Events | We Love Tapas

Nights in the Gardens of the Royal Palace

July 15, 2016July 2, 2018 WeLoveTapas

Update: This year’s Noches en Los Jardines de Los Reales Alcazares run from June 14th to September 8th, 2017

Despite the heat there are lots of good reasons to come to Seville in the summer time, and plenty of things to see and do when you’ve finished lounging by the pool or sitting in pavement cafes with a cold drink watching the world go by. And it’s a particularly good time to be here if music in the open air and beautiful gardens are your thing, because from the 14th of July to the 30th of September the Alcázar Palace will be hosting the 19th edition of its annual summer season of concerts, Nights in the Gardens of the Royal Palace.

The setting could not be more perfect. The gardens of the Royal Palace are among the most beautiful in Spain, full of colour, fountains and shady grottoes and pavilions where the elite of Spanish society once amused themselves. The concerts themselves take place against the backdrop of the Wall or Gallery of Grotesques, a part of the old city wall whose upper part was converted into a covered walkway for viewing the gardens, and decorated with stones, shells and carvings. As night falls the air cools and the lights come on to magical effect.

The concerts feature top class performers, and a range of styles, classified under five headings to help you find what you’re looking for – flamenco, música antigua (old music), música clásica (classical music), músicas del mundo (music of the world), and other music. The full programme can be found here.

Tickets cost 6 euros at the box office in the apeadero of the Palace in the Patio de Banderas (open Mon-Fri 10.00-13.00 and 19.00-20.30), or 7 euros by telephone or online, and are available a week in advance. Entrance to the concerts, which start at 10.30 pm, is through the Puerta de la Alcoba, on the corner of Calle San Fernando and the Murillo Gardens, though the doors open at 9.00 pm, giving you time to enjoy the gardens before the concert.

The concerts are one of our favourite things to do in Seville during the summer, and if you’re here you should take the opportunity to enjoy an enchanted evening in the beautiful city of Seville.

Tío Pepe en Rama 2016

April 15, 2016April 27, 2016 WeLoveTapas

This year’s Bodegas Gonzales Byass tasting event for Tío Pepe en Rama 2016 was held on April 11th (lunes del pescaíto), at the Mercado del Barranco on Seville’s riverside. Although we weren’t too lucky with the weather, with the wind even knocking over a few glasses, master blender (and winemaker poet) Antonio Flores led us on a metaphorical sailing trip down the Guadalquivir river, from Sevilla to Jerez. As we listened to his accounts we sampled the three different sherry wines: Tio Pepe en Rama (fino), Viña AB (amontillado) and Leonor (palo cortado). When you pour the wine, close your eyes, smell the wine and then drink, it shows once again that sherry is not just another white wine, but has a strong connection to the south of Spain, its sunshine, the smell of the sea and the silence inside the bodega. The magic is always there, even when it is raining and the wind is blowing. Catering for the event was supplied by various stalls inside Mercado del Barranco.

Tío Pepe en Rama 2016 was first selected in October from 100 of the best casks from two of the oldest Tío Pepe soleras, Rebollo and Constancia, and finally bottled (16,000 in total) in April from the top 60 out of those initial 100 casks.

A wild unfiltered wine, with all its yeast and organic contribution. Yellow, pale, golden tones, cloudy (yeast in suspension). The nose is pure albariza, salinity, nuts, bakery aromas. Tasty, intense, long, salty and slightly bitter finish. Or as Antonio would say… el sol de Andalucía embotellado (bottled Andalusian sunshine).

You can order Tío Pepe en Rama 2016 from the Gonzalez Byass online store or (in Sevilla) buy it at El Corte Inglés Gourmet Experience Duque.

Antonio Flores with Aldara

Seville | Calvisius Caviar Tasting at Sea Market

April 7, 2016May 2, 2016 WeLoveTapas

We Love Tapas had the opportunity for a visit to the recently opened Sea Market restaurant in the Avenida Eduardo Dato in Seville. We had been invited to attend a tasting of one of the most highly regarded, but possibly least known products of the sea – caviar. The tasting was hosted by Calvisius Caviar, by Export Manager Sara Morales, who began by giving us a masterful tour through the history of caviar and the different kinds of caviar produced under their brand name, which come from various species of sturgeon, before going on to the tasting itself.

We tried four different kinds of caviar, each time being given just a few of the small black eggs that we had to put on the back of our hands until they were the perfect temperature. Then, while we rolled them around in our mouths, Sara explained all the flavours, textures and smells we were eperiencing! After each tasting we were served a perfectly chosen cava from Llopart, to pair with the particular caviar we were tasting.

It was a great introduction to the mysteries of caviar, but there was also a negative side to our experience at Sea Market. It is easy to be impressed when you visit the restaurant, as it is a very chic establishment: everything is what you would expect from a modern restaurant, with an aesthetic and atmosphere that many people are looking for.

But though these things are obviously important, it is also important to take care of other aspects of a business that serves the public, and we were disappointed with the standard of service we received. The serving staff appeared to be lacking in training in how to serve these particular delicacies, although this event must have been an important one for a new restaurant. Recognised brands like Calvisius and Llopart, and the various dishes the chef prepared for us during the tasting, definitely deserved better.