tapas'...
There's some of that round here too... I'm keeping my eyes peeled for 'Spanish mezes'. And I'm expecting to see sushi billed as 'Japanese tapas' sometime soon - it seems inevitable.
quote:
Scottish "tapas" in a "traditional" bar is a barely warm stale meat pie or sausage roll.
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