Greg you have such a comprehensive view of Spanish winemaking!!! Thanks for posting!!!
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Never been there, but it’s on my bucket list.
By far my favorite producer is Bodegas Tradicion. A newcomer on the scene, but making some of the most exceptional VORS Sherries.
Equipo Navazos is another top-tier bottler. They source Solera systems all around the Jerez region, purchase a lot of certain size and bottle it with a running number. They don’t aim for consistent house style, but instead celebrate the differences in all styles of Sherry. One almacenista’s Solera of certain style of Sherry might be totally different from another almacenista’s Solera of the same style.
Speaking of Almacenistas, the abovementioned Lustau Almacenista range is excellent. Lustau is a much bigger operation and their basic range can be pretty uninspiring, but the Lustau Almacenista bottles are superb.
Callejuela is another smaller top-notch producer. And Ximenez-Spinola is a fun curiosity, as they don’t concentrate only on Palomino, but also on Pedro-Ximenez - normally you don’t see this grown that much in the Jerez region, because the producers are allowed to source PX from the surrounding regions. Ximenez-Spinola makes a dry, unfortified PX - definitely a unique wine in this part of the world!
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@Jorge_Henriquez prolly drooling and crying right now. Give him a few hours to pull himself together. @TheToddfather and i will provide support behind the scenes.
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Yeah - @Robert.A.Jr I’ll also be in the Arles region as well. Remind me where you road tripped? IIRC, there were some church/murals in the Provence area that were pretty cool.
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We did not hit Arles this time, but it’s super cool. We took a few days in Nimes. It’s only 30 miles away and worth the trip. The Coliseum is amazing.
We ate at Skab, which has 1 or 2 stars, it is outstanding. And had Pignan and Fonsalette on the list! We stayed at Maison Albar - L’Imperator, which is city center, gorgeous, and impeccable service. They also have a 2-star there, but we ate in the Bistro, owned by the same chef, in the courtyard. Highly recommend.
Nearby is the super cool medieval hill town Les Baux and the Roman Aquaduct. You cannot miss these.
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One place above all… Taberna der Guerrita.
No one has done more, recently that is, for Sherry wines than Armando Guerra. It’s a small restaurant/bar, with a nice wine shop in the back. From time to time they have some meetings there, and give master classes on sherry with MW’s, Luis Gutierrez, and some Sherry winemakers. Armando is now at Barbadillo which btw makes an addictive Manzanilla Pasada en Rama called La Pastora.
Other sherry producers not mentioned here that are well worth it is Willy Perez and his Bodega Luis Perez/ La Barajuela. Also very rare and really amazing are Bodega de La Riva which was resurrected by Willy Perez and Ramiro Ibañez.
I would also recommend Ramiro Ibañez non fortified wines from the area, Cota 45.
Have fun!
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if you want to start reading, a lot, read this
warning: rabbithole!
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[quote=“GregT, post:3, topic:307340, full:true”].
And the world of sherry is currently in upheaval. Last year they changed most of the rules and regulations and whatever we knew about sherry a few years ago is now out of date. But that’s OK - everything we think is traditional is really only a few generations old, so why not change with the times.
Good luck!
[/quote]
Again? F**k
Greg, by any chance do,you have a link to the changes made?
Edit:never mind, found it. Amazingly most of them seem sensible
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The trip you did with your son… I can’t find the link. Remind me of the artist and the tiny churches you went to?
Edit: I searched for “mural” and it was the first hit! The new software ain’t so bad after all.
Tradicion is a great visit.
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I’d say it depends a little bit on the kind of Sherry and what you want.
I agree that Bodegas Tradicion is top-notch, not cheap, but worth it. The style is always very intense due to the high average age of wines.
Equipos Navazos is also almost always good. But also usually fairly intense. For me, their sweet spot is Amontillado and Palo Cortado. Their Fino / Manzanilla bottlings are also usually good, but their Amontillados and Palo Cortados are difficult to match.
My favorite Manzanilla is probably M. Anto de la Riva from Sanlúcar. I even prefer the simple one to the Pasada, which is made up of older wines. The simple one is from - on average - five year old wines and is super fresh and grassy, typical Sanlúcar Manzanilla.
My favorite high volume Fino/Manzanilla may be the Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla, which is also on the fresh side. With seafood, especially raw seafood, it’s divine. Also, the Barbadillo Solear en Rama is really good.
When it comes to Amontillado, next to Bodegas Tradicion and Navazos, I also really like Fernando de Castilla and also the Perez Barquero Gran Barquero Amontillado.
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I think bang for buck for a “light-ish” palo cortado (to my palate tastes like a mediumweight amontillado), that if not “high volume”, at least readily available in the USA, the Lustau Almacenista Palo Cortado Cayetano del Pino NV is hard to beat. $40-50 for 500ml.
Absolutely outstanding.
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Taberna der Guerrita is indeed a must to try a lot of different wines from the region, and Armando is super knowledgeable.
In terms of producers, I would highlight Bodegas Tradicion, Emilio Hidalgo and González Byass, as well as Luis Perez, Callejuela and try to talk with Willy Perez and Ramiro Ibanez to have a look at what they are doing together at De La Riva and Ramiro separately at Cota 45.
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Take a look at the bodegas in Sanlucar de Barrameda, just north of Jerez. Slightly distinctive wines owing to location/terroir. I think Barbadillo has been mentioned here. Interesting Sherry museum, tours plus tasting.
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In addition to all the great recommendations above I would throw in Valdespino for consideration.
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You need to know someone to get a visit to Valdespino. I love their wines but never have visited. I called the Rare Wine Co. But didn’t have enough time to arrange things.
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Apologies for the delay. Crappy Monday after a 6 hour drive home in the rain last night. Many of my favorites have been already mentioned here but just in case, I’ll add a couple more:
El Maestro Sierra
Valdespino
As for dining/drinking venues, sadly my one planned trip was in May of 2020 for my honeymoon…alas, Covid had other plans.
Enjoy. Jealous.
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Wait … what?!? This is news to me … pray do tell! Even a link would do …
… off to Google now …
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Most of these have been mentioned above, but, if we’re keeping score, here ya go:
Equipo Navazos
Valdespino
Gonzalez-Byass
Bodegas Hidalgo (different than Emilio Hidalgo) – if you come across the “Wellington” VORS Palo Cortado — for the love of life — Taste.It.
Bodegas Tradicion
Yuste (newer, iirc)
Rey Fernando de Castilla (“Antique” line)
El Maestro Sierra
Barbadillo
If I had to pick only one, it would be Equipo Navazos, but it would be really tough leaving some of the others behind. And, it bears repeating — not all of these names are similarly-situated, except for these are the names one would expect to see on a wine list, for example.
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Thanks all for the info. I’ve noticed that none of these producers are in the city of Cadiz proper.
Should I instead book a hotel in Jerez de la Frontera (for Lustau, Tradicion, and Ximinez-Spinola) or Sanlúcar de Barrameda (for Bodegas Barbadillo, Taberna der Guerrita, Bodega Callejuaela)? I am traveling solo, so ideally I would walk or take a short taxi ride.
On the other hand, are there Taberna der Guerrita equivalent sherry bars in Cadiz proper?
Again, my overall goal is to learn more about sherry. I don’t care about the beach or the sun.
@GregT
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