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Briefly about the drink
Sherry This is a fortified Spanish wine. It is characterized by a strength of about 20 degrees and a sugar content of 2-3%.
Only wines made from white grape varieties grown in the triangle between the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda, which are located in Spanish Andalusia, can bear the official name “sherry”.
For dry wines, the Palomino variety is used, for sweet wines, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel.
The drink has a persistent aroma and tart taste, in which you can distinguish different notes. It all depends on the type of sherry, grapes and the conditions in which it was grown.
In order to get sherry, the grapes are harvested at the end of September. Then it is placed in special oak barrels, where it is stored for several months for the purpose of further fermentation. After such a procedure, tasters enter the work, who need to determine how ripe the semi-finished product is, and what type of wine can be made from it.
Sherry types
Dry: Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado.
Blended sweets: Medium, Pale cream, Cream.
Natural sweet: Pedro Ximenez, Moscate.
Features and tips on how to drink sherry
Fino и Chamomile
They are yellowish fortified wines. They have a fruity bouquet and a hint of nuts, they are well suited as an aperitif.
Before serving, such sherries are necessarily cooled, the optimum temperature is 5–10°C.
When drinking wine, the glass should be held so that its contents do not heat up.
Preference for appetizers should be given to soft cheeses, red or white fish and other seafood.
Amontillado
This sherry is amber in color with hints of almonds.
Before serving, the drink must be cooled to 10 ° C.
A distinctive feature of the wine is the ability to eat it with soups, as well as hard cheeses, white meat and blue fish.
A good option for an aperitif.
Palo Cortado
A rare “aristocratic” type of sherry that combines the qualities of Oloroso and Amontillado.
Before serving, it should be cooled to a temperature of 16 ° C.
They drink wine in small sips, eating marinated and smoked fish, various stews, fried and minced meat.
Some connoisseurs prefer to replace food with a good cigar.
Madium
Sherry, which is distinguished by a bright, memorable taste of medium dryness, in which pronounced oak notes are captured in combination with aromas of walnut, caramel and fig.
Before drinking, the wine is cooled to 10°C.
For a snack, pate or smoked meat is served with it, fresh fruits are also good: apple, pineapple, pear, melon.
This sherry is perfect for use as an aperitif or digestif with the addition of an orange slice.
Oloroso
The wine is golden in color with predominant notes of walnut. Produced from Palomino Fino grapes.
An appetizer in the form of red meat will be optimal for such sherry, aged cheeses, meat stews, dishes from game, tuna, beef, and rooster are also offered.
The best beverage serving temperature is 16°C. Can be used as an aperitif.
Cream
Sweet wine, dark in color with aromas of spices, nuts, raisins, resin, bird cherry and chamomile.
The taste is sweet with a pleasant sourness.
It belongs to dessert type drinks, so it is served with sweet cookies or other pastries, as well as ice cream.
Due to the high sugar content, a meat or fish snack is not suitable for a drink.
This sherry is chilled to 13°C before consumption.
If desired, you can throw a few ice cubes into a glass, and if you serve wine with an orange slice, you will get a wonderful aperitif.
Pale Cream
Delicate transparent wine, with slipping notes of durian and a pleasant aftertaste.
It is made from Palomino grapes with the addition of grape juice concentrate, which gives it sweetness.
Served at 7°C.
An excellent snack will be poultry liver or fresh fruit.
Peter Jimenez
One of the best dessert sherries. This is a velvety sweet mahogany-colored wine, which captures the delicate aromas of raisins.
The grapes used in the production are Pedro Jimenez.
Before drinking, the drink should be cooled to a temperature of 13 ° C.
When choosing an appetizer, you should give preference to blue cheeses, cookies or other desserts.
Wine has a natural sweetness, so only such an appetizer will help to fully reveal its taste.
Popular brands of Spanish sherry
When choosing sherry, many buyers start not only from the taste of the drink, but also from its manufacturer. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the main brands:
Croft Jerez
It is one of the oldest producers of sherry and has repeatedly established itself in the market as a producer of high-quality wines, such as, for example, spicy varieties Croft Original and Croft Delicado.
Anthony Barbadillo
One of the largest producers of sherry. The Antonio Barbadillo brand dates back to 1881. He is also known as a manufacturer of about fifty different flavors of the drink. The main ones among them are Tio Rio, Eva Cream, Sanlucar Cream, Principe.
ten brothers
The company was founded in 1876. It is she who produces such varieties of wines as Fino Imperial, Don Zoilo and Ohroso Victoria Regina.
John Harvey & Sons
In 1796, the English company John Harvey & Sons appears. Its wines are known under the names Bristol Milk and Bristol Cream, which were produced by mixing several types of sherry. Brand varieties include Club Amontilliado, Luncheon Dry, Bristol Dry, Tico.
Osborne
Wines Osborne Cream, Conquinero, Fino Quinta, Bailen are the result of the Osborne company, which was created in 1772 by a native of Devonshire, Thomas Osborne.
Lustau Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Reserva Solera Moscatel Emilín
Fortified white wine with a mild and sweet taste with honey, citrus and spicy undertones. This is definitely a very sweet sherry with a long lasting taste and a balanced natural acidity. Notes of oranges, peaches, figs, dates and burnt sugar are revealed in the taste of this drink.
Moscatel grapes, grown in the company’s vineyards, are specially left to dry in the sun to a state of raisins.
Fermentation is interrupted early. This is done in order to preserve the natural sugar levels of the grapes.
Immediately after fermentation, a sample is taken and it is decided whether the wine is ready for the next stage of vinification.
Like other sherries, Moscatel Emilin is sealed with a distillate made at the winery.
Williams & Humbert Khalifa Old Amontillado Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Elite sherry with unusual marking VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry). The holding period is 30 years.
It has two periods of aging: biologically aged under a layer of yeast and a physico-chemical stage by oxidation.
The color is bright with hints of very old gold and amber.
The aroma is sharp, intense and complex, with a hint of dry nuts and hazelnuts.
The taste is dry, with excellent acidity; long, rich and elegant aftertaste. A delightfully expressive and unforgettable finish.
It acts as an excellent aperitif and is served with cheese, ham or seafood.
Valdespino Jerez Dulce Sherry
Inexpensive Spanish sherry with excellent reviews from tasters. It is made from a grape variety called palomino.
Leonor Jerez xeres Sherry Palomino Leonor
Sherry 12 years old. Made from the Palomino grape variety.
On the palate, there are citrus, roasted, nutty and honey notes.
The aftertaste is long, reminiscent of old wood.
It should be noted that this is not a complete list of sherry brands. Each of the manufacturers strive to create a unique drink that will appeal to the consumer. Therefore, try, study the tastes and decide on your sherry!
Relevance: 01.05.2018
Tags: wine and vermouth