CityLife

Sherry

March 12, 2010

This Mother’s Day, why not indulge your family in a wine that will span the generations with style? A wine that will do for an elegant aperitif as well as the perfect match for pudding.

Yes, I’m talking about sherry.

This remarkable drink is still shaking off years of being deeply unfashionable, yet for those that are converted to its charms it’s a richly rewarding style. All sherry is fortified wine made from palomino grapes grown on the chalky hills around the Spanish towns of Jerez, Puerto and Sanlucar de Barremeda.

The unique ‘solera’ method creates the two dry types, fino and manzanilla. After a neutral spirit is added to the grape juice the wine is passed through a series of oak barrels in bodegas where flor yeast creates a protective barrier on the surface. The wine makers regulate the temperature and humidity of the bodegas by opening windows to the sea air. It’s a continuous method which means that there are very few ‘vintage’ sherries.

The whole process gives the wines a supreme salty tang and makes them perfect on their own or with a variety of tapas type food such as olives or sardines. Tio Pepe Fino is always dependable and is widely available (£8.99 to £9.50 at Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco). Dry and elegant it is floral with a yeasty character and a long finish.

One of the greatest bargains in wine, let alone just sherry, is La Gitana Bodegas Hidalgo Manzanilla (£7.99 to £8.49 at Tesco, Waitrose and Majestic). This is a crisp, dry sherry which is light and aromatic but with a honeyed yeasty richness.

Even the bottle, with its distinctive label and shape, exudes a classic charm. Sainsbury’s Dry Superior Manzanilla (£5.99) is another great bargain. It has succulent fruit with toasty almonds and is perfect with tapas.

Aged dry sherries such as amontillado and oloroso are more intense and nutty and are often good with strong cheeses.

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference range is a good place to start. The 12-year Dry Oloroso (£6.99) has pungent aroma and intense fruit. For pudding Sainsbury’s also has a Taste the Difference Gran Reserva Cream Sherry on special offer (£4.99 down from £9.99). This will cut it with most puddings and the slight saltiness will counter the sugar well.

Otherwise there’s the more expensive but worthy Harveys Pedro Ximénez 30 year-old VORS sherry at Waitrose (£18.99). VORS stands for very old rare sherry. This wine oozes sweet chocolate and caramel with raisin fruitiness. It is just perfect on its own after dinner or with something like sticky toffee pudding.