Wine of the week

A glass of Manzanilla Pasada has Bill Bolloten reflecting on just how rewarding it is to be part of Club Contubernio.

Manzanilla Viruta (Bodegas Argüeso)

DO Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda

ABV: 15%

Variety: 100% Palomino

€18.00 50 cl from Club Contubernio (members only)

Just to be clear, I’m not trying to promote any particular wine subscription club here. But opening this marvellous Manzanilla Pasada, bottled en rama, was a perfect reminder of why I'm so glad to be a member of Club Contubernio.

It unashamedly does what it says on the tin: “the club for lovers of wines from the Marco de Jerez.”

Members receive a shipment of six distinct bottles three times a year. The selections focus primarily on wines from the Sherry region, with occasional treasures from Montilla-Moriles and elsewhere. Many are unreleased or limited-edition bottles, often impossible to find anywhere else.

Manzanilla Viruta is a special edition drawn from the old Viruta solera in Argüeso’s beautiful San León bodega, and it is bottled unfiltered exclusively for Contubernio subscribers.

Bodegas Argüeso, Calle Mar, Sanlúcar de Barrameda

With an average of ten years of ageing under flor, this is a remarkably complex Manzanilla. Classic notes of yeast, dough and almonds are present, but it’s the wine’s balance and elegance that truly stand out. Subtle oxidative nuances add depth, and the finish is long, rich and delicately bitter.

Drinking Manzanilla Viruta felt like being let in on a secret—something quietly profound and deeply rooted in its origin and identity. It’s the kind of wine that makes you pause and feel genuinely lucky to have stumbled across. And for me, that’s exactly what Club Contubernio offers: not just rare bottles, but a sense of connection to a world I never want to stop exploring.