A thimbleful of sherry
Sherry has long been a favored drink of the British; Shakespeare extolled its virtues. And no, the cheap stuff labeled “cooking sherry” bears no relation to the fabled wines from Spain.
True sherry comes from the Jerez region in the south of Spain, the “sherry triangle” that can be drawn from the towns of Jerez de la Frontera to El Puerto de Santa Maria to Sanlucar de Barrameda. In the same way that wines labeled “Napa” need to come from grapes of the Napa Valley, and only sparkling wines made from grapes of the Champagne region of France can be rightly called Champagne, sherry can only be made here, in this tiny region, where the Phoenicians landed and planted grapes around 1100 B.C. They called the area Sherish. The Moors arriving in 711 A.D. named it Jerez, and the British made their own version of the word when they discovered the wines of Jerez, calling them sherry.
The wines of Jerez vary from pale dry fino to the decadently rich pedro ximénez dessert wines. What they have in common is that they are made from grapes grown in the triangle, the palomino and pedro ximénez varietals (and to a lesser extent, moscatel) that grow in the chalky white albariza soil. They are farmed by methods that allow no irrigation (“What we have comes from God,” one Jerez vintner says), subject to the fierce winds that blow in from both east and west, and produced by the solera method of aging, which stacks wine barrels according to age and blends in wine from level to level, year to year.
These wines were fortified with alcohol to ensure stability as they were shipped around the world (especially to the fan base in Britain), but what gives them their unique character—as well as their rich diversity—is the flor, an oxygen-proof, protective layer of yeast that grows spontaneously in the Jerez region and develops on the surface of the wine after fermentation. Wine aged under an undisturbed, unbroken flor becomes the pale, ultra dry fino (and the manzanilla made in Sanlucar) but with varying degrees of flor, the palomino grape also produces amontillado, olorosa and the more rare paola cortado sherries that range in color and degrees of sweetness.
The best way to get acquainted with the wines of Jerez is undoubtedly to travel to this fascinating region that is rich in tradition and generous in hospitality, home to flamenco dancing and to some of the most beautiful horses in the world. There you can visit the traditional bodegas where the sherry is aged.
Closer to home, dry sherries are turning up on more and more menus in restaurants. Zuzu in Napa, which serves Spanish tapas, has a considerable list of sherries. It’s also on the wine list at Mustard’s Grill in Yountville—a fino there turns a relatively simple salad into a terrific meal.
In a separate group, the sherry made from the pedro ximénex grape, which are first dried in the sun, is a luscious, raisin-scented dessert wine. A glass can be a dessert in itself, but spooned over ice cream or a flan, it transforms it delectably.
Pedro ximénez wines blended with olorosa result in cream sherry, a sweet, velvety drink. Harvey’s Bristol Cream—which is made in Jerez—is one of the best-known brands.
A traditional Spanish-style sherry glass, also known as a copita, is smaller than a white wine glass, but sherry can be served in flutes or white wine glasses. Unlike other wines, sherry should be stored standing up, to minimize the exposure to oxygen. And don’t keep it in the cupboard for a year or two. Instead, take a lesson from the British ladies, and enjoy a nip of sherry on cold nights. The taste will evoke that ancient land that gets 300 days of sunshine a year and bring some warmth to your evening.
Shopping for sherry
• Fino or manzanilla is best served chilled and works well with a variety of appetizers, including nuts and cheeses.
• Amontillado sherry is a wine that is partially oxidized, resulting in a rich amber color and a smooth, nutty taste.
• Olorosa, aged without the flor, is higher in alcohol, and a strong, full-flavored drink.
• Palo cortado is a rarer form of olorosa, characterized by a brighter color, a scent of amontillado and intense taste.
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