Eis Elis
(um "poemeto" no guardanapo do bar)
(luiz alfredo motta fontana)
(luiz alfredo motta fontana)
Elis
Eis
Ei
oi
Eis
Ei
oi
Bodegas de Antonio Barbadillo, Andalucia. Photograph: Jim Cornfield/Corbis
The old adage 'first impressions last' is particularly poignant when it comes to sherry. For many people the name conjures up images of something sweet and dark which only sees the light of day on Christmas morning before being returned to the depths of the drinks cabinet for another year. The truth about sherry could not be further removed – served in the correct manner and with the right food, the true character of this wonderfully varied and versatile wine emerges.
I have to admit to living in blissful ignorance about sherry until the scorching summer of 2003. Landing in Seville on the hottest day of the year (52 degrees!) with my wannabe sybarite curiosity in full flow, I was offered a glass of fino in one of the city's famous tapas bars, and told by the gently perspiring burly owner that it was the perfect match to the ubiquitous jamón which had recently been placed in front of me and was starting to glisten temptingly in the stifling heat. Suddenly a slightly oxidized warm glass of Harvey's Bristol Cream seemed a world away, as I gulped down this incredibly fresh, cold, very dry, nutty wine. It was a revelation, and led directly to my enthusiasm for sherry and my current job working for Tio Pepe.
Now, sherry can take a bit of explaining, that much is definitely true. But stick with it and you will find one of the great wines of the world awaiting you. Let's start with the basics.
Sherry, which hails from Spain's oldest wine-producing region, is a lightly fortified white wine encompassing the driest white wines in the world (in the form of 'fino' and 'manzanilla') right through to some of the sweetest (a "PX" or "Pedro Ximenez" sherry can weigh in at anything up to 450 grams of residual sugar per litre, so not one for those counting the calories!).
In addition, there are numerous styles in between which bridge the gap nicely between dry and sweet. Generally speaking, sherry wines fall into two categories, those lighter, drier styles which are aged under a living layer of yeast called the "flor" (think fino, manzanilla, amontillado), and those which are subject to oxidative ageing, and tend to be higher in alcohol and house different flavour characteristics, "oloroso" sherries (oloroso meaning 'fragrant' in Spanish).
An interesting way to think of sherry is to consider that it is just the local white wine of the region. Confined to a very tight geographical region of Andalucía known as the sherry triangle, the wines of Jerez can only be vinified and aged in the three towns of Jerez de la Frontera (the largest sherry producing town), neighbouring El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda.
The three towns, despite being less than 20 minutes' drive apart, all produce sherries with their own certain nuances. Sanlucar de Barrameda for example, which is situated on the coast, is famous for its manzanilla – and is the only town of the three that is permitted to make this style of wine.
Incidentally, for those who often see manzanilla and fino next to each other on a wine list and are confused by the difference between the two, the simple answer is actually very little. They are produced in exactly the same way – young wines made from the indigenous Palomino Fino grape are aged under flor. Manzanilla, however, is produced only in Sanlucar and due to the town's coastal location and climatic conditions the wines take on a slightly different character.
As mentioned earlier, the best way to experience the full joy of sherry is to enjoy it with the right food. There is probably no wine more versatile with savoury food than a fino sherry. It is no coincidence that a well-chilled fino in Spain is the natural partner to tapas. Just like so many other regions of the world, the gastronomy and wine of Andalucia have developed closely together over centuries.
Think tapas, and you'll probably think of big flavours. Whether it be jamón ibérico with its salty, creamy texture or the paprika-loaded chorizo sausage or deliciously tart boquerones anchovies or even Spanish olives, they all share one common characteristic – they are all challenging matches for most wines. Not fino though – it positively excels in this regard.
Take the most famous of them all, Tio Pepe, with which you will be sure to form a close friendship if you spend any time in Jerez. It has a bone dry and distinctly savoury character which means it will happily co-exist with a meal rich in umami, salt, vinegar and fat. Not only that, but it will also serve to cleanse your palate with each glug, stimulating your taste buds and bringing out more flavour in the accompanying food at the same time – magic!
Back on the home front the good news is that the sherry gospel is spreading furiously, fuelled by the rising popularity of great Spanish restaurants up and down the country. The sherry-curious can now sample a drop of Shakespeare's favourite tipple as far north as Edinburgh's Oloroso, at Paul Heathcote's Grado in Manchester, or in a plethora of London establishments (Moro, Iberica and Pinchito to name but a few).
In fact, London is soon to be home to a dedicated sherry bar called Bar Pepito in Kings Cross, an indication of the capital's foodie community's warm acceptance of sherry as part of their drinking repertoire. The jamón might not sweat as profusely in King's Cross as it did that summer in Seville, but I know that the accompanying sherry will taste just as sweet - or dry!
