Sherry - that chi-chi Frasier beverage...

[Carolyn Tillie]

I always poo-poo'd the fact that whenever Niles came to visit Frasier, a glass of Sherry was offered. I always though of Sherry as a hideously sweet, but occasionally necessary cooking ingredient (my potato-leek soup NEEDS a dash).

However, last weekend, I was invited for cocktails at Cesar's in Berkeley. It is a Tapas restaurant with its own cookbook (I guess every restaurant that goes from good to Great has to print a cookbook, huh?). They offered a Cognac flight for Shawn so I asked for a Sherry flight. Here's what I had:

Lustau Almacenista Olovosode Jerez

Barbadillo Amontillado Principe de Barbadillo

Manzanilla La Gitana Bodegas Hidalgo

What a revelation! I had no idea that Sherry could be so diverse. I'm intrigued and want to taste more! Sadly, it was too dark in the bar to be able to write any notes and I feel lucky I got the names (but now can't remember which was which!). Can anyone offer me a primer about what makes Sherry so special? (Yeah, I could google stuff like this, but I trust my eGullet buddies more!) I may convert from Port to Sherry...

[fresco]

A good place to start is Craig Camp's excellent Daily Gullet piece on sherry:

http://egullet.com/?pg=ARTICLE-campsherry

[Carolyn Tillie]

Ahh.... merci! I knew not of this SPLENDID article...

[badthings]

It's cool they had sherry flight. I have always been surprised at how short their sherry list is, considering how spectacular the bar is as a whole. They have like a whole page of Armangac!

Next time you're in Berkeley, check out the Spanish Table for a bewildering selection of sherries, some well-priced.

[Carolyn Tillie]

It's cool they had sherry flight. I have always been surprised at how short their sherry list is, considering how spectacular the bar is as a whole. They have like a whole page of Armangac!

Next time you're in Berkeley, check out the Spanish Table for a bewildering selection of sherries, some well-priced.

Oh, but Cesar's don't! I had to ask for one... But they were happy to comply, actually.

I used to get the Spanish Table newsletter, but got kinda annoyed with the owner's political rants and hideous misspellings and bad grammar...

I will take another look. I never bought anything, but then I wasn't as aware of the Mediterranean bounty as I am now...

[Marlene]

I may convert from Port to Sherry...

No need! Sherry, apertif, port after dinner. See you can have both (I do )

[Naomi]

I can sense the faint glimmer of a sherry revival here in the British Isles. Why not? After all, tapas have become extremely popular. Tapas and dry sherry. yum.

[Naomi]

Here is an article with some well known chefs commenting on sherry's increasing popularity:

Guardian article on sherry

[beans]

Carolyn:

Other than mixing it into your potato-leek soup (I use it for my potato chowder with hot smoked salmon myself), and sipping some delicious flights, consider any of the following. The Soviet Cocktail I may mix up tomorrow....

[Yes, I adore Webtender, wonderful site owner and a great bunch of contributing tenders].

I'm still a port kind of girl, so this is another 2004 thing on my list to try.

[vserna]

One problem in the US is the limited range of quality sherries available. Leave the Lustau and the Hidalgo ranges, and you'll be hard-pressed to find anything...

[Boris_A]

A.R. Valdespino could be available too. Note: Finos and Manzanillas should be freshly bottled. Your suppplier should have a sufficiently high turnover.

Anyway - Jerez is a hot candidate for the title of a most underrated wine region.

In my private sensoric wine map, Port and Fino are the opposite poles. Dry whites are near the Fino pole, fruity, alcoholic modern reds are near the Port pole.

[vserna]

A.R. Valdespino now is only a sub-brand of the José Estévez group (Tío Mateo), which acquired the centenary firm a couple of years ago.

[beans]

I *knew* there was a reason I thought of cocktails using sherry -- the Nov/Dec 2003 issue of Cheers featured a drink created by Dale DeGroff. Here it is:

Blond Manhattan

1 1/2 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey

1/2 oz. orange curaçao

1/4 oz. Fino sherry

dash of bitters (orange or Angostura)

Stir all the ingredients in a bar glass filled with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

Electronic link to this here, third one down.

[/interruption]

[Jeffy Boy]

Before reading these posts, and the links, my familiarity with sherry was pretty limited, My wife's grandmother drinks it (which has made me NOT want to drink it )

Reading all this got me curious enough to go out and pick up a couple of bottles today to sample:

Gonzalez Byass Manzanilla

Lustau Dry Oloroso Don Nuno

Any thoughts on these, or recommendations on how to serve them? I plan to chill the Manzanilla and have it with some tapas dishes. The Oloroso I plan to have cool, on it's own.

[malarkey]

The Oloroso will be lovely as an after dinner drink.

Ohhh Carolyn. Sherries, I LOVE them. way way underrated. And affordable.

[Mark Sommelier]

You really should look for some good Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximenez. This is where sherry gets interesting. Look up the word "flor" in a good wine dictionary. Another thought: What about Madeira?

[winebill]

You really should look for some good Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximenez.

Two wonderful Pedro Ximenez to seek out

Bodegas Toro Albalá, Founded 1844

Don PX 2000

Pedro Ximénez grapes of perfect maturity are carefully selected from the best vineyard sites and left to concentrate in the sun for two weeks. The must is bottled directly from tank after clarification.

Don PX Gran Reserva 1975

Select lots of Pedro Ximénez are destined for oak barrels, sealed and left for decades in single-vintage state. After a minimum of 25 years, vintages are selected for release only when they have attained classic character. Opaque, black mahogany color with a caramel-like bite.

[Craig Camp]

Before reading these posts, and the links, my familiarity with sherry was pretty limited, My wife's grandmother drinks it (which has made me NOT want to drink it )

Reading all this got me curious enough to go out and pick up a couple of bottles today to sample:

Gonzalez Byass Manzanilla

Lustau Dry Oloroso Don Nuno

Any thoughts on these, or recommendations on how to serve them? I plan to chill the Manzanilla and have it with some tapas dishes. The Oloroso I plan to have cool, on it's own.

The Lustau is fantastic. Incredibly complex. However, when they say dry they mean DRY. This is not a dessert wine, but a lovely "meditation" type wine with some nuts and a good book or movie.

[vserna]

Bodegas Toro Albalá, Founded 1844

Just a small point: Toro Albalá is not sherry. It's Montilla-Moriles. (Another appellation, a couple of hundred miles inland from Jerez.)

[Boris_A]

Bodegas Toro Albalá, Founded 1844

Just a small point: Toro Albalá is not sherry. It's Montilla-Moriles. (Another appellation, a couple of hundred miles inland from Jerez.)

The Mandelbrot (fractals) effect: the closer you get, the more details evolve.

Is Montilla-Moriles different from Jerez? I mean, can you generalize a different character?

[winebill]

Oh Boy !!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought we were here for the enjoyment of the grape !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vserna]

Is Montilla-Moriles different from Jerez? I mean, can you generalize a different character?

Yes, of course. Is Sonoma different from Napa?

Very few, almost none, pedro ximénez vineyards in Jerez; no palomino vineyards at all in Montilla-Morieles: everything is pedro ximénez here. Finos from Montilla are not fortified; those from Jerez are.

[vserna]

Oh Boy !!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought we were here for the enjoyment of the grape !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You mean more knowledge mars your enjoyment?

[malarkey]

Another thought: What about Madeira?

YES!

[malarkey]

The Lustau is fantastic. Incredibly complex. However, when they say dry they mean DRY. This is not a dessert wine, but a lovely "meditation" type wine with some nuts and a good book or movie.

ah I missed the 'dry' part. hmm I seem to remember having a dry oloroso that wasn't nearly as dry as a fino, but perhaps I was inebriated LOL

I do like the drys. I bought a bunch of sherries from Spanish Table awhile back and let the BF try one of the finos. He said "there's something WRONG with that!!" he's just not used to how they taste. philistine!

Edited January 14, 2004 by malarkey (log)