Sip Northwest, Summer 2014
BY TREVE RING SHERRY ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO Its time to meet Sherry Truly Youre overdue 55 SIPNORTHWEST COM If youve been holding out because you think its too sweet too dry too hard to understand unfashionable or unrefi ned give it up because Jerez Xeres Sherry is one of the most incredible and versatile wines yes its a wine on the planet Many consumers are terrifi ed by Sherry and mortifi ed by fortifi ed wines in general yes its fortifi ed But theres nothing at all to fear about Sherry once youve been properly introduced LOOKING GOOD FOR ITS AGE Sherry though possibly new to you is one of the worlds oldest wines Its considerable evolution has been marked by the infl uence of many of the worlds greatest civilizations the Phoenicians Greeks Romans Moors Spanish and British It is now fi rmly in the practiced hands of those in the know sommeliers bartenders and chefs In the European Union Sherry is a protected designation of origin and all wine labeled as Sherry must legally come from the Sherry Triangle an area in the southwestern province of Cádiz in Spain between Jerez de la Frontera Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María Production begins much like any other table wine the grapes mainly Palomino for the dry and mid sweet styles and Moscatel or Pedro Ximinez for the sweet styles are harvested and undergo fermentation to dryness Then the process shifts and the wine is fortifi ed with brandy the amount of which will shape the fi nal product For light dry styles the wine is fortifi ed to allow growth of benefi cial yeast to form called or Flor blankets the wine in cask preventing any oxygen contact For fuller styles the growth of or is inhibited by a higher fortifi cation and wines are allowed oxygen exposure and maturity like traditional wine Once fortifi ed casks enter into the solera a dynamic system of fractional blending which sees new wine added to casks when older wine is drained away allowing for the slow steady and controlled blending of various years and lots Sherry is aged for a minimum of three years in cask before it reaches the bottle though some solera count back over decades for aging From light lithe and salty to rich unctuous and sweet the Sherry spectrum covers all bases and tastes and is a secret weapon in pairing with foods as well as other spirits Allow me to introduce you to Sherry
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