How Very Sherry

This is starting to feel like a radio station with a request line - how cool! I've had a request to write a post about Sherry, so that should serve as proof enough that I'll take up your request too, should you wish to make one. Bring it on.

If you love an underdog, then Sherry is right up your alley. And it's damn good value, too.

Sherry gets a bad rap, and it's not entirely fair. If you're like most people, Sherry conjures memories of grandma's house where she served you Cream Sherry (a Fino Sherry sweetened with concentrated grape juice) before dinner, but as you'd probably expect there's a lot more to Sherry than that. I'm not a fan of Cream Sherries, and consider them proof that concentrated grape juice should be mixed with water and served to kids with their after school snack. I used to have a flatmate who drank Cream Sherry, and I just couldn't understand what ever possessed the Spanish to bastardize wine that way. Little did I know.

How Sherry is Made:
Sherry is blended in an exceptionally interesting way, called the Solera System. The base wine is lightly fortified by adding alcohol before aging in butts, which are old oak casks that (unlike new toasted oak used to age wine) don't add a lot of flavour. In the Solera System new wine is fractionally blended with many older wines to achieve consistency. Imagine a pyramid of wine casks with the newest wine on top, and the older wines underneath. A bit of the new wine is blended with wines in the older casks, and the following year that cask is moved down the pyramid.

Major Styles:
Fino and Mazanilla Sherry - Dry, pale, briny and crisp, a layer of yeast called Flor floats on top of the wine inside the cask and keeps it from oxidizing too quickly as it ages in the Solera System. Fascinating. These wines are the perfect accompaniment to olives, which means I'll probably be drinking more of them this summer. They have flavours of citrus, bitter almonds and bread. For those of you who like whites with lots of approachable fruity flavours, be warned that these are an entirely different style, and many people don't like them. If you're in this camp, I'd urge to try them with some green olives before you pass judgement. You might like them enough that way to give them chance.

Amontillado Sherry - These start off as a Fino or Mnazanillo, and then alcohol is added to kill the Flor. Consequently, they oxidize to a deep amber colour. Some are sweetened.

Oloroso Sherry - These have slightly higher alcohol than Finos, about 18%, and are fortified after fermentation. Flor doesn't grow with that much alcohol, so they age through oxidation. They are deep brown and full bodied with nutty flavours. Some are sweetened.

Try These:
Gonzalez Byass, Tio Pepe Fino, Spain $19
Dry, medium-high acidity and medium body. Aromas of green apple, green olives, orange, and bitter almond. Briny with flavours of cashews, bitter almond, and iodine. It may sound strange, and it is going to be a very different experience for fruity wine drinkers, but it is well made, and trust me on the pairing with green olives.

Gonzalez Byass, Nutty Solera Oloroso, Spain $16
Dark amber with medium sweetness that dries off quickly. Aromas of orange zest, nuts and toffee or nut brittle, Christmas cake, figs, dates, raisin, and a hint of iodine. Considering the medium level of sweetness, there's medium-high acidity, and some light tannins. Flavours of pepper, spice, nuts, oaks, orange, and meat. This would pair well with hard cheeses.