Tio Pepe Fino 15%, Bodegas Gonzalez Byass

Appearance
Fairly pale, bright, strawy gold, legs.
Nose
Noticeable Flor, very fresh with slight salinity, hints of straw, dried flowers and light Palomino fruit.
Palate
Very dry, quite low acidity yet slightly tangy with just a trace of bitterness from the Flor, very clean with good length, and certainly stimulates the appetite. Unashamedly dry, for real Fino aficionados.
Comments
A classic. No nonsense, ultra refreshing and wonderful with tapas. The world's biggest selling Fino, not surprisingly, and very good despite the scale of its production. It came from an original solera laid down in 1849 with three criaderas and a solera but which has grown to 22 soleras containing some 21,750 butts housed on two floors of Jerez's only three storey bodega and various other bodegas too - there are eight in Las Copas. The wine therefore has to be a blend from the various soleras. So there's plenty of scope for wine for the Tio Pepe en Rama, and indeed the Una and Dos Palmas.

Manuel Maria Gonzalez Angel, the founder, named the wine after his uncle (Sp: tio) Jose (pet name Pepe) Angel y Vargas, who encouraged him to make Fino. Uncle Jose often visited and advised his nephew and had a key to the bodega, and being from Sanlucar, he expected Manuel to have some Manzanilla for him. Manuel did this and this Manzanilla formed the basis of the Tio Pepe solera.

Price: £9-10  Available everywhere.