If Flamenco is the soul of traditional Andalucia, and bullfighting its heart then, undoubtedly, manzanilla sherry is the blood that courses through its veins. And if you've never had manzanilla from the barrel, you've never REALLY had manzanilla. That's why, even after more than three months have passed, I feel compelled to write about our visit to manzanilla country, or rather city: Sanlucar de Barrameda.
Flor in your wine?
Bar Manolo was the place we happened upon our first full day in Sevilla, and the site of our first tapas. Having had a few more tapas elsewhere, and after doing a little reading, we realized that it was actually a kick-butt place for an afternoon tapeo, and returned yesterday for another helping. Seeing as how it was Chanukah, we ordered mostly fried things. 
(another satisfied customer)
Finally, it is here. I have told many of you that I would start putting up my ten favorite wines that I have tasted each month. The wines selected below were all tasted in the month of October and are listed in no particular order with an estimated retail price.
Jeff & I sat down to taste on Tuesday, as we are wont to do. I think he will be starting to post his tasting notes soon. I'm of a different mind — I generally find tasting notes kinda boring. If they're wildly accurate, they're kinda dry, and if they're too fanciful, they're less about the wine than they are the imagination. Not that imagination's a bad thing, just not too helpful.
Aaaanyway, that doesn't mean that I won't write them (or haven't)... I keep notes for myself to refer back to wines and jog my memory about them. I find that, otherwise, my memory is kinda fuzzy. I tend to have other connotations with a wine other than my tasting of it, which color my overall impression positively or negatively.
And then, there's the to-do about ratings...
Why don't people drink more sherry? I just wrote a little intro article for Suite 101, and it got me to pondering this one. It used to be (not too long ago) that riesling drinkers were a bit of a secret society. No one really talked about it out loud, but there was a cohort of winemakers and sommeliers who would break open amazing bottles behind closed doors. I believe this is happening with sherry (or will, if you & I will it!). We are witnessing the leading edge of a sherry explosion in the next couple of years. Or at the very least, my quixotic quest to make it so...
Here are some clues that I might be on to something.
Continue reading "Why No Sherry? A Revolution in the Making" »
Today was a scorcher - the kind of day that makes normally sun-deprived, vitamin D-seeking San Franciscans run for shade. In other words, it was in the 80s. Even as I type this into the evening, it is balmy enough to have the windows open. A perfect time for a glass of manzanilla sherry out of the fridge and ruminations on this space.
We've been putting this thing together for about a month now, and will begin posting regularly when it goes live shortly. I'm still honing a "manifesto," but meanwhile, I wanted to put down some words to convey what Drink Eat Love is about.
