Wine with Leslie: Sherry — fine wine with a very fine range
Sherry: under-rated, says our wine man.
This week I want to remind you about the joys of Sherry — arguably the most underrated fine wine of them all. We are coming to the end of International Sherry Week but sadly there were no Irish events this year... hopefully next year.
First, a little reminder of how Sherry is made. The grapes used are Palomino and Pedro Ximenez: both neutral-tasting grapes that can cope well with the white albariza soils around Jerez and in Montilla-Morilles. Montilla and Morilles are two towns just north of Malaga and make similar wines to those found in Jerez, Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda (the three Sherry towns).
The soil is not unlike that found in Chablis with lots of fossils mixed with clay, calcium and sometimes sand, with good water retention — essential for the heat of Southern Spain. Once the grapes are fermented, a decision is made to make them into Fino Sherry for maturation in barrels under a fluffy yeast called flor, or to be aged as Oloroso. Fino is fortified by adding grape spirit to bring it to 15% alcohol while Oloroso is usually fortified to around 18%.
Fino is bone dry as the flor yeast consumes the glycerine in the wine while Oloroso Sherry is more rounded and nutty — both are typically dry. Sweet Sherry is made by blending in wines made from sun-dried Pedro Ximinez (PX) grapes. Pure PX wines are syrupy and delicious and are rich enough to pour over ice-cream. Sherry is aged (min. 5 years) in a Solera system — just a small amount of new wine is removed from the barrels at the lowest level in the cellar and these barrels are then topped up with the wines from the level above, and the top tier re-filled with new wine from the most recent fermentation.
A Fino that is removed from the Flor barrels is often fortified a little more and aged for a few more years to make Amontillado (the name references similar wines from the town of Montilla). Amontillado and Oloroso are somewhat similar in character but Amontillado is drier and lighter while Oloroso has a richer mouth-feel — both are gorgeous on their own or to match meaty soups.
Despite the fact that Sherry wines are aged and monitored meticulously for several years before release they usually cost less than a bottle of decent Malbec or Valpolicella Ripasso. Yes, a dry salty wine like Fino takes getting used to, but so does Stout — give them a chance.
SuperValu has Tio Pepe at the bargain price of €14 until Nov. 17 — bargain of the year. Don’t dismiss Tio Pepe simply because it is the best known, it remains a benchmark wine, with classic yeasty, lemon zest and salty olive aromas, a bone-dry palate with lingering ozone and preserved lemon touches. Try with fish and chips, charcuterie, or on its own with some salted almonds to the side.
It is easy to forget about the fortified region of Montilla-Moriles just north of Malaga. Montilla is a pretty town with some good Sherry-Tapas bars and worth a diversion if you visit Malaga. Preserved lemon, bitter almond aromas and saline aromas, clean and bone-dry with a salty ozone character and a finish of lemon zest and herbs. Perfect aperitif or with nuts and olives.
This Fino is a bit of a classic — sourced from a single vineyard ‘Pago De Macharundo’, oak fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 10 years. Yeasty, chalky aromas with touches of preserved lemon and brine. Green olive and salty lemon flavours with touches of almonds and hazelnuts on the finish.
Most Sherry and Montilla-Moriles houses make a Vermut fortified wine which they serve on ice, but feel free to make Manhattans. This was created in collaboration with chef Paco Morales to reflect Andalusian cuisine in the Middle ages so packs a bittersweet punch. Vanilla, clove, allspice and general Christmasy aromas, textured and complex with bitter sweet-spicy red fruits and lots of complexity.
Yes, I am recommending a sweet Sherry but this beautifully balanced wine is a perfect match for mince pies and chocolate cake and also salty cheese. Made from 80% dry Oloroso and 20% Pedro Ximinez, aromas of moscatel raisins and baked nuts, elegant and complex on the palate with sweetness countered with dried berry notes.
This is the Sherry whose barrels are used to age Redbreast Single Malt (100% in the case of Redbreast Lustau Edition). Oloroso has more texture and a more rounded mouth-feel to Amontillado. This is packed with complex nutty aromas with a hint of mahogany furniture and spices, dry and full-flavoured on the palate with lingering walnuts and a hint of toffee.
I make no apology for featuring a double hopped Session IPA two weeks in a row, not when they are both so tasty. David Walsh-Kemmis’s farm is in Stradbally within sight of Electric Picnic and his barley is quite famous and used by Midleton and Waterford Distillery among others, as well as in the brewery on the farm.
This pours a dusky honey gold with aromas of orange peel, pine needles and citrus — textured and zingy with fine balancing bitterness from the double-hopping with Citra, Amarillo and Mosaic — some oats from a neighbour add texture. David is at the Ballymaloe Craft Fair on November 26-28 — do call to see him.
