Sherry: A Primer and Cocktail Recipes

Camper English, creator of the Alcademics blog and one of the country’s most respected cocktail and spirits writers (and one of the journalists on the trip to Jerez I took last September), recently published a fantastic story on Sherry in The Los Angeles Times Magazine. Not only does the article provide an excellent primer on the region itself as well as the various styles of Sherry that come from there, but he also includes a number of cocktail recipes that take advantage of both the range of Sherry’s flavors and their uncanny ability to lift any cocktail they appear in to a higher level of complexity than it otherwise would have achieved. Click here for the full article.

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Sherry: Shifting the Paradigm

Sometimes, when you visit a great producer, you have the chance to taste a wine that you’d otherwise never come across. And while it’s frustrating to know that the delicious wine in your glass is generally unattainable outside the confines of where you find yourself sipping it, there’s a great deal to be gained in terms of understanding the potential of the wines of that particular region and producer.

Yesterday morning, for example, I had the chance to taste the Moscatel Ambrosia from Bodega Sanchez Romate, a Sherry that, though it’s made in minute quantities, changed what I thought I knew about the range of flavors in the world of Sherry...and, for that matter, in the world of wine.

This one flat-out sang with aromas and flavors of everything from garam masala to cumin, coriander, chile peppers, and blueberry pie filling. And though that combination may sound unusual, this was a stunning wine, spicy and fruity and wildly expressive, and a spectacular example of how exciting Sherry can be...and is.

Sometimes, you just have to leave your comfort zone to find a wine that completely changes what you thought you knew.

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Sherry and Food Pairing

One of the best parts of traveling to a wine region you’ve never visited before is having the opportunity to taste the wines in the context in which they’ve always been enjoyed: With the local foods.

But while I knew that I’d gain an appreciation for Sherry in all its many styles, I didn’t expect to be as blown away as I have been by its astounding facility at the table.

From the simplest seafood to the spiciest dishes to the ingredients that bully most other wines into submission (artichokes, asparagus, etc.), Sherry makes easy work of seemingly everything. Every meal here, in fact, has been accompanied by Finos, Manzanillas, Amontillados, Olorosos, and more, and has provided an amazing in situ demonstration of how much I’ve been missing by not pairing more meals with Sherry.

The photo above is from the lunch we had yesterday at Bodegas Osborne, and included Iberico ham, lomo, green olives, fried potatoes, marcona almonds, and pâté, and from the Manzanilla to the Amontillado to the spectacular Oloroso, every Sherry worked brilliantly with at least two--and often more--of the dishes.

I’ll report back if we find a dish that Sherry can’t handle, but I’m not holding my breath: Like Champagne, it’s a flat-out winner with food. Which has made for spectacular eating and drinking this week.

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First Day in Jerez

Yesterday was my first day in Spain for the weeklong tasting tour of Jerez, sponsored by the Sherry Council, that I wrote about last week. And, as expected, it has been full of eye-opening, palate-awakening moments that have, even just 24 hours into the trip, changed my perception of Sherry itself and the ways in which it can--and brilliantly does--enhance a meal.

Today was a day of two ends of the Sherry spectrum, and included visits to both Harveys (one of the largest producers) and Tradicion (one of the smallest). I'll be posting my tasting notes and more details in the coming days, but for now I thought that a short video, shot at Harveys, would provide a nice sense of Jerez itself. Check it out below:

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Off to Spain on a Sherry-Tasting Expedition

Tomorrow evening, I'll be flying to Southern Spain for a tasting trip sponsored by the Sherry Council. A handful of us from around the United States will be touring and tasting throughout Jerez, visiting a wide range of Sherry producers, studying the different styles of Sherry, and learning about its technical details as well as experiencing its ability to pair with food.

Make sure to keep checking back here, as I will be blogging throughout my time in Spain: Just like last year's trips to Bordeaux, Champagne, and Eastern Austria, I'll be posting tasting notes, photos, videos, and more, sharing my impressions of a fascinating (and important) part of the wine world, and working to make this a learning experience for readers of this blog and customers of WineChateau.com.

So make sure to check back starting on Monday afternoon--it promises to be a fantastic, educational, and thoroughly delicious week.

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A New Spanish "Grand Cru"

The wine classifications of France and Italy are relatively familiar to most of their fans. In Spain, however, the system remains less widely known. Essentially, it works like this, according to the Oxford Companion to Wine:

“DO stands for Denominacio de Origen, a Spanish Controlled Appellation and the mainstay of Spain’s wine quality and control system.” Entire regions are given DO status, which dictates “the boundaries of the region, permitted vine varieties, maximum yields, limits of alcoholic strength, and any other limitations pertaining to the zone…A superior category, DOCA, Denominacio de Origen Calificada, was created in 1991.”

Above that, even, is the prestigious DO Pago, which, though it is not possible to get in all of Spain’s wine regions (the local regulations of some preclude it), is the highest classification in the country. It’s reserved for premium, single-vineyard wines with international reputations…and price tags to match.

This morning, Decanter.com reported that DO Pago status has been awarded for just the seventh time, this one to Bodega Otazu, in Navarra. And while the wine may not be terribly familiar to many people, it is sure to become more so as word of its elevation to DO Pago spreads. Even with a county whose wine classification system is a touch unfamiliar to many consumers, an achievement like this is bound to make people take notice of both the wine itself, the region of Navarra, and the country as a whole, which, in recent years, has justifiably gained a following as passionate and committed as that of any wine-producing nation in the world.

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Holiday Weekend Wine

As we head into the holiday weekend, this is the perfect time to talk about the versatility of wine. Because despite the fact that the 4th of July is typically considered a beer-ier occasion—hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and the rest—I’ve always had better luck pairing my lazy summer days with grapes than grains.

Now don’t get me wrong: I love a cold, crisp beer in the summer’s heat. But given my druthers, I’d take a cool rosé or a bottle of cold, sweaty-glass Vinho Verde every time. Because the truth is that fun, interesting white wines—from Godello to Verdejo to Albariño to all kinds of other things that might not be terribly familiar—offer all the pleasure of cold beer and bring to the table (so to speak) a whole range of pairing options (not to mention unexpected flavors and aromas, too) that you otherwise wouldn’t have.

And those wines are just for lighter dishes and drinking on their own. Just because it’s 4th of July weekend, after all, doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge in something a bit more hearty. Ever tried spare ribs and Zinfandel? Or slow-cooked pork and a Tempranillo-based blend? Or Malbec and a burger? (And if you’re lucky enough to find really fatty ground meat, spring for a Cahors—it’s based on the Malbec grape, but its relationship to its Argentinean sibling is analogous to the one between, say, a gently prepared slice of veal and a grilled rib-eye. Think of Cahors as Argentinean Malbec’s older, brawnier brother.)

Even traditionally wintertime wines have a place this weekend. My favorite trick is to throw a bit of a chill on a bottle of ruby or tawny port—just a couple of degrees; too much and it’ll taste terrible—and pair it either with whatever chocolate- or nut-based dessert you’re enjoying (chocolate pecan pie and dried fruit would be great alongside a tawny), or even (it’s a holiday weekend, after all) a good, spicy cigar.

It’s Independence Day: Celebrate your right to drink what you want this holiday weekend, regardless of beer’s traditional role. And there’s no better way to do that than with a great selection of wine, friends and family, and, hopefully, clear skies and warm temperatures.

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Healthy? Not Really. But You Can't Argue with Deliciousness...

More often than not, my dinner choices are determined by what wines I’ve tasted that day (assuming I’m not visiting a restaurant or teaching a wine class). Last night was no different.

I spent the entire day operating under the (perhaps foolish) assumption that I would be eating healthy for dinner. I had gazpacho in mind, perhaps some homemade guacamole—that sort of light fare.

But then I tasted the Termes 2006, and all of my healthy-living plans went out the window. As I noted on my tasting video yesterday, the wine screamed out for something grilled, something barbecued. So as soon as I finished posting the video, I hopped in the car, drove to my favorite bar, and ordered their baby back rib special.

The pairing was perfect: The charred bits of meat brought out the smokiness in the wine, the sweet – spicy barbecue sauce interacted beautifully with the wine’s rich, chewy fruit, and the tannic structure of the Termes stood up to the hearty meal with no problem at all.

So perhaps, as the cliché goes, my best laid plans were laid to waste. But the reality of the evening was too darn tasty to argue with.

And tonight? Leftovers!

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Bodega Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2006

Toro, west of Ribera del Duero and well southwest of Rioja, is one of the most exciting regions in Spain. In the video below, I taste the Bodega Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2006, a big, beautifully crafted wine that's not only magnificent now, but also promises several years of evolution...if you have the patience.

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