Tio Pepe, the world's best-selling Fino sherry, has been refreshing palates since the 19th century, when a young Sherry entrepreneur from Jerez, in southern Spain, discovered his uncle was ageing barrels of a delicious pale, dry style of sherry. By way of tribute, he named the new wine after his uncle, who was affectionately known as "Tio Pepe". It's ultra-dry, crisp and refreshing.

Note this is a half bottle (37.5cl)
Delicate and luxurious, this Manzanilla is truly superb. It's been aged in oak casks through 15 scales of the 'Solear' system of sherry-making.

Fino style Sherries age under a layer of “flor” (a naturally occurring layer of yeast that grows on top of the wine in the barrel); this ensures the wines do not oxidise as there is no exposure to the air. The cooler maritime microclimate of Sanlúcar ensures flor grows particularly thickly all year round producing these very fresh, tangy Manzanillas, unlike the more oxidised Finos aged in the inland town of Jerez, where the flor dies back in the winter and summer months.

Barbadillo’s Finos are more Manzanilla-like in style, but are aged in Bodegas with less exposure to the cooling sea breezes. The flor in the barrels grows vigorously in these cellars so the wine is a little more nutty and toasty than the more appley and yeasty Manzanillas of Sanlucar.

The benchmark Fino. Dry and supremely tangy, with incredible depth.

Barbadillo Pale Cream is a young Manzanilla that has been aged in American oak casks for three years in the Solera system. It is then blended with a sweet Moscatel wine and fortified to 17.5% before being fined, filtered and bottled.
Golden colour with a familiar Manzanilla and ripe sultana fruit nose. On the palate it is rich and pleasantly cloying with a long sweet finish.

This En Rama has a savoury, saline mineral character. It boasts ripe apple fruit alongside complexity from the 'flor' yeast aromas and a long delicate finish.

Mahigany colour with a walnut aroma. On the palate it is dry with pronounced nutty flavours that give way to a long, smooth finish

Nose: relatively close to a Fino in the sense that it shows similar chalky / yeasty notes and a pungent salinity. Maybe a little more delicate, with a lot of rounder notes as well: a little caramel and dried apricot. Hazelnuts and almonds. Hints of honey, old wood and subtle oak polish.

Mouth: very un-sweet of course, but it lacks the austerity that sometimes comes with dry Amontillado. Quite light with few flavours that really stand out. Orange peel. Almonds. Medium acidity. Some half-sweet notes in the background (think figs and citrus). Also a faint bitter edge of chestnuts.

Leonor Palo Cortado is the latest addition to the superior range. Aged for over 12 years it has fine aromas of wood, vanilla and almonds. The palate is nutty and perfectly integrated with a long finish.

NOSE
Coffee and dark chocolate.
PALATE
Very sweet with a super thick texture. Appealing almonds/amaretto character. Subtle taste of figs.
FINISH
Caramel and toffee. Long, thick, and mouth-coating.

Lustau’s Fino del Puerto has an intensely fruity character in its infancy with notes of ripe yellow apples, pears and white peach all present. In many ways it is more like white wine than a Sherry on the nose. The palate gives away its origins though; it is very pure with a savoury backbone. Delicate touches of dried apricot vie with a hint of marmite on the subtle, yet long finish

Very dry, light, crisp with a slightly salty flavour. Fresh and intriguing on the nose.

Pale straw colour, dry, light and smooth. This Fino is laced with scents of the sea and profound “flor” aromas. Clean and fresh, with a slight taste of tangy yeast.

Aromas of walnuts and coffee, with a palate of dried fruit and roasted coffee beans.

Very dark, very dry and very deeply flavoured. Great as an apéritif or just as a digéstif. The more adventurous will try it with rich food. Great with cheese.

Nose: a nutty, sweet expression. Salted caramel and hints of dried apricots. Honeydew melon, even some maple syrup. Toasted almonds, hazelnuts and golden raisins. Really elegant notes of polished oak and wax as well. Less spectacular than the Amontillado Cuatro Palmas for example, but definitely part of the same family.

Mouth: less powerful than you may think from the alcohol strength. Citrus, again a hint of toffee / peach sweetness. Light wood (cedar oak), nutty notes (walnuts) and a relatively soft salty tang. Cinnamon. Hints of leather. Long, nutty finish with more acidity and some heat from the alcohol.

Nose: toffee, chocolate and bags of dried figs, prunes and raisins. Hints of walnut liqueur and hazelnut cream. Coffee. Different kinds of precious woods, sandalwood to name just one. A distant echo of lemon peel too. Actually not too sweet and the complexity is really high.

Mouth: it’s Dulce alright, but actually I feel the balance between sweetness, acidity and herbal savouriness hits a sweet spot. Deep oaky notes again, leathery notes and dark chocolate. A certain heat as well, probably because of the many herbs and spices (cloves, soft pepper). Roasted nuts. Espresso. Some tangy lemon in the background.

A true dry amontillado. Dry but rich with complex notes of lime leaf, caramel and hazelnuts.

Nose: nicely balances the characteristics of Palo Cortado with Pedro Ximénez. There are dark, caramelized notes and molasses with a clear smoky side, but also more mineral and tangy notes. Nice tobacco. Orange peel. Saline hints. Toffee. Roasted almonds. Also quite a lot of peppery touches.

Mouth: same impressions, it’s full-bodied and off-dry, and provides plenty of spicy notes, chocolate coated nuts, figs and toffee. Then again there’s this tangy, salty note behind it, slightly muted by the Pedro Ximénez. Sweet Turkish coffee. Hints of bread crust. Hazelnuts and a whiff of smoke in the aftertaste.

The smooth and warming palate shows flavours of hazelnuts, prunes, cake spice and bitter chocolate with a long, slightly smoky finish.

Caramel and toffee with roasted hazelnuts and a touch of raisin sweetness. Rich, full and textured.

Sweet with essences of syrup-soaked figs and a lovely roasted finish.

Aromatic creamy oak and smoke nose which is full and lusty. Lovely, rich, intensely nutty and spicy with a luxurious texture, a hint of sweetness and juicy acidity on the finish. Very long, elegant and pure. Drink from 2010.

Palo Cortado from a single vineyard, the estate of Marchanudo. Mahogany coloured with copper tinges, delicate and pungent on the nose extremely elegant with reminiscences of old oak and naturally dry fruits. The taste is dry, rich in flavour, good acidity very complex, long and persistent, in perfect harmony with its aroma.