There are no Sherry tastings to be found in a twenty-plus-year search of tasting events lingering historically in my personal Outlook calendar. That was until this past weekend when I had the chance to taste a full range of styles at a Dale Cruse hosted Sherry and Tapas onslaught including Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso, Amontillado, and Palo Cortado. There were some old and new faces, wine writers, wine retailer, personal chef, and some plain old foodies and wine lovers in attendance for this relaxed swirl festival of fortified wines. It was particularly great to have Richard Auffrey of the Passionate Foodie alongside for my inaugural Sherry extravaganza considering his certification by the Wine Academy of Spain as a Spanish wine educator.
I have to admit that drinking 20% alcohol content liquid over four hours makes for intermittently sloppy notes and hazy focus. Intent on walking away with new knowledge, I am clear that Sherry is a metamorphic Anglicized name for the wine and town called Jerez, where all real Sherry hails from. The wines are made primarily from the Palomino grape, and some sweet versions are made from other indigenous grapes including Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez. The wines are fortified with Brandy at the end of the fermentation process.
From the first and simplest wine, the Fino, all the way through to the 1927 Solera Pedro Ximenez, we soaked up some of that fortification with really fine food. Spanish hams and cheeses were in abundance, but the most inventive taste of the evening was prepared by Mary Reilly of The Savory Kitchen. The dish was based on a Ferran Adria recipe and believe it or not, the key ingredient is potato chips. No potatoes, just potato chips, and not just any chip, but Utz chips cooked in lard. It was a great offset to my early day workout, and fitting accompaniment to the great Sherrys we were tasting. Mary blogs at Cooking 4 The Week and she has shared the recipe for her Tortilla Espanola there.
I will humbly admit that my second favorite treat was the anchovy and garlic butter I make once a year and freeze in small logs before the winter sets in. My good friend and neighbor farms garlic that is unmatched by any store bought version and I buy (to support his 15 and 12 year old sons who are responsible for the operation for college funds and the development of a respectable old fashioned work ethic) more than I can ever use; so into the home made butter it goes. I use it 
in a pinch as a pasta coating, spread on bread, over meats and seafood, or sometimes just for smelling and swooning.
There were two highlight wines this evening that I will seek out and buy for my cellar. The first was our only vintage Sherry, a 1964 Gonzalez Byass Vintage Oloroso. Rich taught me that Oloroso means “scented” from oxidation. It is an amazing wine, over 45 years old now and showing a clear amber color in the glass.
The wine was dry with richness from flavors of caramel, nuts, and popcorn. The mouthfeel was amazingly smooth and finished with grace and only a modicum of heat. It is a classy wine and it provided the most amazing foil for some of the strong and rich Spanish blue cheeses we sampled alongside it. It is a wine to seek out, but be prepared to pay $95 for the prize.
The other highlight wine, Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximenez, was the last we tasted and served as the controversial entry. Technically, it is not Sherry. While it is made in the same method and from a classic Sherry white grape varietal, it is not from Jerez and comes from the Montilla-Moriles appellation instead. Throwing that large technicality to the wind, this wine was easily my second favorite wine and the clear value of the evening. It can be bought for around $20 in 375 ml format and while it must contain some 1927 wine, it is a Solera that includes multiple vintages in the final blend. The wine’s color lives on the darkest side of amber. There is such a dominant flavor component that I have one word to describe this wine; raisins. But it is delivered in a nectar-like sensation, and avoids any cloying annoyances. It fully coats the mouth, tongue, and throat in regal pudding wine fashion, and offers prune and raisin flavors that are addictive. I could see drinking this wine with the most chocolaty desert or with really strong cheese.
I was not sure what to expect from our evening of fine Sherry and Tapas, but it is an experience I intend to repeat, and repeat. Break out of your wine comfort zone and try these two beauties….and don’t forget about Mary’s Utz Chip recipe.