A guide to drinking Sherry
Sherry is seeing a resurgence of late – for good reason. These Spanish fortified wines are of great complexity and, given the amount of aging involved, often sell for a song. We’ll never fully understand why sherry was out of fashion for so long, though we suspect a misunderstanding of its myriad intricacies may be part of the problem.
Sherry is so very often dry. Non-sherry drinkers may think most sherries taste like Grandma’s Harveys Bristol Cream. Nope. The majority of sherry, most of it made from the palomino grape, is bone dry, at times even slightly bitter. Sweet sherry tends to be made from Pedro Ximénez (PX) and moscatel grapes.
Sherry is so very good at getting you flor-ed. Fino sherry is aged under a cap of protective, naturally occurring, indigenous yeast called flor that imparts distinctive bread-y notes and slows the aging process by restricting oxygen exposure. Amontillado and palo cortado sherries also can spend time under flor during their maturation. Conditions in the Sherry Triangle, in southern Spain, are particularly conducive to the formation of flor, making the wine exclusive to that region of the world.
Sherry is so very aromatically complex. However, don’t look for fresh fruit aromas. Instead, expect brine, yeast and citrus peel in finos; more nut, dried fruit and mushroom in Amontillados; even more dried fruit, nut and mushroom plus toffee in olorosos; and date, prune and iron in PX.
Sherry is so very good at history. Sherry is aged in a solera system, which is a series of barrels, each containing wine of a different age. Over time, younger wine is moved into barrels containing older wine where it continues to age. Wine makes its way through the solera and eventually is bottled from the last barrel. Given that no barrel in a solera is completely drained and that some soleras are very (100 years!) old, drinkers may have a fraction of wine older than them in their very affordable copita of oloroso.
Sherry is so very elementary. Looking to take your first dip into the world of sherry? Try the manzanilla sherry La Cigarrera. Manzanilla, made only in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the lightest style of sherry. This wine is briny and nutty with a refreshing, ocean-breeze snap. It’s perfect to pair with Marcona almonds, oysters and sushi of all kinds.
Sherry is so very versatile:
Tongue & Cheek
Courtesy of Lauren Blake-Parseliti
1 serving
2 oz. fino sherry
½ oz. Benedictine
½ tsp. cherry jam
2½ oz. Baron de Bréban brut rosé
Lemon twist for garnish
• Shake the first three ingredients with ice. Double strain into a Champagne flute. Top with the brut rosé. Garnish with the lemon twist.
