Alcademics

In September 2010 I visited several sherry bodegas. Here are pictures and a few notes from Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana, which is located in Sanlucar de Barrameda. 

(La Gitana is their most famous brand. It's a manzanilla; similar to fino but aged in Sanlucar.)

(The bodegas were wonderfully old, moldy, and dusty.)

(One of the old bullfight posters taped to the wall in the bodega.)

(Our host, a curmudgeonly sort who basically disagreed with everything we learned all week. We liked him anyway.)

(A view of the bodega.)

• More humidity and less exreme temperature swings in Sanlucar
• Flor is thicker and remains year round
• Make a single-vineyard manzanilla. It may be the only single vineyard sherry
• The vineyards and grapes not nearly as important as the place where the solera is
• Sanlucar is the oldest part of the sherry region- producing wines there the longest
• Most of the casks in these bodegas over 200 years old. They hate new casks. 
• Replace staves with staves from old casks bought on market
• La Gitana has 14 level solera. 
• Manzanilla typically has more ciraderas (levels to the solera) than fino. Have to move it faster between levels.  
• Tastes like salt spilled in the relish. Yum.
• Manzanilla can pair with asparagus- is most versatile with food
• Says you can leave an open bottle in the refrigerator 4-5 years and it will still be good 
• During the peninsular war, they supplied both Napoleon and the Allies. Now have both Napoleon and Wellington brands.