We have discovered exceptional sherry vinegar, unique in its composition and its lineage. It is made of Palomino grapes in Sanlúcar de Barrameda -- the exclusive source of light, dry Manzanilla sherry -- the favorite of aficionados throughout the world.
If you normally use one of the variety of “balsamic” wine vinegars, or cider vinegar, you will be delighted with this new dimension you will add to your cuisine.
It has a bright zesty flavor, which is perfect for salads, and vinaigrette dressings. It adds depth to soups and stews. Its commanding 7% acidity means that a little bit provides a huge amount of rich flavor.
This exquisite Pedro Romero 'Prestige' Reserva Manzanilla Sherry Vinegar comes from a long history of fine sherry vinegars stretching back for generations within one of the original families who liberated the area from the Moors in the 15th Century. It is made via the Solera process where the mother vinegar is strengthened and refreshed each year by integrating new generations of vinegar into the ancient base.
Over the years, the Valdespino family earned the reputation for producing superlative sherry vinegar fermented in individual 500-liter oak casks. After the fermentation had completely run its course and cold weather set in, family members tasted each cask to make a selection.
Rather than adjusting the acidity in the casks by adding neutral brandy as a short cut, they followed the traditional method of letting the fermentation continue until it naturally reached its conclusion. The result was fabled vinegar with hundreds of years of history.
Recently the Pedro Romero family purchased the venerable Valdespino holdings, and added these fabled barrels to their own highly valued collection. They preserved its continuity by retaining the precious “mother” vinegar in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, to produce this exquisite Pedro Romero "Prestige" Reserva Manzanilla Sherry Vinegar.
Manzanilla vinegars from Sanlúcar de Barrameda have always been coveted in Europe: In the fifteenth century, the Dukes of Medina Sidonia had a close relationship with Britain, so much, so that one of the most important streets of Sanlúcar still retains its name from "Bretones".
In the sixteenth century, the Hapsburg Emperor Charles V (Carlos I of Spain), sent Sanlúcar vinegars to Rome and the leading European Courts of France, England, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Poland.
