Bodegas El Maestro Sierra, Pedro Ximenez

Raisins, Spice, Caramel

The grapes are harvested overripe and then are dried under direct sunlight for about fifteen days. The pressing is difficult and the must’s sugar content is as high as 300 grams per litre. It then starts a slow fermentation process and is fortified up to 10%. During the Autumn and Winter months the wine is clarified and further fortified up to 15%, then matured for five years in a solera system. Although sweet this is not to cloying. Great with cheese or poured over ice cream or just a dessert in a glass.

Notes on the producer

These are wines made in super old barrels, moved using manual siphoning, settled by time, bottled unfiltered and unsulphured. The labels feature a fox being chased by a hunt, which Ana from the bodega says represents Maestro Sierra being chased by the larger sherry houses. Some of their practices (and the resulting wines) sit outside the normal rules for sherry, but the Consejo Regulador recognises the unique nature of the wines and grants them exceptions. The classic range of Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Amoroso, and PX are all incredibly good.