Sherry is a traditional fortified wine from the Spanish province of Andalusia, made from several selected varieties of white grapes. Depending on the type of drink, its strength is 15-22 degrees. The sugar content fluctuates even more in the range of 0-400 grams per 1000 ml of sherry.
By the way, in the English tradition and transliteration, this drink is called Sherry.
The Spaniards consider this wine their national treasure. Therefore, it is not surprising that the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula have achieved recognition of the exclusive rights to use its name. Moreover, according to international laws, only wine produced according to the correct technology, in a small piece of Andalusia, can bear such a name.
How to drink sherry?
This seemingly simple question cannot be answered unambiguously. Everything will depend on the specific type of sherry, the bottle of which fell into your hands.
Eight varieties are currently produced:
- Pedro Jimenez (pedro ximenez);
- Oloroso;
- Manzanilla (Manzanilla);
- Fino (Fino);
- Pale Cream (Pale Cream);
- Amontillado (Amontillado);
- Medium (Medium);
- Palo Cortado.
Each of these varieties has its own history. Not surprisingly, they all require and deserve special treatment. The Spaniards consider it a frank disrespect for their homeland when foreigners start tasting their favorite wine without really understanding how to drink sherry.
However, there are two old rules for its use, which will unite all existing varieties.
- The classic sherry glass is shaped like a tulip. Of course, the use of the right dishes is the lot of sommeliers and aesthetes. At home, as a rule, ordinary wine glasses are used.
- The main wine of Spain does not tolerate fuss. It should be drunk in small sips, discovering the whole palette of taste and aroma.
Features of drinking different varieties
Variety Pedro Jimenez (pedro ximenez) This is the most popular type of dessert sherry. Its feature is a unique flavor that eludes the taster. Pedro Jimenez should be drunk chilled to a temperature of 12-13 degrees Celsius.
The ideal option is to serve it with black tea and dessert. Another great appetizer option is noble blue cheese.
Manzanilla and Fino This is a classic dry sherry. These wines are excellent aperitifs. They should be consumed before meals. A glass of any of these sherries will make you hungry.
Manzanilla and Fino are served in the same tulip-shaped glasses, chilled to 5-9 degrees. As an appetizer, seafood, fish and soft cheeses (for example, Brie, Roquefort, and Camembert) are suitable.
The most expensive sherry is Fino.
Amontillado is also dry sherry. First of all, it differs from its previous counterparts in suitable snacks. This is due to the fact that it is not an aperitif. It should be served at the table during a meal chilled to 9-10 degrees. As an appetizer, white poultry meat, soup and hard cheeses (for example, Gouda, Cheddar and Radamer) are great with it.
Pale Cream served chilled to 6-7 degrees. Such sherry can be eaten both with fruits and poultry liver dishes.
Oloroso- has a wonderful smell. It is produced in different versions. Olorosso is semi-dry, dry and dessert. As a rule, it is drunk as a digestif. The correct temperature is 15-16 degrees.
Medium when serving, cool to 9-10 degrees. A variety of pate and smoked meat are considered traditional snacks for it.
Palo Cortado use at its temperature of 16-18 degrees. This noble drink is advised not to eat at all. But lovers of a good cigar or cigarette may well smoke while using it.
Production specifics
The main technological feature in the production of sherry is the use of gypsum and flora. Flor is a special yeast fungus that creates a dense, oxygen-impermeable film during the fermentation of wine. However, let's talk about everything in order.
1. It all starts with the September grape harvest. In the production of sherry, the following grape varieties are used:
- Pedro Jimenez;
- Moscatel;
- Tintilla de Rota;
- Mollar;
- Albillo;
- Perruno;
- Mantuo;
- Palomino Bianco.
2. Then the berries removed from the vines are additionally dried in the sun for 7-15 days.
3. After that, sometimes they start plastering. Winemakers on only them known signs determine the content of calcium carbonate in the raw material. If they come to the conclusion that it is not enough, then the berries are additionally sprinkled with plaster.
5. The juice is poured into barrels where it is kept from 2.5 to 50 days.
6. After that, the same flor is added to the sherry casks. A film is formed that keeps the drink in a special, air-tight cocoon.
7. Then comes the mounting process. From time immemorial, in the production of sherry, pure grape spirit was used for this purpose. It is at this stage that the division into specific varieties occurs.
Can it be done at home?
At home, you can make wine that, to your taste, will vaguely resemble the Spanish original. If you still decide on this, then stick to this technology.
For this we need the following ingredients:
- white grapes - 5 kg;
- sherry yeast - 100 grams;
- chalk or gypsum - 50 grams.
Proper preparation of sherry.
- Keep the grapes in the sun for a week.
- After that, sprinkle the berries with plaster.
- Next, squeeze the juice using any method familiar to you.
- Pour the juice into oak barrels for 50 days.
- After that, sherry yeast should be added to the young wine.
- After that, it should be left for another 30-50 days.
As a result, you are unlikely to get, say, Oloroso, but the taste of home-made sherry will still please you.
sherry cocktails
To date, bartenders have come up with a huge number of similar cocktails. They have been made for a very long time and there are many options. We bring to your attention the three most successful in our subjective opinion.
You will need the ingredients:
- 60 ml dry sherry;
- 180-200 ml of sweet vermouth;
- a couple of drops of orange liqueur;
- crushed ice.
Proper preparation.
- Fill crushed ice cocktail glass.
- Carefully pour your creation into it.
You will need the ingredients:
- 20 ml brandy;
- 20 ml light rum;
- 75 ml sherry;
- 3 drops of any balm.
Proper preparation.
- Mix all ingredients in a shaker.
- Pour the cocktail into a glass.
You will need the ingredients:
- 45 ml light rum;
- 15 ml of sherry;
- 1 cocktail cherry.
Proper preparation.
- Mix all ingredients in a shaker.
- Strain your creation into a cocktail glass garnished with a cherry.
Speaking of strong wines, sherry cannot be forgotten. This wine is touchy, it does not tolerate inattention. If - this is a noisy, cheerful Porthos; - sweet ladies' man Aramis; then sherry is undoubtedly a refined Athos, with a contradictory character and an intricate, sometimes dramatic history.
It is not surprising that the legendary Count De La Fere loved this drink more than others. And not only him. Sherry was preferred by writers Cervantes, Dickens, Nabokov, Chekhov, Conan Doyle and his character Sherlock Holmes, American President Benjamin Franklin, jazzman Charlie Parker. And Pablo Picasso was so fond of knocking over glasses of wine from his native Andalusia at breakfast that a separate variety of sherry was even named after him.
A good sherry […] throwing itself into your head, dries up in the brain all the stupid, vulgar and gloomy vapors surrounding it, makes it sharp-witted, lively, inventive, gives rise to playful, cheerful, ardent images in it, which, passing into voice into language, take kind of cute, witty jokes and antics.
Shakespeare "Henry IV"
"By old yeast." How is the most famous morning wine made?
The production technology of both Madeira and Port wine cannot be called simple. But sherry is by far the most complex of the trinity. In its production, not only grapes, air, sun and human labor are used, but also special yeast cultures - flor, under which the wine ripens without oxygen.
Sherry is a regional brand. A wine created in a triangle between cities can officially bear such a name. Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spanish Andalusia. Only here there is the right soil for growing grapes, only the local winemakers know the secrets of production that have been passed down from father to son for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Of course, attempts to repeat the recipe were made, and some were even quite successful. Not bad, for example, Sherry Massandra. This, of course, is not "sherry" in the full sense of the word, but in the absence of a maid, a butler will do. If you want to try refreshing cocktails with sherry, it is quite suitable for their preparation. By the way, it is at the Massandra factory that the oldest sherry bottles in the world, dating back to the beginning of the 18th century, are stored.
- I'm from Siberia, I'm an orphan ... But just so that I don't feel so sick ... I want sherry.
V. Erofeev "Moscow-Petushki"
But we digress. Very roughly, the production of sherry can be represented as follows:
- At the beginning and end of September, the grape varieties Perdro Ximenes, Moscatel, Tintilla de Rota (for sweet wines), Mollar, Albillo and Perruno (for dry wines), Mantuo and Palomino Bianco (for elite varieties) are harvested.
- The collected bunches are aged under the sun for 1-2 weeks.
Thus, the content of tannins and malic acid in grape juice is reduced, but the sugar content is increased. “Ripening” grapes are laid out on straw mats, and at night they are covered with mats of special esparto grass to protect them from dew.
- Another secret stage of production is plastering.
The chalk soils of Albaris contain a large number of calcium carbonate. If it is not enough, the grapes are sprinkled with dry gypsum before pressing, which contains the same substance.
- Next, the grapes are pressed.
Now the presses do it, and earlier specially trained workers, shod in special shoes with spikes, between which bits of vines and bones got stuck in a barrel of berries for 10-12 hours, were trampled for 10-12 hours.
- Fermentation in barrels without flor lasts from 50 hours to 50 days - depending on the variety and type of wine.
- Now flor is added to the drink - a yeast fungus of the Saccharomyces family.
Initially, the flor protected the wine and prevented it from turning into vinegar. The culture forms an airtight film on the surface, absorbs residual sugar, reduces the percentage of acids and glycerol, and increases the content of esters.
- Mounting and classification.
After the initial aging, experienced winemakers determine what to do with the wine - send it and continue to age under the flora (this is how the elite Manzanilla and Fino varieties are obtained) or remove the bacteria and make a “simple” Oloroso or Amontillado, which is aged with air access. 96% grape alcohol comes into play. Manzanilla and Fino are fixed to a maximum of 15.5% - so as not to kill the fungus. And in Oloroso or Amontillado, you can immediately splash brandy, bringing the drink to 17 or more degrees - here the flor is no longer needed.
- Exposure and selection.
Fortified sherry is decanted and sent to the cellars. There, a complex blending process takes place, with the dilution of younger wines with older ones - this technology is called "solera-and-criadera". It is impossible to accurately determine the year of birth of sherry - only an approximate date is written on the bottles. average age. But from year to year, the drink turns out to be approximately the same taste and quality.
The history of sherry: from the ancient Phoenicians to Commissar Mikoyan
Unlike Madeira and Port wine, sherry is an ancient drink. Since the end of the second millennium BC, wine production began near the city of Jerez de la Frontera. Grapes were brought here by the Phoenicians, as evidenced by the ancient Greek historian Strabo. The then sherry was famous for its long shelf life. True, its shelf life was extended not yet by flor, but by boiling - barbaric, but effective way. Such "boiled" sherry was massively imported by the Romans, which clearly testifies to the refined tastes of that era.
Alco-heit, oh sorry Alhaken II, a monument in Cordoba
In the 8th century AD, Spain was invaded by the Moors. Terrible Othello, who professed Islam, did not drink wine, but they knew the secrets of land reclamation. The vineyards, surrounded by a skilful irrigation system, began to sprout with a vengeance. True, there was one thing in the Moorish history of Spain, pardon the pun "black spot" - Caliph Alhaken II.
It was a kind of Moorish Gorbachev, who also held a high post at the turn of the millennium. In 966, he ordered to uproot all the vineyards of Jerez: they say that grapes are an invention of Shaitan, and in general - "sobriety is the norm of life." But local farmers quickly reminded the “reformer” that without grapes there would be no juice, no dolma, and most importantly, raisins, which the soldiers ate on campaigns.
The beginning of the reconquista finally saved the vineyards from the Moors. The Europeans, who conquered the Iberian Peninsula span by span, drank wine. Moreover, drunkenness was a symbol for them, a noble trait that distinguished the holy Christian knights from the dirty godless Arabs. "Reconquistadors" could tell modern sommeliers how to drink sherry - exclusively by barrels. Wine was given even to war horses so that they would boldly go on the attack. Alfonso X, who captured Jerez de la Frontera in 1264, first set about mass production of wine.
But it was not the Spaniards who brought world fame to sherry, but the British. Having tasted this peculiar drink, London sirs began to actively import it. True, they could not pronounce the word "Jerez", so they called him "Sherry". Under Henry III, the import of sherry reached such a scale that local winemakers were forced to standardize its production, establish rules for the collection and cultivation of grapes. Since 1483, cutting down vines in the region has been considered a criminal offense.
I have never had to be drunk on sherry, admitted Goranflo, it must be an unusually pleasant state.
A. Dumas "Countess de Monsoro"
A new stage in the development of sherry is the discovery of America. Magellan, going to the West Indies, took about 500 wineskins and 250 casks "on the road". At the time of colonization, sherry, which perfectly endures road hardships and hardships, practically does not spoil, became the basis for export to the New World, taking up to a third of all cargo sent there. Sir Francis Drake became interested in such active trade. In 1587 his men attacked the city and demanded an indemnity of 3,000 barrels of wine. The "farmed" kegs made a splash in London. Sherry ceased to be a royal drink, he poured into the British streets in a stormy stream, becoming the favorite wine of all the more or less wealthy Englishmen, and later of the European and American bourgeois who raised their heads.
Remember who ruled us? Take a look at the portraits: lean faces, haughty physiognomies ... Longing! A simple man works like a horse, and then looks at a sad monarch and he wants to hang himself! And then at some time a cheerful king appears, with an infectious smile ... A joker and a joker! This is the pride of the nation! And he is sick, like everyone else - with colitis! And it is treated, like everyone else, with sherry!
G. Gorin "Kin IV"
In 1944, sherry reached our lands - its production began in the Crimea, at Massandra. True, since 1933 "Jerez" is a regional trademark that can only be produced in Andalusia. But Comrade Mikoyan, who contributed to the development of winemaking in the USSR, didn't give a damn about it. He said - to make Massandra sherry, and they did it. Moreover, the very first harvest of 1944 is still considered the best. However, attempts to produce sherries have been made since the 19th century - not only in the Crimea, but also in Moldova, Dagestan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Kuban, Odessa and Kherson regions. A lot of sherries were made in Soviet times as well.
Is it possible to compare Soviet sherries with Spanish ones? No, and here are the reasons why:
- Grape. In the union, any grapes were used for sherries - from rkatsiteli and kokur to chardonnay and aligote. Of the grapes grown in Andalusia, only Albillo was used.
- Fastening. According to Soviet technology, the wine was fortified not with grape distillate, but with ordinary rectified alcohol, which, of course, affected the taste.
- sherry. All "sherry" produced in the open spaces former USSR, aged under flor for only a year, and then went through oxidized aging in barrels.
- And finally holding technology. Solera and criadera, traditional for true sherries and other elite wines, has not been used anywhere in the CIS and is not being used.
Soviet sherry. From right to left: Don, Taman, Kuban, Uzbek, again Kuban, Moscow, two Dagestan, Kazakh, Armenian, three Moldavian and three Crimean, including the famous Massandra sherry.
So, Soviet sherry, like its currently produced descendants, is a wine that is made from different grapes, brewed using a different technology, fortified in a different way and, most importantly, aged under flor in a different way.
And finally - how to drink sherry?
How to drink Massandra sherry? Of course, like this: you pull out a bottle from the parental bar, move it to the entrance, where friends are waiting for you, and take turns from your throat, lighting a cheap cigar. Or so: in the Crimea, when the sun had almost set, and the heat subsided, from an aluminum mug, to the sounds of a guitar and the crackle of a fire.
But if you are generous with a bottle or two of real Spanish, you should at the same time think about what sips to drink it with, what kind of snack and how much to cool it.
The art of drinking sherry depends on its variety. Traditionally, the following are distinguished: Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Madium, Pale Creme, Palo Cortado, Oloroso and Pedro Jimenez.
- Fino- the most expensive sherry with a strength of about 18%. Fino is always dry, always aged exclusively under flora, without oxygen.
- Manzanilla- Fino, grown only in the city of Sanlúcar. It is even less sweet than regular fino.
Both of these sherries are wonderful aperitifs, with a nutty flavor and a fruity bouquet. This dry sherry is served very chilled, up to 5-10 degrees. Snack them with soft cheese, seafood and fish.
- Amontillado- also dry sherry, with amber color and almond notes. They eat it with hard cheese, white meat, or, like the landlords who were not finished off by the Bolsheviks, with soup. Temperature - 10 °.
- Madium also served at 10°, it goes well with smoked meats and various pâtés and has an unusual, very bright taste for a dry wine.
- Pale Cream combined with poultry liver and fruit, it opens up perfectly at 7 degrees Celsius.
- And here Palo Cortado differs sharply from other dry sherries. It is produced like fino, but sometimes, for mysterious reasons, the flora on the surface of the wine dies, and the wine begins to age using oxidized technology.
Black tea is the perfect accompaniment to dessert sherries
Palo Cortado is cooled to no more than 16 degrees. It is not recommended to eat it at all, but this drink, like a good brandy, goes well with cigar smoke. Some Russian connoisseurs recommend this drink with ... dumplings!
- Oloroso- sherry aged without the participation of flora, very fragrant, with nutty notes and golden color. It can be dessert, and dry, and semi-dry. Dry snacks are eaten with red meat, the rest are consumed as a digestif at a temperature of 16 ° C.
- And finally Pedro Jimenez- the most famous dessert sherry, with a slightly captured raisin aroma. It is served with desserts and blue cheeses chilled to 13°. Pedro Ximenez goes well with black tea, biscuits, and goes well with our traditional "tea table".
You are full and indifferent, and therefore have a penchant for philosophy, but I want to live, and therefore I drink sherry at dinner and smoke cigars and that's it.
Port wine and other fortified wines (sherry, Madeira) evoke dubious associations more often than positive ones. At worst, you imagine hooligans with a bottle of 777 in the alley, at best, frantic festivities, after which no one remembers anything. At the same time, real, serious ports-sherrys, by inertia, “are put in one heap” with swill from Pyaterochka. And in vain, because the difference between them is huge. A real port wine is not a sweet wine with alcohol, it is an interesting thing, with a lot of nuances, to sit with a glass and enjoy. It's time to deal with the misconceptions about fortified so that the pleasures do not pass by.
1. Port and other comrades are alcohol-based wine
Yes, you need alcohol to make fortified. Only in the production of cheap port-sherry wines, alcohol is involved for a clear reason - so that the degree is higher and that it intoxicates faster. And alcohol is taken from ordinary ethyl alcohol, added to simple wine or juice, then more sugar there. Sometimes all this is insisted on oak shavings, for greater astringency and giving “subtle woody nuances”. The result is sweet, drunk, cheap.
Real ports, sherries, madeiras are made differently. Alcohol is taken not anyhow, but grape, it is specially produced for this business. Wine needs it for important processes to happen there (more on that below). No sugar is added, if port-sherry is sweet, then only due to the sugar contained in the grapes themselves. Still fortified wines are kept in barrels for years - there the taste and aroma are refined and become richer: for example, vanilla, chocolate, and expensive tobacco appear. The result is an unusual wine, vivid impressions.
2. Fortified drink when you need to get drunk, but without vodka
Many in their youth had port wines or sherries from a stall - and since then it has stuck in their minds that this is not consumed for the sake of taste. Rather, it is a convenient way to get drunk, because it is sweet and easy to go, while it works effectively. Real sherry ports are a different story, it's just a pity to get drunk on them. Because from the first sip, the taste captivates and you want to savor, sniff, and then hide the bottle in the cupboard in the kitchen and bliss in the evenings. It happens - as you smell some kind of creme brulee, as memories from childhood come flooding back. In general, such things are drunk for pleasure and taste. And the taste of fortified ones is very different: there are berry-enveloping, brutal-sea, thoughtfully-nutty. If you decide to enter the topic - do not get bored.
3. Port, sherry, Madeira - all the same
There is hardly a wild difference between the fake "port wine", "sherry" and "Madeira". But the real ones have a couple of things in common, but in general they differ both in the production method and in taste.
What common:
Firstly, each fortified has only one place of production, this is enshrined in law, such a drink can only be made there and nowhere else. They did something similar in another place - well done, but do not write the word “sherry” on the label (but Russians can do anything, yes), because the same wine will not work anywhere else. Even if you licked the technology exactly, you can’t copy the climate, but it affects the taste of grapes and wine. Port wines are made only in Portugal near the city of Porto in the Douro Valley, sherries in southern Spain in the Andalusia region, Madeira in Portugal on the island of Madeira.
Secondly, ports, sherries, madeiras are created with the participation of grape spirit. Add it at a strictly defined moment. First, grape juice begins to ferment - the sugar in it slowly turns into alcohol under the action of yeast. After a couple of days, the process must be stopped - until all the sugar has become alcohol and there is little left for sweetness. Just alcohol stops fermentation, this addition of alcohol is called fastening. After fastening, the wine goes to aging. This is how sweet fortified is made, and sometimes it is also dry. It is made in the same way, only the fermentation is stopped later, when there is almost no sugar left, and then also for aging. But the shutter speed of each of the fortified ones has its own, special, about it below.
What is different:
First of all, grapes are completely different. And even if it were the same, the climate and soils in Madeira and Andalusia, for example, are completely different, and they greatly affect the taste of grapes, and the same wine would still not come out.
Secondly, excerpt. Before aging, we have a simple strong wine, after it - a rich taste and aroma. Port wines are kept in barrels from 2 years to plus infinity. The longer, the less density and berries become there, but more stylish dried fruits and nuts. Sherries are aged under a film of special yeast, then in barrels according to a special system. A couple of times a year, part of the mature sherry is poured from barrels into bottles for sale, and younger sherry is poured into these barrels - “fresh blood” tones up, and sherry tirelessly works on itself, goes to perfection, and not just to old age. Well, Madeira is kept in barrels, which are left in the heat for several months so that the sugar caramelizes - they are either sent to a heat chamber or on a roof under the sun.
The worst. Not only do sherries differ from ports, but each type of fortified has its own subspecies, which also differ from each other.
Ports:
There are red, white, pink. Reds are ruby and tawny. Ruby feels like a thick sweetish wine with all sorts of alluring chocolate cherries, it is kept in a barrel for only 2-3 years, because it is juicy and sweet. Tony is not as thick, less winey and sweet, and has more nuts and dried fruits because it is aged longer in the cask.
White ports (branco) are dry, semi-dry and sweet. Everywhere there are flowers, fruits, gardens, but in dry white ports the gardens are under a fresh breeze, and in sweet ones in honey and molasses. Dry ones are good with ice in the heat, and sweet ones by an imaginary fireplace on cold evenings.
Pink ports have been made quite recently, there is a sheer cherry-raspberry frivolity, because they are not aged in a barrel at all. That is why the Portuguese decided for a couple of years whether it was port wine or not.
Sherries:
This is a fortified white, but you won’t guess right away - most sherries have a red and even dark brown color. Sherries are dry and sweet.
Dry: fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado (fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado). Listed in order of decreasing lightness and increasing “fat content”, Fino is quite piercing and apple-iodine, and the further down the list, the more nuts, dried herbs and dried apples.
Sweet sherries: medium, pale cream, cream, pedro ximenez (medium, pale cream, cream, pedro ximenez). Listed in ascending order of sweetness and the number of any nuances in the taste-aroma. Minimalistic medium - fruits, honey, iodine. And then things went: caramel, chocolate, then an elite cola will be imagined in a glass, then a mummy.
Madeira:
In fact, it is correctly called Madeira, in honor of the island on which it is made, but the word “Madeira” has taken root with us. This is a white fortified, but, as with sherry, you won’t immediately guess - Madeira is always red or brown. The range is from dry to sweet. In dry iodine with dried fruits and the main feature of Madeira is caramel, but harsh, as if sugar was scorched at the stake. In sweet madeiras, caramel is tender, in addition to it - peaches, dates and other fruity joys.
4. Food is not needed here
In their wild youth, sherry ports are eaten with chocolates and suspicious chips. In the power adult life more often they drink on their own, in a glass after a meal. Because right away you won’t understand what kind of food to drink it with. Although he loves fortified food, the main thing is to know the right combinations and not be afraid to invent your own.
Here are a couple of examples. Ruby port wine (cherry, sweet) is good with burgers, where there are more cutlets, a more aristocratic option is tenderloin or duck with berry sauce. Dry sherries love food with garlic, from grilled chicken to a simple garlic baguette. And sweet sherries and madeiras will turn morning pancakes into the perfect Saturday breakfast for an adult. If you need to delve into the topic, here is a practical guide.
In general, this advice is to cast aside doubts, look after a pretty bottle of fortified and be enchanted. For everything to go to the highest level - a couple more moments. Do not be afraid, pour the fortified into ordinary wine glasses, only a little bit at a time. If you like it and decide to continue the practice, you can buy it. They are called snifters, the shape is thought out so that the fortified was convenient to drink: to feel all the notes, while not inhaling alcohol. And most importantly - such wines should be drunk cool, sweet ones should be put in the refrigerator half an hour before X, dry wines an hour before. Or just keep the bottle in the refrigerator and enjoy a little bit for a week or two, everything will be fine with the wine, it will not fade. So fortified love is also beneficial - just one bottle will provide more than one wonderful evening.
To help everyone who wants to understand wine and read about it in a human language - service . There, all our adult readers in Moscow are waiting for a gift - two correct wine glasses with the first order.
Often, beginners have a question - how to drink sherry? It would seem that there is such a thing. The word "sherry" is on everyone's lips, which means that everyone can drink the drink. And here comes the snag. Indeed, without knowing the basic rules for drinking and serving sherry, you can ruin any tasting in the bud. In addition, this variety of Spanish fortified wine, in comparison with traditional wines, behaves more actively in the bottle. Therefore, in order to prolong the pleasure of communicating with such a noble drink as sherry, you still need to follow the rules for its use so that later you don’t feel excruciatingly painful for wasted sherry.
Sherry as an aperitif, digestif and medicine
How is sherry drunk as an aperitif and digestif? Little by little, with feeling, with sense, with arrangement. Due to its rather strong tonic properties, the Spanish drink can be safely called the "king of aperitifs". However, connoisseurs of the case say that it is appropriate throughout the meal, because its luxurious bouquet cannot “hammer” the taste of even smoked meats or fish, as is the case with traditional wines. The people of Andalusia discovered this a long time ago. unique property sherry and therefore use it before, during and after meals. In addition, the unique composition of sherry helps to improve digestion, which is very valuable after hearty Spanish dishes. Therefore, as a digestif, the drink is also indispensable.
How else do they drink sherry? Do not believe it, but Spanish winemakers claim that the drink has healing properties, unless, of course, you know the measure (no more than 200 g per day). Dry, tart sherry has an excellent effect on blood formation, digestion, and has anti-cold and disinfectant effects. At the end of the last century, according to the recommendations of pharmacists, the British used sherry every day and little by little from small beakers. Among other things, local healers used the Spanish folk drink to extract medicinal components from herbal medicines. Agree, the history of using and serving sherry is not only interesting, but also very unusual!
What to drink sherry with. Experienced Gourmet Tips
The question “with what to drink sherry” can be answered in different ways. It really depends on the type of drink. On the one hand, desserts will be universal snacks for sweet sherries, fish and meat dishes, poultry, boiled or cold-smoked cod for dry sherry. As a nice bonus for any of its varieties can serve walnuts or almonds and even biscuits. And of course, don't forget the cheese! Coffee and a good cigar will also not harm a pleasant pastime with a noble drink. Often a few ice cubes are added to the drink, thanks to which new shades appear in its bouquet, hitherto unknown, but bewitching. On the other hand, connoisseurs of the matter say that such an important question “how to drink sherry in the right way” cannot be approached so one-sidedly. Therefore, they clearly divide the Spanish drink into varieties and their corresponding snacks. Not the last role here is played by the temperature of the drink.
. For sherry Manzanilla and Fino, which, by the way, are ideal aperitifs, the traditional Spanish tapas appetizer is perfect as a delicious accompaniment, white fish, soft cheeses, smoked and lightly smoked red fish, seafood. Drink serving temperature - no more than 5-10°C.
. For Amontillado sherry, various soups, as well as hard cheeses, blue fish, white meat, are perfect (just don't be surprised). The drink is served at a temperature of 10-14°C.
. For medium sherry, a serious drink, they usually take a variety of pâtés or smoked meats. It is served at a temperature of 10-11°C.
. For Oloroso sherry, red meat is the perfect accompaniment. Cool the drink to a temperature of 13-14 ° C.
. Pale Cream sherry chilled to 7-10°C is perfect for fresh fruit and foie gras.
. For cream sherry, sweet shortbread or fresh pastries are a worthy accompaniment. The drink is served at a temperature of 13°C.
. For sherry, Pedro Ximenez or Moscatel, as a rule, take blue cheeses, biscuits and various desserts. Before drinking, the drink is cooled to 13-15°C.
. For a rather rare Palo Cortado sherry chilled to 16°C, all you need is a good cigar. They drink the drink in small sips, thinking about the reasonable, kind, eternal.
Another piece of advice from experts: when buying a bottle of chic Spanish sherry, it would not be out of place to ask about the date of bottling of the drink, which can be seen on the back label. It is good if no more than a year has passed since the bottling of the drink, but up to 18 months is allowed. After you have opened the bottle, the bouquet of old sherries can develop within a few days. If it was not possible to persuade an exquisite drink at one time, after the meal you need to cork the bottle and put it in the refrigerator. With all this, it must be remembered that even there the drink can be stored for no more than 1-3 weeks.
What is sherry made from?
What is sherry made from? As a rule, the Spanish drink is drunk from elongated tulip-shaped glasses with a volume of 50-100 grams. Such an unusual shape of the container contributes to the concentration of the magnificent aroma of this fortified wine. Usually containers are filled to one third. If for some reason you do not have a tulip glass at hand, do not be discouraged, a standard tasting transparent, without a pattern, wine glass can serve for these noble purposes. Then you need to look at the label of the drink to determine what kind of sherry is in front of you. And after that, decide what to do next - open a bottle right away or wait for friends, buy good snack and have a great evening with a glass of Spanish fortified wine. They drink sherry slowly, savoring every sip, trying to feel the whole palette of taste and aroma of a noble drink.
Sherry with tea
Surely the phrase "sherry with tea" surprised you. Agree, this is a rather unusual way of serving a Spanish drink to the table. With all that, such a useful mixture has existed for a long time. Advanced gourmets often arrange such tea gatherings instead of the usual sherry tasting. How do they drink sherry in such a situation? Yes, very simple. For this tasty and healthy procedure, it is best to take sweet sherry. Any tea will do - green, black; the main thing is that it be unsweetened and unflavored. Highly fermented Taiwanese, Laotian and Chinese teas are ideal for this ritual. Before the "crazy tea party" tea should be allowed to cool. The sequence of drinking is as follows: first take a sip of sherry, then a sip of tea, and then how it goes. For the proper effect, tea is best served in transparent bowls.
Now you know how to drink sherry properly, and not only in the traditional way, but also in a rather unusual way, described above. Enjoy your time!
Sherry is a Spanish wine made from white grapes grown in Andalusia. The drink has a bright, rich taste. The alcohol content is about 20 degrees. In the production of sherry, its own method of fermentation is used under the influence of flora and special yeast. Thanks to this, the wine is unique in taste and has a persistent, rich aroma.
Sherry is one of the best drinks for aperitifs, but despite this, the drink can be served on the table during the entire meal. Unlike other aperitifs, it goes well with smoked meat and fish snacks. These snacks not only do not spoil its taste, but also complement its unique taste and aroma.
When using sherry, there are three basic rules that it is advisable to follow. So, what is the right way to drink sherry?
The first thing you need to pay attention to is choosing the right glasses. In Spain, in reputable restaurants, sherry glasses are served tall, oblong, reminiscent of a tulip. In the conditions of a regular party, you can use tall, narrow glasses that are suitable for white wine. Then the taste and aroma of this wonderful wine will remain unchanged.
The second obligatory rule is to drink Sherry slowly, in small sips. Enjoying its excellent taste and aroma.
The third rule of how to drink sherry properly refers to the temperature of serving it on the table and the snack served with it. Before choosing dishes for this wine, it is advisable to study the contents of the label.
The most popular types of sherry are:
Pedro Ximenez- one of the best dessert sherries, with notes of raisins in it. The wine will fully reveal its unique taste if the serving temperature is 13°C. And the appetizer is represented by desserts and blue cheeses.
Manzanilla and Fino- wine that is great for aperitifs. It has a yellowish tint, with a hint of nuts and a fruity bouquet. It is recommended to cool before serving to 5-10°C. And for a snack, serve fish, seafood and soft cheeses.
Palo Cortado- one of rare species sherry. It needs to be cooled to 16 degrees, and good cigars are served instead of snacks. You need to drink it in small sips, enjoying the unique taste.
Amontillado–sherry amber color with a hint of almonds. It needs to be cooled to 10 ° C, and only then served. White meat, soup and hard cheeses are perfect for appetizers.
Madium- has a rich taste that is hard to forget. It is also cooled to 10 ° C. Smoked meat and various pates are chosen as an appetizer.
Cream- dessert sweet dark wine. It is desirable to cool it down to 13°C. As a snack, sweet pastries or various cookies are well suited for him.
