Important Reminders

Ben Howkins - That most readable of wine wordsmiths, Johnny Ray of the Spectator, caught my eye (again) last month. Empty wine bottles were the subject. Recycling was the context. Putting on a different spin, as it were, I used to jettison the bottle straight into the blue topped recycling bin, but such was the explosive crescendo of […] Read more >>

It’s ‘En Rama’ Time!

Ben Howkins - Hands up all those who have enjoyed a copita or two of sherry in the last 24 hours? Good. One hand up if you have a glass of fino or manzanilla in your hand now? Enjoy. Hands up all those who are enjoying finer, older, aged, more sensual sherries than your usual tipple? Excellent. Social […] Read more >>

Never Wait for that Special Occasion

Ben Howkins - I don’t know about you, but in my wine cellar, there are certain bottles of wine that have multi scuffed back labels. These tend to be my older, finer wines. Wines that I earmark for ‘that special occasion’. They have become friends over the years, gently reposing in my wine rack until smilingly disturbed by […] Read more >>

Eat, Drink and Be Sherry No 5

Ben Howkins - Firstly, I do hope that you and yours are safe and sound amidst this surreal turmoil in which we all find ourselves. Although this is not the time for socializing as such, it may prove to be a time of prolonged reflection and relaxation that we never really expected to benefit from. How to make […] Read more >>

Eat, Drink and Be Sherry No 4

Ben Howkins - There is usually a valid historical reason why some wine regions in Europe produce sparkling or fortified wines, or indeed spirits, instead of regular wine styles. In most cases it is because the ensuing wine is not very good. Champagne’s grapes are well known – predominantly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – but not enough sun […] Read more >>

Ben Howkins Takes a ‘Real’ Look at Sherry

Ben Howkins - The prefix ‘Royal’, or ‘Real’ in Spanish, assumes a certain status, especially when it refers to a sport, as in the ‘Real Madrid’ football team. The same can be said about those fortunate wine producers or wine merchants who can respectfully boast a ‘Royal Appointment’ tag onto their business. The three best known ‘Royal Appointment’ […] Read more >>

WINTER SHERRY

Ben Howkins - BREAKING NEWS: after several decades of ‘A glass of white wine please,’ and ‘Would you like a glass of white wine?’, it has finally dawned on many of us that actually we are fed up with the ubiquitous offer of the daily white wine ritual. So often unfulfilling; so often yesterday. Which region? What price? […] Read more >>

EAT, DRINK AND BE SHERRY NO 4

Ben Howkins - Sherry, Understood, Enjoyed, Celebrated! Fresh from two weeks in the California sun, where I was wearing my Last Drop Distillers (‘seekers of rare, old, exceptional spirits’) hat, I plunged into the UK October autumnal weather with a feeling of huge excitement. Read more >>