{"id":12753,"date":"2024-03-30T16:36:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-30T16:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/?p=12753"},"modified":"2024-03-30T16:36:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T16:36:23","slug":"a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/","title":{"rendered":"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_flex valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><time class=\"w-post-elm post_date entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00\" title=\"30 March 2024 at 16:36:23 Europe\/London\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">2 years ago<\/time><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h2 class=\"w-post-elm post_title entry-title color_link_inherit\">A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass<\/h2><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p>Escarcega, Christmas 2023.<\/p>\n<p>In the small town of Escarcega in the Mexican state of Campeche, Christmas unfolded with a delightful blend of tradition and diversity. As we gathered around the table with the family of my partner, we could admire the choice of spirits reflecting eclectic tastes and regional influences.<\/p>\n<p>From the smoky richness of the Mezcals from Michoacan and Oaxaca, the smooth allure of the best Tequilas, to the vibrant notes of Baja California wines, all these drinks were brought by family members scattered throughout the Mexican territory.<\/p>\n<p>Amidst these familiar favorites, a newcomer stole the spotlight: a Sotol from Chihuahua, in the north of the country! A tasty liquid that I had discovered in the past thanks to OWC\u2019s Tom Brady during his legendary Mexican Spirits Tasting.<\/p>\n<p>To my surprise and for your information, we have a wonderful Sotol on our shop shelves, from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.oxfordwine.co.uk\/products\/la-higuera-dasylirion-wheeleri-sotol\">La Higuera<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>La Higuera<\/strong> is a range of sotol, the traditional spirit of Northern Mexico, made in the town of Aldama at the heart of the sotol region by Gerardo Ruelas \u2013 a fifth generation Sotol producer.<\/p>\n<p><u>But is Sotol made from agave?<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Not! It comes from a plant which looks like agave but is more closely related to a succulent, very similar to the Yucca plant called Desert Spoon. Dasylirion wheeleri (scientific name) is still primarily harvested in the wild. Throughout a plant\u2019s lifetime, it will produce several tall, flowering stalks, which drop seeds that are carried by the wind.<\/p>\n<p><u>How is it made?<\/u><\/p>\n<p>The process for making sotol is remarkably like how mezcal is made. Once the pi\u00f1as are harvested, at the <em>vinata<\/em> (sotol distillery), the <em>sotolero<\/em> (sotol distiller), digs a pit in the ground. There, the plant is roasted in a conical oven, fuelled by whatever type of firewood grows nearby. It cooks for three to four days, after which the softened plant matter is milled into pulp and pressed to extract the sweet sap, the starches having been converted into fermentable sugars. The cooked pi\u00f1as are then crushed, and the extracted juice is fermented using natural, wild yeasts. And while you produce six to eight litres of Mezcal\/Tequila per pi\u00f1a, it\u2019s only one litre of Sotol that you can produce from the desert spoon heart!<\/p>\n<p>After fermentation, the liquid is distilled at least once, sometimes multiple times, in copper stills. This distillation process helps to purify the spirit and enhance its flavour profile. To achieve the desired alcohol level (typically around 50% ABV), <em>sotoleros<\/em> pass the liquid through a cow horn multiple times to examine the \u201cpearls\u201d or tiny bubbles that appear. An ancestral process which is similar to my experience with my friends <em>mezcaleros <\/em>back in Napizaro, Michoacan (blog coming soon).<\/p>\n<p><u>But how does it taste?<\/u><\/p>\n<p>I could say that the <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.oxfordwine.co.uk\/products\/la-higuera-dasylirion-wheeleri-sotol\"><strong>Sotol La Higuera<\/strong><\/a> from the <u>sotolero<\/u> Gerardo Ruela sits between a good earthy Tequila and a delicious smoky Mezcal. A spirit with an earthy, vegetal character but with a rounded sweetness on the palate, very mineral, almost citrusy. Absolutely fantastic!<\/p>\n<p>And to enjoy this Sotol at his best, here is a banger of a cocktail that you could make with products supplied by the Oxford Wine Company:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Naked In the Desert<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>INGREDIENTS<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>25ml <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.oxfordwine.co.uk\/products\/la-higuera-dasylirion-wheeleri-sotol\">Sotol La Higuera Dasylirion Wheeleri<\/a><\/li>\n<li>25ml Aperol<\/li>\n<li>25ml <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.oxfordwine.co.uk\/products\/chartreuse-yellow\">Yellow Chartreuse<\/a><\/li>\n<li>25ml Fresh Lime Juice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>DIRECTIONS<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice.<\/li>\n<li>Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.<\/li>\n<li>Garnish with a grapefruit twist and six drops of Angostura bitters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Thanks for reading this blog, Disfruta la bebida, \u00a1y hasta pronto amigos!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_small\"><\/div><div class=\"w-post-elm post_author vcard author color_link_inherit with_ava avapos_top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/author\/owcromain\/\" class=\"fn\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><div class=\"post-author-ava\" style=\"font-size:96px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"96\" height=\"96\" src=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-96x96.png\" class=\"avatar avatar-96 photo\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-96x96.png 96w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-350x350.png 350w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-24x24.png 24w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-48x48.png 48w, https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/div><\/a><div class=\"post-author-meta\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/author\/owcromain\/\" class=\"post-author-name fn\">Romain Alaphilippe<\/a><div class=\"post-author-posts\">12 posts<\/div><div class=\"post-author-info\">Romain has serious wine pedigree, being born in Champagne and having spent much of his life living in Languedoc-Roussillon. His family are still based in France \u2013 Cognac to be precise \u2013 and he visits them there regularly. Romain moved to Oxford for some new experiences, and built a career in hospitality, learning all the basics from a French chef. After several years working in some of Oxford\u2019s most highly regarded restaurants and bars, Romain decided it was time for a change and came to us at OWC in early 2024. His enthusiasm for wine and spirits is infectious \u2013 of course for the wines of the Languedoc, but he also particularly loves Italian wines and Mexican Mezcal. Romain holds WSET Level Two in wines, and is about to commence his WSET Level Three studies.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2 years agoA spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glassEscarcega, Christmas 2023. In the small town of Escarcega in the Mexican state of Campeche, Christmas unfolded with a...","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":12754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oxford_wine_blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass - Oxford Wine Company<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass - Oxford Wine Company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oxford Wine Company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theoxfordwinecompany\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Romain Alaphilippe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheOxfordWineCo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheOxfordWineCo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Romain Alaphilippe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Romain Alaphilippe\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/person\/d4116fc696e240a0148f670cefc7e452\"},\"headline\":\"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\"},\"wordCount\":647,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Oxford Wine Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\",\"name\":\"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass - Oxford Wine Company\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"An image of a bottle of La Higuera Sotol overlain on an image of an agave plant.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/\",\"name\":\"Oxford Wine Company\",\"description\":\"Wine &amp; Spirits Merchants\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Oxford Wine Company\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/owc-logo-blue.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/owc-logo-blue.png\",\"width\":250,\"height\":250,\"caption\":\"Oxford Wine Company\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theoxfordwinecompany\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheOxfordWineCo\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theoxfordwinecompany\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/person\/d4116fc696e240a0148f670cefc7e452\",\"name\":\"Romain Alaphilippe\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Romain Alaphilippe\"},\"description\":\"Romain has serious wine pedigree, being born in Champagne and having spent much of his life living in Languedoc-Roussillon. His family are still based in France \u2013 Cognac to be precise \u2013 and he visits them there regularly. Romain moved to Oxford for some new experiences, and built a career in hospitality, learning all the basics from a French chef. After several years working in some of Oxford\u2019s most highly regarded restaurants and bars, Romain decided it was time for a change and came to us at OWC in early 2024. His enthusiasm for wine and spirits is infectious \u2013 of course for the wines of the Languedoc, but he also particularly loves Italian wines and Mexican Mezcal. Romain holds WSET Level Two in wines, and is about to commence his WSET Level Three studies.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/author\/owcromain\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass - Oxford Wine Company","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass - Oxford Wine Company","og_url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/","og_site_name":"Oxford Wine Company","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theoxfordwinecompany","article_published_time":"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Romain Alaphilippe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TheOxfordWineCo","twitter_site":"@TheOxfordWineCo","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Romain Alaphilippe","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/"},"author":{"name":"Romain Alaphilippe","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/person\/d4116fc696e240a0148f670cefc7e452"},"headline":"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass","datePublished":"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/"},"wordCount":647,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png","articleSection":["Oxford Wine Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/","name":"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass - Oxford Wine Company","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png","datePublished":"2024-03-30T16:36:23+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Romain-Blog-Images-1.png","width":1080,"height":1080,"caption":"An image of a bottle of La Higuera Sotol overlain on an image of an agave plant."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/a-spoon-in-the-desert-a-sotol-in-my-glass\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A spoon in the desert, a Sotol in my glass"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#website","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/","name":"Oxford Wine Company","description":"Wine &amp; Spirits Merchants","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#organization","name":"Oxford Wine Company","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/owc-logo-blue.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/owc-logo-blue.png","width":250,"height":250,"caption":"Oxford Wine Company"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theoxfordwinecompany","https:\/\/x.com\/TheOxfordWineCo","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theoxfordwinecompany\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/person\/d4116fc696e240a0148f670cefc7e452","name":"Romain Alaphilippe","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Staff-photos-colour-17-96x96.png","caption":"Romain Alaphilippe"},"description":"Romain has serious wine pedigree, being born in Champagne and having spent much of his life living in Languedoc-Roussillon. His family are still based in France \u2013 Cognac to be precise \u2013 and he visits them there regularly. Romain moved to Oxford for some new experiences, and built a career in hospitality, learning all the basics from a French chef. After several years working in some of Oxford\u2019s most highly regarded restaurants and bars, Romain decided it was time for a change and came to us at OWC in early 2024. His enthusiasm for wine and spirits is infectious \u2013 of course for the wines of the Languedoc, but he also particularly loves Italian wines and Mexican Mezcal. Romain holds WSET Level Two in wines, and is about to commence his WSET Level Three studies.","url":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/author\/owcromain\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12753"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12755,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12753\/revisions\/12755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordwine.co.uk\/owc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}