Bright pale gold, light legs.
Nose
Dry and salty with some bitterness and traces of green almond, lots of flor and a definite air of the seaside. Reasonably pungent, as if not too much has been lost in "stabilisation", a trace of olive brine.
Palate
Tangy and briny, plenty flor bitterness and a little more body than some, a slight trace of oxidation, very dry with considerable presence and length and just the faintest hint of autolysed yeast, complex with a few pasada notes. This will stand up to some interesting food.
Comments
An interesting wine, and a good one. Alegria translates as "joy"or "happiness" but the name may derive from the name of a vineyard. It comes from a solera with a comparatively small number of criaderas - (6?) It is a comparative newcomer to the W&H range, replacing the old W&H brand Cedro, and comes from soleras laid down by the bodega Hijos de A Perez Megia, an old family firm established in Sanlucar in 1821. They were bought out in the 1980s by Jose Medina y Cia., who went on to acquire a controlling stake in W&H. Another Manzanilla Alegria was once marketed by Jose Martinez of Jerez. Now, all the Medina Sherries are produced under the W&H name at the old Internacionales bodega in Jerez - except Alegria, which, as a Manzanilla, has to age in Sanlucar. {Interestingly another old Perez Megia brand - Amontillado Jalifa - is sold under the W&H label now.}
Price
About £7.00 (half bottle) from Henderson Wines, Edinburgh. (UK importers: Ehrmanns)
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