MANZANILLA

This year’s En Rama release of the legendary Manzanilla La Gitana beats last year’s, and I could have sworn last year that the bar could never have been lifted any higher! Of course, this means that this twenty-pound wine is the second-best value ‘perfect 20/20-scoring’ wine on the planet (after Hidalgo’s very own Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana). You must buy both, as while they share undeniable DNA, they perform entirely different duties. My featured En Rama is the benchmark fortified-wine-style aperitif, while Pasada Pastrana is the finest, elite tapas accompaniment on earth! En Rama sherries are made from ‘free run’ juice and only use natural yeasts for fermentation. This means they are the most honest, elemental, and sharply tangy of all styles of bone-dry sherry. They are bottled without filtration or fining – which means you are drinking this invigorating elixir ‘directly from the barrel’ via the medium of its bottle, which, if you play your cards right, is only a mere messenger for this wine given it holds it for only a month or so between the winery and your glass. Be sure to seek out this limited-release 2025 bottling because it is smoother, creamier and more magical than ever before. It is safe to say I have never tasted a more electrifying En Rama in my life! Do not miss out on this legendary wine! Rating: 20 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2025)