Over the weekend we had a lovely Spanish themed dinner party, and served this great fino with Tapas in our backyard. We paired it with peppers that I had stuffed with a paprika aioli- tuna filling, smoked almonds, olives and oloroso mushrooms. This bone dry, full bodied fino went fantastically well with the food and showed off a salt air brininess as well as a haunting apple hint of fruit. When we sat down for the main course- paella heavy on the chorizo, the Obregon surprised me with its flexibility. Although its unyielding dryness might come as a shock to the uninitiated, fans of the best of the world of wine owe it to themselves to taste this example of affordable greatness.

Strongly redolent of smoky, toasted nuts with a brisk, saline edge this Fino Sherry is a joy. The concentration and breadth of the wine's nose clearly reveal why Lustau chose to offer this Sherry unblended as part of its Almacenista line - to preserve its distinctive character. The palate offers a gentle texture with spicy, tangy, savory flavors of surprising length and delicacy that will leave your mouth watering. This can do double duty as either a killer aperitif wine or a dry white for the dinner table when paired with seafood. Incidentally, you may well wonder what the 1/143 on the bottom of the wine's label denotes. Clearing up that little bit of arcana is this, from Lustau's website: "The number of butts forming a Solera, or fully mature wine, of each individual Almacenista Sherry is also indicated on the label i.e.1/10 means that the wine originates from a Solera of ten butts."