Nobody Expects Spanish Brandy

All that glitters is not Cognac or Armagnac.

Heading down for the weekend we are planning on visiting La Cetto, Chateau Camou, Casa Pedro Domecq, Monte Xanic, and Bodegas Santo Tomas. Did I miss any good Botique wineries? Also we are having dinner at Laja on Friday night,...

The Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa (avail. at the LCBO) is an awsome wine for it’s price; dry, yes, but quite aromatic. Last year, I tried the Pedro Domecq 51-1A Amontillado which was one of the best “wine” that I...

they could get at least get the big production Cetto’s or Pedro Domecqs. The Duck Breast in Guasmole was tasty...but the Duck (Free Range Midwestern) was a little tough even though it was Medium Rare... I think they should...

and stultifyingly rich desserts that sink directly to the hips. Yet, the nutty and burnt toffee flavors made it a fine match with the gooey, sticky, sweet and stultifyingly rich Domecq “Venerable” Pedro Ximenez Sherry....

Maybe it was Pedro Domecq's XA cabernet sauvignon. It’s inexpensive but generally quite smooth and delicious. Link: http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

of black walnuts — Sibarita is one of the best, made by Pedro Domecq. The dessert PX sherry is sinfully delicious.

of brands like Hidalgo, Gonzales Byass, Montilla, Domecq, or Lustau; all brands that are fairly easy to get in the US. What kind of sherry are you interested in? They run the gamut from bone dry to syrupy sweet and anywhere in...

, the wine must always be sweeter than the dessert. Muscat isn’t sweet enough and does not have enough backbone, or intensity, to match the dessert. What would be fun are the caramel and nuttiness from a Madeira (Malmsey...

Don’t forget about Spain. Pedro de Domecq, Fundadores (sp) come to mind. 'Course, if you want to be cooler than your friends, go the Inca Pisco route. Pisco is a Peruvian brandy unlike any made elsewhere in the world. "...

Go to Spain. Visit Jerez. Spend a day at bodegas Gonzalez Byass and Pedro Domecq. Fall in love with Fino. Drive to Sanlucar and fall in love with Manzanilla. Come home and pine for the day you can return.

I still don’t have the answer I need on shelf life of an open bottle of Sherry. I have a Lustau Solera Reserva Pedro Ximenez San Emilio and have no idea — again, a rookie — if it is a Fino, Manzanilla or...