Sherry used to be one of the most popular drinks of all. In the 1960s and 1970s it was served to our parents and grandparents at every drinks party and social event. Most of these sherries were cheap and nasty. Not surprisingly, we moved on to other wines.
However, there is another side to sherry. Not everyone enjoys it at first, but it is worth persevering. Why bother? Because it includes some of the greatest wines of all, often at very cheap prices. The range of good sherries available has increased over the last few years and there are some really exciting wines in our independent wine shops.
All sherries start off as dry white wines made from grapes grown in the Jerez region of Spain. They are then fortified by adding brandy to bring them up to 15 per cent abv. They are then aged in various ways to create different styles of wine.
The lightest are fino and manzanilla sherries. These fresh, dry, tangy wines are fantastic served chilled with various tapas, including seafood and Iberico ham. The best-known Fino is Tio Pepe, available in virtually every off-licence and supermarket. It costs less than €20, which is great value for money.
Amontillado sherries, essentially aged finos, are nutty, tangy and dry. They go really well with toasted almonds, Iberico ham (again), chorizo and pâtés. Oloroso sherries are richer still with flavours of nuts, dried fruits and spice. They too are bone dry and go really well with firm cheeses such as Parmesan and aged Manchego. Mass-market sherries such as Harveys Bristol Cream, and A Winter’s Tale amontillado are sweeter but pleasant served on their own before or after dinner.
If you do want to try a sherry, I would suggest buying a bottle of fino and try it well chilled with an selection of different tapas. You may be pleasantly surprised!
