Our intrepid reporter, David Hodgson, takes a break from his vacation in Spain to visit our supplier, Sánchez Romate.

On a recent visit to Cadiz in Spain, I took a day off from laying by the pool in the sun, to visit a Sherry Bodegas in the heart of Jerez whose range we currently stock.  As we entered Jerez we drove past several huge Sherry Bodegas. Five minutes later the taxi driver stops down a back alley and says “hemos llegado” (we have arrived).  I look out of the window to see a tiny doorway with a plaque reading Sánchez Romate. This was the correct place, but it was hard to believe as it looked so small.

I arrived at reception soon to be greeted by Cesar and Borja, who would be showing me around the Bodegas.  We walk past the office through another door, at which point I definitely knew I was in the right place.  As we walked into a huge cool dark room filled with hundreds of barrels stacked on top of one another, a beautiful aroma, that I can only describe as sweet damp wood, filled the air.  Borja, armed with tasting glasses and a venencia which is used to pour the sherry from the barrels, took us into another huge room filled with hundreds more barrels stacked in the Solera System.  The bottom barrels are called the Solera and the upper levels called Criacera.  One third of the Solera, when ready to be bottled,  are drained and then topped up by the upper levels to ensure a consistent quality and gradual aging.  The topping up of the older wine from the younger layer above, allows the younger wine to take on the characteristics of the older wine. 

We started by tasting the Marismeno Fino straight from the barrel.  The wine is very dry, pale and yellow and immediately fresh on the nose.  It makes a great palate cleanser before a meal.  Next was the NPU Amontillado, which again is dry with almonds on the nose and a nutty taste on the palate.  Of the two, the NPU Amontillado was my favourite due to its great complexity and balance.  As I have a sweet tooth I was looking forward to the sweeter styles.  First we tried the Cardenal Cisneros Pedro Ximénez, which reminded me of sugar filled sultanas.  Later that night I tried it poured over ice cream – absolutely beautiful!  Last but not least we tried the Ambrosia Moscatel, less sweet than the Pedro Ximénez but definitely my favourite.  It has a very aromatic nose with hints of orange.  The visit was great opportunity to try straight from the barrel.  It is fascinating to see the wide range and styles of their wines. 

The image of Sherry as a very old-fashioned drink is misplaced and the visit completely changed my view of the wine.  Meeting the team and learning the history behind Sánchez Romate was a great experience.  It was now time to get back to laying beside the pool with a chilled glass of Amontillado.