SHERRY
Sherry's
diverse styles make it suitable for a number of different occasions --
and sometimes challenging for even the most knowledgeable gourmet.
Even a lot of bartenders put it with the liqueurs, on the shelf above the cappuccino machine. Sherry is not a spirit. Sherry is a white wine. It needs to be kept chilled. And put it in a wine glass, not a cordial glass.
In a nutshell, sherry's lighter versions, fino and manzanilla, are aperitif wines or wines for light fish dishes, especially shellfish. Its medium-bodied versions, amontillado and palo cortado, go well with chicken, roasted pig, roasted veggies. Its fuller version, dry oloroso, is excellent with roasted red meats. Its dessert versions, sweet oloroso, moscatel and pedro ximinez, are some of the world's sweetest wines and can be served with chocolate cake or even poured over ice cream.
Sherry begins as a regular wine, made from southern Spain's acidic palomino fino grape. Then a natural film of yeast called flor (Spanish for flower) develops on it, protecting the aging wine from oxidization and creating its lighter styles. In other barrels, the formation of flor is revented, and these wines undergo the oxidization that creates fuller styles such as oloroso.
All sherries are fortified with grape brandy, from regular wine's 12 to 15 percent alcohol for lighter styles to 18 percent or more for the fullest styles.
All sherries age in a solera system, in tiers of barrels. Each year a percentage of sherry is drawn off from the oldest tier to sell, and sherry is drawn from younger barrels to refill the older ones. Thus every drop of sherry has at least a few molecules of wine from decades earlier, assuring consistency.
For the sweetest sherries, the super-sweet pedro ximinez grape is picked, allowed to dry almost to raisins in the sun, then added.
TYPES OF SHERRY
Fino -- Pale gold in color, this sherry is dry, light and suitable for pairing
with tapas as well as light meats, cheese, and seafood.
Manzanilla-- Similar in style, color and food pairings
to Fino, Manzanilla should be served chilled.
Cream-- Rich and sweet with a dark mahogany color, cream
sherry is an ideal accompaniment to many desserts.
Oloroso -- Fragrant, full-boded
and amber to mahogany in color, this sherry makes an excellent
aperitif and is good served with game and red meats. Medium-sweet,
it can also be served with dessert, nuts and fresh fruit.
Pale
Cream -- Smooth-tasting
and pale in color, this sweet sherry pairs well with foie
gras and fruit salad.
Amontillado -- Amber-colored, dry and full-bodied, Amontillado is an ideal partner
for heavier fish dishes, older cheeses and white meats.
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