31.10.13 Sherry Events in Seville, Sanlucar and Jerez

In Seville, 62 bars are participating in a tapas competition, in which they serve their star tapa along with a free glass of the most suitable Sherry. The competition begins tomorrow, and the 20 bars with the most votes will be certified by the Consejo Regulador and be protagonists in a gastronomic guide soon to be published. Votes can be cast at www.tapayjerez.com

In Sanlucar, events have been planned to celebrate the V European Wine Tourism Day. There will be the VI Ruta del Mosto, where one can try the fresh new wine, free visits to various bodegas including La Cigarrera, Barbadillo and Argueso, Hidalgo, vineyard visits with tasting, and just tastings. Information can be obtained from the council: www.sanlucardebarrameda.es/sanlucar_turismo/

In Jerez, at Gonzalez Byass’ bodega Los Reyes, the official presentation of the Reyes Magos (the Three Kings) took place last night. They will be accompanied by the Grand Vizier when they make their procession through the streets of Jerez on the 6th of January, dishing out sweets to the children who line the streets. Each year, people are chosen to represent the Kings, usually well-known faces, as it is an honour to be chosen.

Jerez’ first “Gymcata”, or Sherry tasting competition has been organised by Cadiz University, the Consejo Regulador, the Jerez Council, Gonzalez Byass, the Andaluz Association of oenologists and the Association of Tabancos. Teams of six people will have to demonstrate their knowledge of Sherry, its history and how it is made in a series of tests in a range of tabancos and bodegas where they can try various wines and dishes to see how they match. The three best teams will win prizes. The competition is aligned to Science Week and coincides with the European Day of Wine Tourism on the 7th, and allows the locals to know more about Sherry and supports the tabancos.

Tapas: Queso Frito

Queso frito (fried cheese) is simple but delicious as a tapa or as an accompaniment to a larger dish, it is a useful recipe which is pretty quick to prepare, and one can always use up dog-ends of cheese if necessary.

Ingredients for 4 people: 
1/2 kilo (@1lb) fairly young hard cheese, most kinds would do
Milk
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Wheat flour
Virgin olive oil for frying

Method
First, cut the cheese into pieces roughly 3cm long by 1 cm diameter (or whatever shape you fancy). Put milk, flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into four bowls. Dip the pieces of cheese into first milk, then flour, then the beaten egg and lastly the breadcrumbs, leaving them on a plate. Then once again dip the cheese into egg then breadcrumbs to ensure a leak-proof batter. Once prepared, put the cheese on the plate again and chill for half an hour.

Heat up a frying pan or deep fryer with olive oil, and when good and hot fry the cheese until golden all over. Once cooked, remove carefully from fryer/pan and let cool a little on absorbent paper so it absorbs any excess oil. It should be served hot either by itself or in a tomato or ali oli sauce, perhaps with a little salad.

All you need to do now is enjoy the queso frito with a glass of Fino or a light amontillado Sherry!

Manzanilla en Rama Solear 15% Saca Invierno 2012, Barbadillo

Appearance
Bright, quite yellowy, darker than normal Solear, because it is not filtered, legs.
Nose
Intense, aromatic, deep and full of flor bitterness, dry, yet has a certain trace of dampness. Vinous and almondy with a hint of olive brine, and, yes, yeast. A quite lovely nose, exactly as it smells straight from the butt.
Palate
Dry, with fairly low acid, but the bitterness from the flor compensates perfectly. There is a little body here and a round softness and (extreme) drinkability which tempts you to drink it too quickly, but what the heck - it's in a half bottle! Really lingers on the palate too.
Comments
After a long drought-ridden summer 2012, the autumn saw plentiful - and very welcome - rainfall. Temperatures were pleasant if very slightly lower than average. The flor, having thinned a bit during summer, welcomed the arrival of some humidity, and this is reflected in the wine. Only 1,000 litres were drawn from 10 selected casks, given a gentle clean-up with the traditional egg-white, and then filled into half-bottles.

The company uses this brand to promote and assist the conservation organisation the Donana 21 Foundation. It recognises the effect the Donana marshes have on the production of Manzanilla, and that conservation is therefore vital. Every seasonal release shows on its label one member of the wildlife to be found in the marshes, this one is the Pato Buceador (diving duck)
Price
£ 10-12   (per half bottle) I think UK importers are Ehrmanns, or possibly John Fells.

Drone Strike in Jerez!

Viticulture from on high!

We have heard a lot about “drones” recently, not all of it favourable, but they do have many peaceful uses, and one which has been modified for viticulture has recently been shown in Jerez.

A few days ago, Grupo Estevez held a technical day in their Viña Bristol vineyard, at which the main attraction was, yes, a drone, in a demonstration of the opportunities it can offer to viticulture in Jerez. The drone is called a “Fieldcopter”, and the project has been developed by a consortium of six European members from Spain, Belgium and Holland specifically for crop management, especially vines, fruits and potatoes. Things are still at the trial stage, but if the wine world is convinced, it would make the project viable and a specific company would be formed to commercialise the product.

Drone and guidance equipment (Imagen DiarioJerez)

The device is equipped with thermal cameras which can detect hydric stress (lack of water) and disease in the plants, and once the pictures have been processed, the grower can make informed decisions to reduce risks and improve crop quality. One great advantage of the drone is the speed of the process, reduced from five weeks before to only twenty-four hours. It is not yet clear how much the use of a drone would cost, but it would probably be charged by the hectare.

Some time ago, the Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque presented in Jerez a project directed at vine management with the help of a satellite, but nothing more has been heard of it, despite some growers investing in it. According to the drone expert, a satellite cannot capture such accurate pictures, and now that a drone’s pictures can be processed so quickly, the drone is the obvious choice, and it is already proving its worth.

Buster Keaton Visited Jerez

Buster Keaton visited Jerez in 1930! He toured Spain with his wife Natalie Talmadge and another movie star couple, Gilbert Roland and Norma Talmadge. Their visit to Jerez was organised byLuis Parada, owner of the Teatro Villamarta in Jerez. They went on to visit bodegas Domecq, where they signed the visitors’ book. They drove around in a Rolls Royce, attracting great crowds. In Spain, Buster Keaton was known as “Pamplinas”.

27.10.13 El Puerto's 1st Ruta del Mosto

El Puerto de Santa Maria will be busy on the Sherry front next month with the 1^st Ruta del Mosto (New Wine Trail) from the 4^th till the 30^th. Over ten bars and restaurants have joined the scheme, and are offering a glass of mosto and an aperitif for only 1.50 euros.

It is also the V European Wine Tourism Day, which falls on the 10^th, but activities will begin from the 7^th. As usual there will be the town Wine, Brandy and Vinegar Trail, along with a full programme of visits, other trails, tutored tastings and other activities in collaboration with hotels, bodegas and other businesses related to the hospitality trade.

(Imagen Andaluciainfo)

Finally, in the middle of November the Atheneum of Wine has organised the XVIII Days of Wine from the 15^th till the 17^th, which consist of conferences, talks, round tables and tastings. The central theme will be Fino wine.

25.10.13 Tio Pepe Sculpture; European City Of Wine 2014

The public are being offered the chance to vote for their preferred Tio Pepe statue to be placed in the roundabout on Jerez' Avenida Tio Pepe. There are four candidates, whose creators are not yet being named by Gonzalez Byass. Here are the models:

From left to right, a copita with an illuminated figure of Tio Pepe inside; a modernised Tio Pepe bottle but not too far from the original; a Tio Pepe at a slight angle which turns with the wind; a modernist re-interpretation of the illuminated sign in Madrid's Puerta del sol.

This is the link if you would like to paticipate: http://www.rotondatiopepe.com/  All voters will be entered into a prize draw. There are 15 VIP visits with tastings to the bodegas and a pack of Tio Pepe products like a selection of wines, a box of tasting glasses, a book about GB, and a Tio Pepe T shirt.


A promotional video for the candidacy of Jerez as European City of Wine 2014 will be made public on Saturday during the presentation of Vinoble 2014. Jerez has achieved over 200 supporters from the trade and beyond, even abroad.