The President of the Secret Sherry Society is pleased to present this week’s author on “Sherry Blogger of the Week,” Gwendolyn Alley of Wine Predator . You can also follow Gwendolyn on Twitter @artpredator
Each week we will feature a new wine blogger committed to sharing with readers their passion and knowledge of wine. If you are a wine blogger and are interested in being featured on our website please email us at secretsherrysociety@gmail.com.
By Gwendolyn Alley
A few years ago, I was enjoying dinner with then California Poet Laureate Al Young at the home of his hosts, the Central Coast poet Glenna Luschei and her husband Bill. Bill found out I appreciated wine and he asked me
“So have you discovered sherry?”
Sherry? I thought to myself. “You mean like cooking sherry?” I asked.
There’s much more to sherry than what you cook with, he assured me. He offered to open some up and share it with me but by this time the evening was late and I needed to drive home and teach the next day so I took a pass.
Fast forward several years later. At the last minute, I was offered the opportunity to attend the 2009 European Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisboa and to tour the Alentejo region of Portugal as a guest of Enoforum Wine. Of course I said yes!
Unfortunately, I was traveling and missed the first day of the conference when Esteban Cabeza taught the group about sherry and led them through a tasting.
Fortunately, I met Esteban later in the conference and he gave me a tutorial using the power point he’d prepared. We were also able to procure bottles of three types of sherry so I could taste them.
To be honest, it seemed like his lecture went on and on when there were three bottles of sherry available to open and to taste while learning about them! But Esteban really knew his subject and I found the process of how the various kinds of sherries were made quite fascinating.
You can read more about the process of making sherry here on this site, but in a nutshell, as you probably know, sherry is a fortified aged beverage.
One aspect of sherry that makes it distinctive as a wine is the way that it’s aged: each year a portion is taken out; the wine is transferred over the years from one barrel to another, combining older sherry with newer. Each year the sherry acquires a different name and different qualities depending also upon its exposure to air which oxidizes it or flor (yeast).
One aspect that makes sherry interesting is why it was fortified in the first place: to make it travel better! Adding a distilled spirit kept the wine from spoiling as it was transported from Spain to various ports in Europe and America.
What really makes very good sherry interesting to me is its complexity: the sherry I had with Esteban seriously blew me away. I’d never had anything like it and I didn’t know where to put the experience in my categories of taste memories. I wasn’t even sure whether I “liked” it, actually—the taste was so different than what I expected, especially the fino, the most dry sherry. I just knew that I wanted to puzzle it out, come to know it, and understand it. It truly challenged me.
While I was tempted, I couldn’t imagine how I would manage to bring three open bottles of sherry with me back to the United States so I gave the bottles to my host Delfim Costa of Enoforum. If I had only known how impossible it was to find sherry of this quality here in the US, I would have connived some sort of way to bring the sherry back—or I would have drank it!
Because what I have discovered in my part of California is this: it is difficult to find truly amazing sherry here. And until it is readily available, people will have no idea how wonderfully complex and engaging sherry is.
I had no idea how hard it was to find really good sherry until I was asked back in November by the Secret Sherry Society to write something up about sherry for this blog post.
I figured I just wasn’t really putting an effort into my quest for sherry but with that much lead time, I’d find something interesting but not too obscure and of Spanish origin.
Last winter at a Henry Wine Group wine tasting held at a local restaurant and open to the public, I’d picked up and written about a bottle of Gonzalez Byass Solera 1847 Oloroso Dulce sherry ($20) which I found to be good but rather sweet and simple compared to the sherry I tasted in Portugal; read more here. The rep told me no one was carrying it around here and he had no suggestions for places to go for sherry.
So when I didn’t find anything at the Ventura Wine Company and time was running out to find something to write about for the Secret Sherry Society, I turned to Twitter and Facebook to ask where my friends and followers would get sherry around Ventura. Fellow sherry fan and photographer/blogger John Nichols shared my grief, told me the following story of one of his sherry searches and suggested the Ojai Beverage Company:
Sherry is one of the greatest wines on the planet but it does not get the respect it deserves. I didn’t always know that. It came to me slowly and by chance.
I have been visiting a friend’s cabin in Big Bear on Labor Day weekend for over 20 years. About 10 years ago we were digging through the liquor shelf and way in the back was a dusty bottle of sherry. I asked permission and was allowed to open it. It had been there for at least 15 years said the owner of the cabin. The label read El Monisterio. We drank some that weekend and it was so delicious that it set me off on a multi-year quest to find another bottle or something as good.
When I searched online, it was not available. The owner finally remembered that it was purchased years ago at a Santa Paula, California shop long closed called The Coffee Bean. The great thing was that the owner had one other bottle at her home in Santa Paula. I had a good year or two to continue tasting from those two bottles. After no luck with internet searches I contacted the distributor. They answered that the company was likely out of business. He said that sometimes a family will sell a lot and have it bottled and then that will be it.
Years later I was thumbing through a catalogs when I spotted a bottle of El Monisterio on the shelf in one of the home product photos. They were selling accessories, not sherry. I wrote to that company asking for a lead. They asked the photographer. It was just an old bottle he had and was using for a prop. Another dead end but a valiant search.
All during this time I was tasting sherry. It was incredibly inexpensive relative to the high quality I was getting. It was also a complex product to delve into. There are many variations from sweet to dry. I found I liked the stuff in the middle of the spectrum.
It’s been a while since I had my last glass of sherry. I think it’s time for some more.
I couldn’t agree more, John! An excellent sherry is a worthy quest!
I followed John’s advice and trekked up to the Ojai Beverage Company. The clerk said they’d had quite a variety back in November but over the holidays, they were cleaned out.
I came home with a $25 bottle of amontillado, a semi-dry, nutty expression of the sherry family made by Bodegas Dios Baco, S.L. in Jerez which, while not as complex as the sherry I had at the European Wine Bloggers Conference, took care of the ache for sherry I had in my heart with its seductive rich, warm color, deep caramel color, its butterscotch aromas, its nutty, spicy, fruity character…
If you’re looking for something a little different and special to surprise your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, this might be it! Sherry goes quite well with candlelight…and this one was a winner with Belgian chocolates with a hazelnut praline filling. Remember to serve it chilled—not cold, but not room temperature either. Bring the temperature down in the refrigerator then bring the temperature up with a seductive and lengthy presentation! Or you might try one of the many sherry cocktails now in vogue.
Please note: the hand painted gold glass I used in the photo was one of my grandmother’s; the hand felted Valentine angel is by boridolls; the card was made for me by my son, now 7.
Happy Valentine’s Day! May your quest for love and sherry be a fun one!
The President of the Secret Sherry Society is pleased to present this week’s author on “Sherry Blogger of the Week,” Nathan Hazard of The Chocolate of Meats . You can also follow Nathan on Twitter @ChocoMeat
Each week we will feature a new wine blogger committed to sharing with readers their passion and knowledge of wine. If you are a wine blogger and are interested in being featured on our website please email us at secretsherrysociety@gmail.com.
By Nathan Hazard
Let’s be up-front, I am a relative newcomer to sherry.
A fledgling enthusiast.
A convert.
When I was younger, sherry was purely of the discount cream variety and sat on the shelf above the stove for ages beside the canola oil, spices, and kosher salt. It was used maybe twice a year, and tossed upon moving, to be replaced eventually by an equally abased bottle of Marsala. Then one adventurous eve at the market while in college, I picked up a bottle of fino sherry, checked out the label and decided to give this “bracing aperitif” another shot. I chilled the bottle as instructed and poured myself a taste. Akin to my first sip of grappa, the bone dry mineral sting came as an unpleasant surprise, and thus tawny port took a healthy lead in the fortified wine department.
Many years, bottles, and a port club or two later, experience has lead to a rekindling of curiosity. Following a stunning meal at downtown Los Angeles’ Latin powerhouse Rivera last year, I decided to leap once more and finish the meal with a glass of sherry. The server aided me in selecting an Amontillado. As soon as the first amber drop hit my tongue I felt shame, and by the time the almond aromatics filled the back of my mouth a tear had formed in memorial of lost time. Supple, elegant, fascinating, and sexy… I couldn’t recall the last time a single spirit caused such electricity on my palate. It was love. Latent, but true.
In approaching this post, I couldn’t ignore the rich world of sherry cocktails and not due to their burgeoning popularity currently, but for the sweet atonement the trend represents after years of bottom bar shelf desecration. Yes, on the heels of Amari, sherry’s unique notes are fast becoming the barman’s friend.
After a tipsy weekend recipe testing in my kitchen, I’m sharing a voyeuristic dip into my own affair – specifically with Amontillado. Echoing the simple Basque dessert Peras al Vino and named after the Spanish pear, this cocktail relies on subtle aromatics of the dry pear brandy, cinnamon bark and orange oils to enhance the smooth almondy character of the sherry.
Conferencia
- 1 oz vodka
- 1 oz dry Amontillado sherry (I used Gran Barquero)
- ½ oz Clear Creek Pear Brandy
- ½ oz Dolin Vermouth de Chambery Rouge
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken
- Orange peel
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake lightly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.
Because sherry is so food friendly, I couldn’t help but whip up a quick snack to compliment the cocktail.
I first fell in love with deep-fried olives when I worked for a summer at Bluehour in Portland, whose fried picholines were the hit of the Pearl District happy hour set. For these, I used larger Manzanilla olives, so I had room to stuff them. To prepare, first soak the olives in a water bath for a half hour or so to mellow the brine. Pat dry on a paper towel. Finely mince a couple slices of prosciutto and stuff in the olives, using an almond to cork. Line up three shallow dishes with flour, one beaten egg, and panko bread crumbs filling them respectively. Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy saucepan until a bread crumb browns upon hitting the oil (375 degrees). Dredge olives in flour, shake then cover in egg, lastly rolling in the panko. Deep fry for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and let cool slightly.
Sip cocktail, eat olive. Let love do the rest.
The President of the Secret Sherry Society is pleased to present this week’s author on “Sherry Blogger of the Week,” Linda Miller Nicholson of Salty Seattle. Be sure to check out her blog for more tips and tricks and follow Linda on Twitter as @saltyseattle.
Each week we will feature a new wine blogger committed to sharing with readers their passion and knowledge of wine. If you are a wine blogger and are interested in being featured on our website please email us at secretsherrysociety@gmail.com.
Spherified Sherry Pearl Canapés
By Linda Miller Nicholson
E-to the-U-to the-REKA, Eureka! A whole realm of liquor-drenched possibility just ensconced itself in my kitchen-cum-laboratory. I mean, when you can transform sherry into concentrated, raisin-like pearls, the world really is your oyster. And when you hit upon the technique through the grueling process of research and development (aka drink lots of sherry and experience the miracle of a happy accident) it’s all the more satisfying.
I recently read a review from El Bulli wherein Ferran Adria was said to have spherified sherry into raisins, thus my interest was piqued. I could find no information on the actual process, so I set about experimenting. I’ve done typical calcium chloride/sodium alginate spherification with alcohol and other acidic liquids before and was less than pleased with the results. That’s because you have to add an acid-balancing chemical (sodium citrate) that I feel adversely affects the final flavor.
I knew it was time to embrace a new spherification frontier, and I’ve been playing around with gelling techniques and agents recently, so why not spherify with one such as agar agar or gelatin? I read somewhere that someone dropped agar agar-infused liquid into cold oil and pearls were formed, so I figured I’d give it a go with sherry.
I got very lucky by simply following my preferred agar agar to liquid ratio (1.25:100) and dropping the mixture via kitchen syringe into freezer-chilled canola oil. Not only did it spherify, it proved just the right amount of agar agar to form an exterior skin while still remaining perfectly gushing on the inside.
Now that I’ve accomplished this feat, it’s like I played god for one brief moment. I have to wonder why the original god- Yoda, some nymph-mermaid hybrid, whoever that elusive god-creature really is- didn’t make raisins this good in our existing universe. I mean, if you can pack an 18% whollop of sweet but not too sweet high-brow alcohol into a sphere the size of a pinkie-toe and make it taste good with fewer ugly wrinkles than the passé raisins of my youth, why wouldn’t you?
Remember when you used to trade chocolate chips for raisins in the lunchroom and there was always some snot-nosed social-climbing weirdo who would give you all her chocolate chips in exchange for your palm-sweat coated raisins? Well all bets would be off with these “raisins” let me tell you. Kids would fight tooth and nail over them. Mormon entrepreneurs-in-training would quickly realize they could sell these sherry pearls to their classmates for a premium and once again they would take over a hedonistic hotbed of sin, just like their elders have done with Las Vegas. It would be drunken fifth grade mayhem of the highest order if only we’d serve sherry raisins to students. Seriously gives new meaning to No Child Left Behind, doesn’t it? Alas, a girl (who entertains brief delusions of deity) can dream…
Back to the reality of my kitchen for a moment: I chose to showcase my favorite flavors of España along with the sherry pearls- at least for their inaugural outing. I topped a puff pastry round with manchego cheese foam, slid in a sliver of Marcona almond, and dappled the canapé with the sherry raisins. It was simple, elegant and worthy of serving to your most discerning food-critical friend.
Speaking of simple, many feel that techniques which may or may not fall under the label “molecular gastronomy” are soulless sleights of science. This dish is emphatically not so, and would be a great launching point into that world since it is easily done with fairly accessible ingredients straight from a well-stocked grocer. Agar agar is easily sourced in both powder and strip form at natural foods or Asian markets. The other ingredients may be considered “gourmet” by some, but nevertheless can be found in any major city and most progressive towns across the US.
I don’t believe in creating esoteric food just for the sake of it being esoteric. I do, however, constantly strive to make things better, and these sherry raisins elevate both sherry and raisins to a level suitable to be served on the dinner plate, which is a place you don’t often see either.
Manchego Foam Canapes with Sherry “Raisins”
Makes 24 canapes
For the sherry raisins:
- 2 cups canola oil that has been frozen for at least four hours in a dish wide enough to drop sherry into
- 100 grams water
- 3.75 grams agar agar powder or strands (note- do not use agar agar that has been pre-mixed with sugar as the concentration is diluted and you won’t achieve proper spherification)
- 200 grams Sherry (I used Pedro Ximenez)
- 1 kitchen syringe, baster, or squeeze bottle.
- Bring the water and agar agar to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly until agar agar dissolves.
- Add to agar agar mixture to sherry and blend completely. You may wish to blitz it with an immersion blender to ensure complete uniformity. Place mixture into syringe, baster or bottle.
- Working quickly to ensure your oil does not get above 20°F, drop raisin-sized droplets of sherry mixture into oil. My oil container is about 3×5” and I can usually get about 20 droplets per batch. Remove oil droplets with a slotted spoon to a mesh strainer after one minute. You should have perfect, raisin-sized spheres. Repeat with remaining sherry, however you will need to re-freeze your oil periodically as it must not go above 20°F.
For the canapés:
- 1 sheet puff pastry barely thawed
- ¾ c grated manchego cheese
- ½ c heavy cream
- 24 marcona almond halves
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Using a 1.5” cutter, make 24 rounds of puff pastry. Nestle rounds into cups of a mini-cupcake pan and bake until golden brown and puffed, about 15 minutes. You can make a light indentation with your finger in the cups in order that the toppings will sit well, if you wish.
- Meanwhile, place manchego and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until manchego melts into cream. Blend with an immersion wand until fully incorporated,then chill in an ice bath until needed.
To assemble:
- Place scoops or quenelles of manchego foam on the puff pastry rounds. Wedge in a marcona almond half. Drop one or two sherry raisins on top and serve.
The President of the Secret Sherry Society is pleased to present this week’s author on “Sherry Blogger of the Week,” Lance J. Mayhew of MyLifeOnTheRocks . Lance is also an instructor at Oregon Culinary Institute as well as the Contributing Writer for Whiskey at About.com.
Each week we will feature a new wine blogger committed to sharing with readers their passion and knowledge of wine. If you are a wine blogger and are interested in being featured on our website please email us at secretsherrysociety@gmail.com.
Jerez’s Famous Sherry Producing Towns
By Lance J. Mayhew, MyLifeOnTheRocks
When most wine educators and enthusiasts talk about the wine regions of Spain, there is a tendency to focus on political boundaries rather than the actual region itself. Luckily, when it comes to the political boundaries of Andalucia, its most famous wine regions all fall well within its borders. Jerez, the home of Sherry and its subregion of Manzanilla De Sanlucar de Barrameda, Montilla-Moriles, Malaga and Condado de Huelva are the recognized Denominacion de Origen (DO) categories of fortified wines. All have a long tradition of making fortified wines, but Jerez is clearly the most famous and the considered the highest quality.
While any short list of the great Sherries from Jerez is sure to do the region an injustice due to the overall quality of the Sherry industry, my two favorite styles of Sherry are Amontillado and Manzanilla, a style of fino Sherry that hails from the Sanlucar de Barrameda subregion. While all sherries from Jerez are generally well regarded as high quality and one of the greatest values in the world of wine, production centers around three main centers; Sanlucar de Barrameda, Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerte de Santa Maria. All produce excellent Sherries, each with their own unique characteristics. Here are three of my favorite Sherries that represent a classic flavor profile from each town;
Sanlucar de Barrameda is a bit cooler and features a higher humidity than the surrounding areas of Jerez as it is a seaside town. This marine influence allows a slightly briny note to carry into the Sherry. My current favorite is from Bodegas Argueso, a Sherry bodega dating from the early 19th century. Their San Leon Manzanilla is a pale gold Sherry made from Palomino Fino grapes grown in the famous albariza soil of the region which is a combination of chalk, clay and silica which helps reflect sunlight back up the grapevines. The vineyard is located in a former salt marsh, and the marine influence is evident from the moment one begins to enjoy the bouquet. Toasted almonds, chamomile and a whiff of salt air appear before rich toasted almond and yeast tones dance across the palate. This is a very food friendly wine and one I like to pair with olives, Serrano ham, Manchego cheese and good bread for a quick and easy snack.
Jerez de la Frontera is the city at the cultural heart of Spain’s Sherry production. A number of the best Sherry bodegas are located there and its location further inland than Sanlucar de Barrameda results in a climate that is warmer and drier. The oldest Sherry bodega in existence calls Jerez de la Frontera home, with records indicating the Valdespino family has been involved in Sherry production since at least 1430. With almost 600 years of experience and knowledge, the Valdespino Contrabandista amontillado is a relative newcomer to the Valdespino lineup with the Contrabandista solera being established in 1892. This amontillado spends 8 years aging under flor, a yeasty substance that appears on the top of some styles of Sherry, then spend at least another 8 years in the solera. The result is a dark, amber colored oxidized wine with notes of hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cocoa, caramel and orange peel. A small amount of Pedro Ximenez is added to the predominantly Palomino Fino Sherry, adding just a touch of sweetness that is balanced by a bright acidity. This creates a slightly raisin-like finish, with hints of cinnamon, butterscotch and fresh roasted coffee. I like to enjoy Valdespino Contrabandista with roasted rack of lamb and more recently, I’ve been pairing it with Chinese food with surprising success.
El Puerte de Santa Maria is a bit further south than Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlucar de Barrameda. A seaport, this town was most famous for being the site of Columbus’s second expedition to the New World before the Sherry bodegas became famous. The world famous Osborne Sherry bodega is located in El Puerte de Santa Maria, and they produce a full range of Sherry styles from fino and Manzanilla (sourced from vineyards in Sanlucar de Barrameda), to Pedro Ximenez and even cream Sherry. My favorite though is Osborne amontillado. The Osborn amontillado has a slightly marine air hint as its vineyards are located much closer to the sea than the vineyards in Jerez de la Frontera. Not quite as dark as Valdespino Contrabandista, this rich, amber colored amontillado features strong nut-like tones, along with caramel, butterscotch and cocoa. There is a nice, lively acidity to balance just a hint of sweetness, which makes this amontillado a great pairing with cheeses and smoked seafood.
If you are curious about exploring the world of Sherry, my best advice to you is to just jump right in. From exploring the different styles of Sherry to exploring how the variations in the climate of a particular area can affect the flavor profile of the Sherries from that town, the world of Sherry is both exciting and affordable. You don’t even need a great wine shop to properly guide you through the Sherries of Jerez, simply identify a style you enjoy and try several within that category from different producers. Whatever may end up being your favorite bodega only your palate will decide, but the journey through the Sherries of Jerez will be a memorable and delicious one. I’d argue that the journey through the world of Sherry will more rewarding than any end result.
