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20th April 2009 2 Comments
There’s been a strong reaction to the doom and gloom just-drinks.com story I mentioned in my last post.
Jeremy Rockett, Marketing Director at Gonzalez Byass UK, kindly commented on my post about this, and on the just-drinks site MD Martin Skelton wrote this:“We are very disappointed with the misleading headline and how Jeremy Rockett, Marketing Director at Gonzalez Byass with over 10 years experience (and passion) for the sherry category, has been unfairly quoted and out of context.Contrary to the angle taken in the article, we invest significantly in ensuring the success of the category by educating a younger audience to its merits as a modern, relevant drink. As quoted, the need is not for lots of product innovation, as we believe we have a strong portfolio, but for innovative category and brand support that focuses on our brand strengths. In doing so we have very successfully recruited new consumers to Tio Pepe and Croft.”On matters Gonzalez Byass, I wonder how many of you have seen the new-ish Tio Pepe website for the UK? What do you think?I know it won’t be Catavino’s cup of tea – nowhere for a conversation… -
23rd January 2008 No Comments
It’s been a while. Many apologies! From now on I hope to post more often than every second year.
Something I have been wanting to do for a while is side-by-side tastings of sherries from the same styles. Today it’s the turn of Finos: Tio Pepe by Gonzalez Byass has to be the best know Fino around. La Ina by Pedro Domecq soon to be by Osborne (the brand was recently sold by Pernod Ricard to Osborne) is probably not as wide-spread as Tio Pepe, but here in Jerez they are friendly rivals. Most little bars in town are either a La Ina establishment or are for Tio Pepe.
I bought half-bottles of these two wines. The half-bottle has to be the ideal format for Fino, especially when sitting outside in a sunny spot (where one should always try to be when drinking Fino), the wine doesn’t really have time to warm up before the bottle is empty. If the bottle is not finished in one sitting, then it should be easy to do so before it goes stale.
Both these wines had a very pale golden colour, La Ina with perhaps a touch more colour. Tio Pepe’s aroma was slightly more punchy than La Ina’s, but on the nose both had clean, pronounced, yeasty, flor aromas. Tio Pepe seemed just a tiny bit fruitier, with hints of green apple while La Ina had a more savoury edge. On the finish La Ina went on for a bit longer.
To be honest there was not much in it. Either would have done for me.
I wonder if there is not more difference within bottles of these wines than between them?
