Wine of the week: a pulse-quickening sherry
Matthew Jukes tastes a bone dry, palate-invigorating, sharply tangy sherry
There are fewer “anniversary moments” in the wine trade these days. I remember, 30 or so years ago, when we used to get very excited about the arrival of the new vintage of Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc. A few vintage Port declarations have been announced in the last week or so, but I doubt you heard any fanfare.
The Champagne houses make it up as they go along, tooting their horns every so often to try and drum up business for their ubiquitous prestige cuvée releases. There are also a few “National Days”, which generic bodies try to hitch a ride on in order to bathe their wines in the spotlight for a moment or so.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
None of these “celebrations” is as pulse-quickening as the moment that La Gitana’s En Rama Manzanilla hits the shelves. You will be familiar with the regular La Gitana – the finest value, aperitif-style dry sherry on the planet (£11.19, Waitrose; £10, virginwines.co.uk; £8, 75cl bottle, Sainsbury’s). The En Rama version is the fresh-as-daisies, natural yeasts, honest and elemental style of Manzanilla.
This is a bone dry, palate-invigorating, sharply tangy sherry and it is bottled without filtration or fining. It is literally taken from the barrel and is the untainted juice directly harvested from palomino grapes grown in the famous Albariza soils of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The four merchants listed have just this second received their stock so make that call today!
La Gitana, Manzanilla En Rama, Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain – £16.99, virginwines.co.uk; £16.95, reduced to £15.95 each as part of a mixed case, leaandsandeman.co.uk; £65 per case of six bottles in bond (not including duty and VAT), clarionwines.co.uk; £130 per case of 12 bottles in bond (duty and VAT will be added and the minimum order is £500), farrvintners.com
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)
This article was originally published in MoneyWeek
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Mulled white wine: a 'quirky' Christmas hit?
The Week Recommends Retailers are hoping to tempt shoppers with a 'lighter' version of the classic festive tipple
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
The myth of 'healthy' moderate drinking
Under The Radar The shaky logic that a daily tipple can lengthen your life has been a 'propaganda coup for the alcohol industry'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published