Some may shake their heads in disbelief when told that sherry could be the next hot wine style. Sherry suffers from a polarised image. Among the younger drinkers it is considered to be fusty, sweet, even cloying. However, wine professionals and fans think of it as one of the best value wines, with complexity and depth of character. The growing number of trendy sherry bars opening up in cities such as London and New York and increasing media attention point to a revival in popularity.
Sherry originates from Jerez in the southwest of Spain. It is a fortified wine made from the white grape palomino. Neutral spirits are added after fermentation to increase the alcohol level. Wines are aged in the solera system, a complex blending of young wines with older wines.
There is a large range of sherry styles: dry, off dry, sweet and lusciously sweet. Dry sherries include Fino, Manzanilla and Amontillado. Next is the Oloroso, which can be dry or sweet, and then cream sherries, which are sweetened with Pedro Ximenez wine. The sweetest style is the syrup-like Pedro Ximenez, with more than 400 grams of sugar per litre.
For a sherry tasting experience, gather a few friends and taste the entire range from dry to sweet over a meal. Lustau, a renowned sherry producer founded in 1896, has been described as the "Rolls-Royce" of sherries and is a good way for wine lovers to initiate themselves.
