| There's more to Sherry.... | | Print | |
| Written by our resident Wine Expert Kelly-Anne Norrington |
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What comes to mind when you think of Sherry? Unfortunately, for many people, its old ladies drinking sweet sherry out of old fashioned thimble glasses. This is a long way from the image that the drink has been trying to create for itself. Lots of top chefs have been trying to convince people of the versatile nature of the drink, but it seems they are still a long way from achieving this goal. I personally was one of the people who couldn’t quite see the attraction, up until a couple of years ago, when I was blessed with a trip to Sherry country. I am very pleased to say my mind was changed! Sherry is very much about the circumstances in which it is drunk, and with such variety, from bone dry with a salty edge to dark and sweet, there is something for everyone to like. Starting with Manzanilla, this sherry is produced in Sanlucar de Barrameda and is a dry Moving onto Amontillado, this wine can either be dry or made to a medium dry style. The medium dry style of this wine tends to be more common in the UK. It has a rich nutty flavour, layered with hints of dried fruit. Serve, as with all sherries, out of a copita glass. This is a tulip shaped glass with a slightly narrower top which concentrates the fabulous aromas. Smoked almonds and olives pair perfectly with this style to make for a perfect aperitif. Now for PX, or Pedro Ximenez, which is both the name of a grape and the wine it produces. The grapes for this wine are dried to give a deep concentrated sweetness. It is like blended up Christmas cake full of dried fruit and molasses. Use it as you would a dessert wine and put it with rich heavy puddings. Or as an alternative pour some over good ice cream. In Spain we had this over rum and raisin ice cream and it was fantastic, I have recommended this to lots of people and it has always come back as a winner. These are only a few of the styles of sherry available on the market, ranging from very dry to luscious and sweet, but I hope it shows what a versatile wine it is and maybe goes some way towards taking away its tired image. About Kelly-Anne:- After graduating from the University of East Anglia with a Business Management degree, I chose to take up a trainee position with a wine merchant. I loved the idea of being involved with such an interesting and exciting product. I have been working for the same company now for six years and have been a manager with them for three.
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sherry with a salty finish, reflecting its coastal location. It begins life as a Fino sherry, however due to its ageing in Sanlucar and the fact that the flor (yeast which covers the top of the wine when it’s in cask) continues to grow all year round, it develops different characteristics. Fresh and with crunchy green apple flavours this sherry makes for a fantastic aperitif, but I think it really comes into its own when you pair it up with the amazing tapas you find in the local bars. The menus are full of mouth watering seafood dishes, one of my favourites being clams in amazing garlic butter - the Manzanilla really cuts through the richness of the butter. Serve this wine chilled and remember that once the bottle is opened it will start to lose its freshness so don't keep it hanging around in the fridge.
Sherry