“Sherry, sir?”
“Better make it two, Jeeves. Unless I’m much mistaken, that’s Aunt Agatha’s carriage just drawn up.”
“Very good, sir. I shall endeavour to intimate your absence, but Mrs Gregson does have rather a tenacious character.”
“Indeed, Jeeves. What ho!”
Despite the extraordinary value for money that it can represent, sherry remains a vastly underrated drink in this country. Many have noted this but the resistance still continues. Part of the problem is what I shall call its persistent Woosterification. Whether in sweetened form or “sophisticated” dry, sherry remains lodged firmly in most people’s minds as merely a suitable tipple to be offered to the vicar, maiden aunts or sundry other casual callers. All right — it just might make the status of apéritif, or even (daring, this!) stray into permissibility alongside the odd soup course. Otherwise, as a food wine — toodle-pip and all that — forget it. What ho! Generations of Spaniards have obviously been sorely misled … Our relegation of sherry to the gustatory sidelines looks at best narrow-minded and at worst downright stupid.
High time we reinstated sherry to the meal table, a particularly useful addition to the battery of wines available to the open-minded, enterprising food and wine matchmaker. What other wine comes in such a vast array of guises? Delicately salty Manzanilla; tangy and nutty, dry Amontillado (and its sweetened derivatives); appley Pasada; intense raisiny Oloroso (naturally dry or sweetened) — and this list is by no means exhaustive. Every shade of dry to sweet, light to dark, delicate to brooding. What other wine comes so well adapted to any number of food contexts? There’s a sherry for every course.
It just takes a little imagination and an understanding of the reactive elements within sherry, which is structured very differently from other white wines. Let’s consider what these are for a moment.
The key difference lies in the base dry wines which are all made from the Palomino grape (sweetened sherries often have an addition of Pedro Ximénes or Moscatel). Conventional white wines are structured both on acidity and primary fruit characteristics (and variations are then played on this fundamental constitution). The Palomino is naturally low in acidity and its fermentation in sherry proceeds basically by one of two routes, neither of which emphasise primary fruit. Olorosos proceed down an aerobic path accentuating nutty, oxidative flavour elements. Finos proceed anaerobically, protected from oxygen by their covering film of flor, which in feeding on the wine produces a range of tangy and aromatic esters and aldehydes. Sherries are also naturally significantly higher in alcohol than conventional white wines.
These are useful structural differences when it comes to pairing sherries with food. North African and Eastern Mediterranean cuisines bring with them a riot of flavours. Tagines, for instance, with their inclusion of dried fruits present quite a challenge to the wine drinker. Many commentators rush in quickly with the recommendation of a rosé (call me cynical, but I often take this as signal of defeat). Sherry, since it doesn’t conform to the conventional acid/sweetness counterpoint, is particularly adept at partnering this sort of mixture. It is not easily upset and maintains its own equilibrium much more easily — especially in the case of Amontillados or Olorosos where the wine has been further stabilised by controlled oxidation. The trick is to gauge the required weight of the wine so that its powerful presence doesn’t throw the food out of kilter.
Other north African dishes feature the use of preserved lemons. Their tart acidity, bitterness and saltiness pose a formidable challenge to most conventional wines (red or white), but their match with a dry Oloroso is magical, accentuating the wine’s glycerine-rich softness (it feels almost toffeed) leaving a long, creamy, raisiny mouthful. (A lighter match could be made with an Amontillado or perhaps a Pasada.) Since the sherry is not founded upon acidity or primary fruit, it again is largely immune to the upset that the lemons threaten.
Sherry of one sort or another is equally at home where other briny, tangy flavours are to the fore. An affinity with olives should come as no surprise bearing in mind their favoured status at the Tapas bar, so too capers which tend to mellow the wine’s flavours without diminishing them. Caper-sauced fish with Manzanilla or Fino would be a very interesting combination.
Salt-cured, air-dried hams also fall into the ambit of the potentially wine-challenging. Many wines develop metallic off-flavours in combination. Again this is a classic alliance of the tapas bar, flattering both participants. A glass of Fino will bring out the fruity characteristics of some slivers of prosciutto whilst its floral aspects in turn will come to the fore.
In exploring this, we’ve strayed back into Tapas bar territory. I no more want to restrict sherry to this environment than I do to Woosterland, so let’s consider that other aspect of sherry’s singular make-up — its high alcohol levels — and see where they take us.
Alcohol is a very useful attribute for matching a wine to anything rich. It provides the necessary weight and presence (which acidity alone does not) and cuts the richness admirably. Partnering a dry Oloroso to some oxtail is a revelation. The sherry takes on a particularly nutty character that seems entirely appropriate to the dish and is a perfect foil in terms of weight and palate cleansing. The same idea will work with a beef daube or something similar — a rich game casserole perhaps.
Duck, too, provides another interesting combination, with the nutty weight of both dry Amontillado and Oloroso working well in partnership. The Spanish have a couple of intriguing dishes of duck with olives (a magic combination with Amontillado as you would by now predict) and — more intriguing still — duck with dried figs. As with the Tagines mentioned earlier, dry Amontillados and Olorosos do admirable service in circumstances which otherwise might leave you scratching your head (the dish is surprisingly unsweet and doesn’t really require any sweetness in the wine.)
And do try sherry in combination with gutsy wild mushroom dishes: the woodsy-woodland flavours of Amontillado has a particular affinity. And I haven’t even talked about sherry alongside cheese (some wonderful combinations there) or the scope for matching sweet(ened) sherries with desserts. So much for you to try …
It’s time we dispensed with our prejudices about sherry and explored its potential a few steps further. One of the great things about sherry is that (apart from Fino and Manzanilla which really must be drunk very fresh) you can keep a bottle (or handy half) on the sideboard for a week or two (much longer for Olorosos) ready for any off-the-cuff experiments that happen to take your fancy. Now isn’t that enticing? Don’t get too squiffy.
Toodle-pip.
Sherries to try
Bodegas Argüeso San León Manzanilla Clásica: £6.99 per half from Philglas and Swiggot.
Beautifully crisp, appley, brine-tinged dry sherry from Sanlúcar de Barremada. Serve well chilled as an aperitif or partner with salty flavours. Magic with air-dried ham, salted almonds, olives, capers, salt cod, try also with light fish dishes or sauced chicken. Pure heaven alongside chicken with morels. Always buy fino or manzanilla by the half and consume within the day. Acceptable on the second day; distinctly dull thereafter.
Lustau Alcemenista Amontillado de Jerez, Solera Matured by Miguel Fontadez Florido: £11.50 per half from Harvey Nichols.
A lovely grapey nose gives way to darker raisiny flavours on the palate. Try serving lightly chilled to bring out its upnotes. A perfect pick me up, try it out with duck or rich red meat.
Waitrose Solera Jerezana Dry Oloroso Sherry, £7.99 per bottle from Waitrose.
Produced in collaboration with Lustau, this is rich and nutty with a deeply “roasted” character.
Lustau East India Solera Rich Oloroso: £8.99 per 50cl from Waitrose.
Waitrose deserve to be commended for keeping faith with sherry and stocking a range that displays a proper sense of the drink’s variety at a range of price points.