Back from Jerez

As many will have noticed from the odd recent post, I've been back for a couple of weeks, but have been up to the eyes with work and dealing with ancient relatives. Here, however is a brief report on the trip.

My first bodega visit was to Delgado Zuleta in Sanlucar. Pelayo Garcia, the export manager, kindly showed me round the installations in the upper part of the town on the Avenida Rocio Jurado. These bodegas are quite new and make life a lot simpler than having the 12 different addresses they had before.

New Delgado Zuleta bodegas

Before choosing the site, however much research was done into its humidity and atmosphere to ensure the optimum ageing of the wines.There are always doubters when a firm decides to move its soleras, but the move seems to have not only done no harm, but if anything actually improved them. Certainly the wines I tasted were all excellent. The new bodega has lots of up-to-date equipment, but it is used judiciously according to the needs of the individual wine.

While in Sanlucar, I stopped in at what's now the Lustau Manzanilla bodega (formerly Domecq) for a bottle of Macarena. My visit was much quicker than I'd hoped, as the Policia Local were about to tow away the car for being parked on one of the new Carriles Bici (cycle lanes). Phew! And when I got the Macarena home it was oxidised. So I suppose the Police won in the end!

Manzanilla La Goya being perfected

Back in Jerez the new blue buses were out on the streets. These were bought second-hand from Madrid as Jerez couldn't afford new buses. It can't afford much at all these days. There is a slight air of depression what with terrible unemployment (last year 3000 Jerezanos lost their jobs). There are many closed shops, even bodegas, some of which are now superstores. The Gallo Azul is closed too. What with not being able to reach agreement with the building's owners and the effects of the crisis, Juan Carlos Carrasco has decided to close and concentrate on other restaurants he owns. Hopefully the closure will only be temporary, till another restaurateur can be found to re-open the emblematic bar.

I went to see bodegas Emilio Hidalgo, and spent some time with Fernando Hidalgo discussing our favourite topic! These bodegas still occupy their original site, Calle Clavel, close to Lustau and Harveys, and very little has changed over the years. What an atmospheric bodega! It is still a family business, and is dedicated to "proper" Sherry. If you have once tasted Fino Panesa, you will see how serious they are. I can't quite decide if it is fortunate or unfortunate, but many of their wines are released in tiny quantities. It is delightful to see a firm which is content to make a decent living making excellent Sherry, and which is not bent on expansion. If you are in Jerez, this is a bodega well worth a visit - but remember to make prior arrangements. It is situated near three good restaurants: Carbona, El Patio and La Posada.

Here's a picture of the amazing Manuel Simon de la Riva roundabout in Jerez with a massive venencia pouring water into a Sherry copita.

Unfortunately, my time was limited, so I had to return to Malaga - clutching a few bottles naturally! - to see my friends and family. Even among the excellent wines from Malaga, I came across one or two interesting Sherries, and these will appear soon in the tasting section of the blog.