Sherry

La Gitana is Spanish for the gypsy and is one of the most complex dry sherries in the world, a top notch Manzanilla best enjoyed in its youth. Which is a little bit of an oxymoron for such a complex dry wine made from aged sherry components. 

This is full bodied, fully dry and super complex with salted almond, tangy green olive and notes of cedar all vying for first place in this beautifully integrated fortified wine. 

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanlúcar de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.

Smooth, dry and complex fortified wine from the oldest winery in Montilla-Moriles, just outside the borders of Spain's sherry triangle. Bodega Alvear owns 300 hectares of vines and has earned a reputation for making many of Montilla's best wines, including this oloroso, which has is a blend that has been aged, on average for 10 years. The style is on the cusp of being sweet and dry, thanks to intense caramelisation and richness of flavour. 

Old Masters is modelled on a cream sherry style and made in New Zealand by Villa Maria. It's a straightforward fortified wine made in a sweet style with flavours of caramel, dried fruit and walnuts. 

En Rama is a pure expression of dry sherry from Jerez. 'En Rama' roughly translates to 'raw', which is exactly what this is. This wine is extracted from the barrels in Spring, when the flor is at it's thickest. This sherry is unfiltered and unfined. Best drunk fresh, En Rama tastes more intensely nutty and yeasty than the standard Tio Pepe. The palate is complex and fresh with a saline finish.

Leonor by Antonio Flores is described as the wild child of Jerez. Due to its mysterious ageing process it could be described as similar to an Amontillado on the nose and similar to an Oloroso on the palate. Leonor shows a light mahogany colour with golden tones and slightly orange rim. On the nose intense and complex with typical Amontillado notes such as hazelnuts perfectly balanced with other aromas such as bitter orange and mature oak. On the palate powerful and intense with toasted notes yet smooth and silky.

Sherries like this one that are aged over 30 years use the acronym V.O.R.S., which stands for "Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum".

Del Duque shows a dark golden colour due to the extended time spent in cask. On the nose there are bright aromas and walnut notes from the time spend under flor, plus dried fruits, roasted hazelnuts, antique furniture and polished leather from the oxidative ageing.

Sweet wine from Andalucia in the south of Spain where the grapes are late harvested and dried to concentrate flavours into sweet treats such as this lovely  fortified wine. 

Complex flavours here include caramel, walnut and hazelnut aromas.

This wine comes from Andalusia in the south of Spain, the same region that is home to sherry but this wine lies just outside of the geographic sherry triangle, so it is not, strictly speaking, sherry, although it tastes just like an outstanding amontillado style.

Here's your perfect excuse to eat salted chocolate caramels - one of the world's great fortified wines; Amontillado from a top producer. Bodegas Hildago Amontillado Napoleon is a complex full bodied amber coloured sherry with flavours of caramelised almonds, sandalwood and vanilla. It's a blend made up of Oloroso Faraon, Cream Alameda and PX Triana, all between six and 20 years old, which add to the taste of cedar and sandalwood.

It is excellent served lightly chilled with a platter of aged cheddar and nuts or simply on its own as a late night cap with salted caramel. 

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanl?car de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.

La Gitana is Spanish for the gypsy and is one of the most complex dry sherries in the world, a top notch Manzanilla best enjoyed in its youth. Which is a little bit of an oxymoron for such a complex dry wine made from aged sherry components. 

This is full bodied, fully dry and super complex with salted almond, tangy green olive and notes of cedar all vying for first place in this beautifully integrated fortified wine. 

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanl?car de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.