Williams and Humbert Alegria Manzanilla Sherry NV - Half Bottle 375ml

***2013 IWC Gold, 2013 IWC Trophy, 2013 IWSC Silver, 2013 Decanter Bronze***

Paola Medina Sheldon. The name might not sit at the front of your mind, although we're not sure if she's ever surfaced from her studies long enough to introduce herself.

She's the Head Winemaker at Williams and Humbert, a post she took up after obtaining separate degrees in Chemistry and Oenology, and Masters' degrees in Viticulture, Oenology and Legislation. Blimey, our Woodwork 'O' Level certificate can come off the wall now!

We think she's just about qualified to make this elegant, nutty and salt-tinged Manzanilla. And she'd more than likely be able to take you to the cleaners if you disagreed.

Williams and Humbert was established in Jerez in 1877 by two Englishmen and has now become an international brand. The pair were active in setting up Sherry's Denominacion de Origen in the 1930s, which also happened to be the first DO in Spain. The company has been owned by the Medina family since the 1960s and now controls some 12,000 hectares.

The winery is situated in the triangle formed by the cities of Jerez da la Frontera, El Puerto do Santa Maria and Sanlûcar de Barrameda. The two rivers in the triangle, the Guadalquivir and the Guadalete, give the area its own individual microclimate.

Initial fermentation takes place at 22C, the wine being fortified with distilled wines at 15C. It passes through a traditional Solera system of oak casks for six years. By law, this ageing must take place in a winery located in Sanlûcar de Barrameda, as the town's unique microclimate gives the finished wine its distinctive salty tang. Winemaker Paola Medina Sheldon is part of the second generation of the Medina family. A native of Seville, she has a degree in Chemistry from the University of Granada, another in Oenology from the University of Cadiz and a Masters in Viticulture, Oenology and Legislation from the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

A gleaming gold colour, a fulsome nose with a suggestion of yeast and a touch of almond on the dry and salt-tinged palate. Full-bodied yet elegant, with a surprisingly long finish.