Long liberated from the back of the cupboard (usually around Christmas in honour of elderly relatives) Sherry is wooing a younger generation of drinkers fascinated by the charms of Flor, oxidative ageing and a wide choice of styles for different food pairing experiences.
No other fortified wine can supply bone–dry, saline and yeasty styles like Manzanilla and Fino which pair so perfectly with salted almonds, olives and of course anchovies and produce lusciously sweet and rich PX for drinking with blue cheese and dark bitter chocolate – while also creating a range of dry, umami driven styles between those two extremes that work with savoury dishes brilliantly.
A quick guide to Sherry pairing…
Umami rules….
Umami is our fifth taste – if you enjoy the flavour of dried porcini, shitake mushrooms, soy, nori seaweed, tomatoes, air-dried cured meat and marmite then you are an umami fiend. Sherry’s long ageing under flor yeast and in partially filled barrels causes it to develop an umami flavour making it the ideal partner for a surprising range of foods.
Try a slug of a good dry Amontillado in porcini risotto or a chilled, dry Oloroso with some Jamon off – cuts over good tomatoes.
On Thursday the 1st of November, Kew is running a tasting of exceptional Sherries from smaller producers, each paired with a “pinxto “ or tapa, to celebrate the unique artisanal quality and versatility of these beautiful wines. Click here to get your tickets or read on below for a sneak peek of what we will be tasting…
Included in the line-up there will be a Fino “En Rama”, bottled in the spring or autumn when the Flor is thickest, and usually unfiltered; La Panesa, a fabulous aged Fino, Gobernador Oloroso and the very rare 1874 El Tresillo Amontillado from Emilio Hidalgo; Palo Cortado from Almacenista Cayetano del Pino and two sweet styles including a Moscatel from Cesar Florido in the little town of Chipiona and the wonderful Antique PX from Fernando de Castilla.
