Fernando de Castilla Classic Manzanilla

Fernando de Castilla Classic Manzanilla comes from Rey Fernando de Castilla, a house based in central Jerez de la Frontera that runs both a young Classic range and an old Antique range. This is a Manzanilla, made from Palomino Fino and aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic coast. The location matters. Sanlúcar's cool, humid sea breezes keep the flor yeast thick and active all year, so the veil is more continuous than inland Jerez and the wine takes on a sharper saline, chamomile character. The grapes grow on albariza chalk, which stores moisture and ripens Palomino at modest sugar. After fermentation the wine is fortified to around 15 percent and run through the criaderas and soleras for about three years under flor, which shields it from oxygen and shapes its fresh, bready style. The colour is straw-yellow with greenish glints, the nose sharply aromatic and dominated by yeast, the palate bone dry, light and saline with a clean finish. Serve well chilled at 6 to 8 degrees, freshly opened, as an aperitif or with seafood.