Wilder on Wine: Sherry Baby

One of the best and one of the worst things about wine is the vast amount of choices available. OK, it's more "best" than it is "worst." But because of the huge amount of possibilities, some little niches inevitably fall by the wayside.

This week, I was reminded of one particular type of wine that really doesn't get the attention or appreciation it deserves. Sherry.

Most of us think of this fortified Spanish wine in terms of cooking and have probably only ever purchased the type of sherry that is good for little else but cooking. You know, that dusty $5 bottle on the bottom shelf that you had to ask the staff to find for you, whose packaging looks like it hasn't seen a revision since the Carter administration.

Once you try good sherry, you'll never go back. Every time I have the opportunity to taste sherry I am amazed that it's not something I think to enjoy more often.

Of course, there are several aspects of sherry that contribute to its marginalization.

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about sherry is the sheer complexity of the range of what's available outside the "cooking swill" type of sherry. Manzanilla, fino, amontillado, solera — the layman has little clue what all this means. Here are the basics.

Sherry is a type of beverage made in the Jerez region of southwest Spain. It's fortified, which means that a distilled spirit (usually brandy) is added to grape juice. The grapes grown there are mainly palomino, moscatel and pedro ximenez. The area is renowned for its chalky Albariza soils. Four main production centers exist within Jerez, and you may see one on the label of a sherry: Sanlucar de Barrameda, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Cadiz.

Sherry is made in a wide array of different styles, ranging from bone dry to sinfully sweet. Most have an intriguing and complex nutty character to them, which comes from the unique production methods used in this region.

While most winemakers avoid oxidation like the plague (oxidation is exposing the fermenting grape juice or finished wine to oxygen), in Jerez, it's a crucial step in production. This is what gives sherry its unique, almost biting, sense of nuttiness. It's most intense in the bone dry and lightweight Fino variety, which also has great minerality and a sense of saline-filled sea air.

In addition to Fino, going from driest to sweetest, you will most often find the Manzanilla (dry), Amontillado (mostly dry, but darker with more raisin notes), Oloroso (medium to light sweetness, the highest alcohol content of sherries), Cream Sherry (usually sweet) and Pedro Ximenez (sumptuously sweet but balanced).

Sherry may also be neglected by the American market because it has a higher alcohol content due to the fortification and is best drunk as a single four-ounce serving. Americans haven't shown a big affinity for these types of beverages, which typically open or close a meal (though they can, of course, serve as a main accompaniment as well). It's much more convenient and cost-effective to utilize a regular bottle of wine for the cooking, the pairing and the next-day consuming.

This is sad, because few beverages are as cleansing and food-friendly as a good sherry. And with so many types available, one is bound to be perfect for your meal. A light summer salad? Try a Fino. Roasted pork with dried fruit? An Amontillado, full of dried fruit character, is a natural choice. Pecan pie? "PX" (aka Pedro Ximenez) makes a swooningly good pairing. A complete no-brainer would be traditional Spanish tapas like olives or strong sheep's milk cheeses such as Idiazabul: in Spain, you can't have tapas without sherry. And sherries last longer than your average wines. Once opened, a Fino can last a week or so; an Amontillado several weeks; and a Pedro Ximenez a month or so.

A final cool thing about sherry? Every bottle you buy contains a mixture of newer and older sherries. When aging the beverage in very old wooden barrels, a system called solera is used. Barrels are stacked in rows four or five barrels high, with the newest on top, and the oldest on bottom. As the bottom barrels lose liquid content to evaporation, they are refilled with the barrel above, and that barrel is filled from the barrel above it, and so on. Thus, a typical bottle of sherry can actually contain very old juice (which is a good thing!). As an historically significant beverage beloved by Europe since the 1400s (see for example Edgar Allen Poe's story The Cask of Amontillado), it's a fittingly unique aspect to this beguiling elixir.

Sherry is so complex and delicious, I can't possibly give it its due in this small space (you have to read about the flor sometime — it's fascinating!). Do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle or two and experiment. Or the next time you are at a restaurant, just order a glass to pair with your appetizer or dessert. Mirror on 12th Avenue South has been a longtime promoter of sherry. Here are some of my favorite brands to try:

Osborne Solaz ($11 for 750mL, Athens Distributing) This is a great introduction at a great price. They offer only three types (Fino, Amontillado, and Cream), making the decision-making much simpler.

Lustau ($16 to $30 plus in various sizes; Lipman Brothers Distributing) This was the brand I tasted this past week that revived my interest in Sherry. A huge range of styles is available, and the quality is very good.

Bodegas Hidalgo ($15 to $30 plus; Aleksey's Imports Distributing) Here’s a newer brand to the Nashville market, though they aren't new at all in Spain — the house was established in the late 18th century and is renowned for high quality.