How to get through Lockdown v3.0: manzanilla

Photo by Gareth Lewis-Jones

So, what is it?

Manzanilla is a form of fino sherry which comes from a coastal town in Andalucía called Sanlúcar de Barrameda.  It is made using the solera method, as with other sherries, the major difference being in the location of the storage.  The breezes coming off the Atlantic, with the microclimate of the Guadalquivir estuary, give a saline quality to the wine.  Close your eyes, sniff it, take a sip.  We challenge you not to picture the seaside.

Thanks but get to the good bit

Not a problem!

• In the glass: medium lemon colour, some legs

• On the nose: saline smell of the sea, chamomile

• In the mouth: very dry, high acidity, lemon, saline, chamomile, almond,

• Finish: long, with extra zings of almond

What should I eat with it?

So.

Many.

Things.

Manzanilla is famous as a scintillating pairing with tapas.  And so it is.  We spent a fantastic couple of hours sharing elegant-in-their-simplicity tortitas de camarones, washed down with a very cold bottle of manzanilla on the terrace of a makeshift café-bar just off the beach by Sanlúcar de Barrameda.  It was a very hot day in late April and one bottle was not enough.

The excellent thing about tapas is that, whilst great tapas can be made from the freshest of ingredients with Michelin-star precision level preparation, tapas is also a great store cupboard food-set. Stock up your fridge with manzanilla and stock up your store cupboards with jars of salted marcona almonds, manzanilla olives, chickpeas, and packets of salted kettle chips.

We urge you to do this because we feel you can't be in the mood for manzanilla, only to be stymied by not having something to go with it.  That said, on the fresh front, we recommend: fresh asparagus, fresh anchovies in vinegar lightly battered fried fish, tortilla española, croquetas de jamón or de bacalao.