Près des remparts de Sévillechez mon ami Lillas Pastia,j'irai danser la seguedilleet boire du Manzanilla,j'irai chez mon ami Lillas Pastia
There are 2 famous arias in Act one for Carmen, the first is the famous Habanera, and the passage above comes from the beginning of the second aria. Carmen was telling Don Jose how she would like to have a good time - by going to the tavern owned by her friend Lillas Pastia, dancing the Seguidilla and having a glass or two of Manzanilla.
Manzanilla is a sherry matured in the sea port of Sanlucar de Barrameda, which gives a salty tang to the finished wine. I recall my first encounter with a half bottle of Manzanilla in Forest Hill, South London. It was the late 1980s and Sainsbury had just introduced a line of fine dry sherries in half bottles. I took a sip and it was a fine fino-type aperitif .... till I swallowed it. Wow, I smelt the tang of salt on the sea breeze, except that I was nowhere near the sea! Now I felt cheated if that experience wasn't replicated by the manzanilla I'm drinking. (Then again, my flat is by the sea now.) I haven't tried this particular wine, but I'm sure it's a fine example of its genre. Now what did Carmen have for nibbles? Tapas, I presume, but that's for a food blog!
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