The Scotch Blog

Beau on Sherry Part 3

Beau Jarvis writes an excellent blog called Basic Juice. Beau really knows his wine, and takes an unpretentious look at what is basically fermented grape juice - hence the name of his site.

Beau is writing a 3-part series on sherry which is being concurrently posted on his site as well as here on The Scotch Blog.  Read Part 1. Read Part 2.

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Very Simply Sherry 3

Future Sherry lovers of planet earth!  You have been fortified with the knowledge of Sherry's history, how its produced and the grape varieties involved.  Perhaps more importantly, you now understand the major styles of Sherry (read part II for a Sherry style refresher).  Still, the question remains:  "When do we eat?"  Prepare yourself.  Sherry is coming to dinner.

Part 3: Sherry Comes to Dinner

If you've ever sipped Sherry in a restaurant, chances are it was a sweet, dark, sticky Oloroso such as Cream Sherry.  However, Fino, Manzanilla and Amontillado Sherrys are serious food wines. - They can serve either as an accompaniment to appetizers, or as the table wine for a sit-down dinner.  Prepare yourself for a bevy of Sherry-friendly recipe ideas.

Ain't Nothin' But a (Dinner) Party, Ya'll

Finos (from Jerez) and Manzanillas (from Sanlucar) are the lightest, most delicate Sherrys.  Even though these wines are fortified (up to 15% alcohol), they taste surprisingly fresh and light.  These styles of Sherry are often described as possessing a salty/tangy flavor.  Indeed, Fino & Manzanilla Sherrys are the embodiment of the oft-overused wine adjective, "bone-dry."  The number one food caution when it comes to these wines is this:  Avoid clobbering light Sherry with heavy sauces and aggressive spices.  Focus on fresh flavors and subtle spices.  My favorite food matches with Fino & Manzanilla are appetizers/tapas - perfect for a casual get-together.  A few Fino (and Manzanilla)-friendly foods:

Manchego Cheese - This is one of my favorite cheeses.  It's a 'slight' cheese - slightly creamy, slightly salty and slightly earthy.  Cut a few Manchego cubes, add roasted almonds, olives (green ones with big pits) and a Fino; and you've got yourself and instant Tapas party.

Gazpacho (yes, it's supposed to be served cold) - Try either a classic recipe or modern interpretation.  It's incredibly easy and perfect with this style of Sherry.

Shrimp & Grits - Creamy grits and succulent shrimp are the perfect foils for the fresh zip of light Sherry.  Serve it as a Sunday brunch surprise.

Seared Tuna - Fino/Manzanilla is an interesting pairing with sushi.  With ever-so-slightly cooked fish, it is amazing.  Sherry acts just like a squirt of citrus over a tuna steak - only you get to drink the Sherry.

Amontillado Sherry is richer than Fino.  Rather than tang, this Sherry offers flavors of smoke, wood, raisins and toasted nuts.  Dry Amontillados are ideal with dishes containing rich and savory flavors.  Off-dry Amontillado is a great match with recipes containing fruit or fruit-based sauces (e.g. fig sauce, dried apricots).  Some Amontillado amigos:

Pistachio-Crusted Beef - This dish has all the trappings for a fine match with either a dry or off-dry Amontillado. It contains fruit juice, rich oyster sauce and roasted pistachios - all flavors that will pair excellently with this style of Sherry.

Pork with Figs & Salami - This recipe might very well be the perfect pairing for Amontillado (dry or off-dry).  Just try it.  I promise you'll love it.

Duck Breast with Mushroom Risotto - OK, I lied.  This might be the perfect recipe.  Perhaps you're noticing a theme?  Earthy & rich flavors combined with this style of Sherry are difficult to beat.  If you're not up for duck breast, try a glass of Sherry with mushroom risotto.  Or, for some seriously good Arborio rice (AKA risotto), replace a half cup of the liquid with Amontillado.  Scrump-diddly-umtious!

I must admit to having a love/hate relationship with Oloroso Sherry.  The reason being is that the most widely available expression of Oloroso is Cream Sherry.  Alas, a few Creams are painfully sweet (as in after one glass, you're riding a sugar-high, followed by a sugar-crash).  For super sweet Creams, try combatting the sugar with espresso.  Add a shot of Cream Sherry to a double-shot or Cafe Latte.  The result is caramely-coffee goodness.

If you have an eagle eye and are lucky enough to spot an Oloroso labeled, "dry," you are in for a treat (seek out Lustau 'Don Nunes,' Pedro Romero Dry Oloroso, or Barbadillo Dry Oloroso).  Dry Oloroso is akin to bittersweet chocolate.  It possesses an overall dry character with allusions to sweetness.  There are flavors of toasted hazelnut and caramel; along with bitter notes of chocolate and coffee. Pair a dry Oloroso with rich, heavy-duty blue-veined cheeses.  One interesting thing I plan on trying with Oloroso is Sherry ice cream.

There you have it; appetizers, entrees and dessert - all paired to Sherry.  For even more Sherry-friendly recipe ideas, visit Ten Star Tapas. Keep in mind Sherry is not your typical wine.  It won't wow you with fruity flavors.  On the other hand, it may very well seduce you with its nutty, wooded flavors. If you have yet to sample it, visit Part II of this series for a few recommendations.  Here's to a wonderful wine with rich history and unique production.  Here's to Sherry.

Future Sherry lovers of planet earth!  You have been fortified with the knowledge of Sherry's history, how its produced and the grape varieties involved.  Perhaps more importantly, you now understand the major styles of Sherry (read part II for a Sherry style refresher).  Still, the question remains:  "When do we eat?"  Prepare yourself.  Sherry is coming to dinner.

Part 3: Sherry Comes to Dinner

If you've ever sipped Sherry in a restaurant, chances are it was a sweet, dark, sticky Oloroso such as Cream Sherry.  However, Fino, Manzanilla and Amontillado Sherrys are serious food wines. - They can serve either as an accompaniment to appetizers, or as the table wine for a sit-down dinner.  Prepare yourself for a bevy of Sherry-friendly recipe ideas.

Ain't Nothin' But a (Dinner) Party, Ya'll

Finos (from Jerez) and Manzanillas (from Sanlucar) are the lightest, most delicate Sherrys.  Even though these wines are fortified (up to 15% alcohol), they taste surprisingly fresh and light.  These styles of Sherry are often described as possessing a salty/tangy flavor.  Indeed, Fino & Manzanilla Sherrys are the embodiment of the oft-overused wine adjective, "bone-dry."  The number one food caution when it comes to these wines is this:  Avoid clobbering light Sherry with heavy sauces and aggressive spices.  Focus on fresh flavors and subtle spices.  My favorite food matches with Fino & Manzanilla are appetizers/tapas - perfect for a casual get-together.  A few Fino (and Manzanilla)-friendly foods:

Manchego Cheese - This is one of my favorite cheeses.  It's a 'slight' cheese - slightly creamy, slightly salty and slightly earthy.  Cut a few Manchego cubes, add roasted almonds, olives (green ones with big pits) and a Fino; and you've got yourself and instant Tapas party.

Gazpacho (yes, it's supposed to be served cold) - Try either a classic recipe or modern interpretation.  It's incredibly easy and perfect with this style of Sherry.

Shrimp & Grits - Creamy grits and succulent shrimp are the perfect foils for the fresh zip of light Sherry.  Serve it as a Sunday brunch surprise.

Seared Tuna - Fino/Manzanilla is an interesting pairing with sushi.  With ever-so-slightly cooked fish, it is amazing.  Sherry acts just like a squirt of citrus over a tuna steak - only you get to drink the Sherry.

Amontillado Sherry is richer than Fino.  Rather than tang, this Sherry offers flavors of smoke, wood, raisins and toasted nuts.  Dry Amontillados are ideal with dishes containing rich and savory flavors.  Off-dry Amontillado is a great match with recipes containing fruit or fruit-based sauces (e.g. fig sauce, dried apricots).  Some Amontillado amigos:

Pistachio-Crusted Beef - This dish has all the trappings for a fine match with either a dry or off-dry Amontillado. It contains fruit juice, rich oyster sauce and roasted pistachios - all flavors that will pair excellently with this style of Sherry.

Pork with Figs & Salami - This recipe might very well be the perfect pairing for Amontillado (dry or off-dry).  Just try it.  I promise you'll love it.

Duck Breast with Mushroom Risotto - OK, I lied.  This might be the perfect recipe.  Perhaps you're noticing a theme?  Earthy & rich flavors combined with this style of Sherry are difficult to beat.  If you're not up for duck breast, try a glass of Sherry with mushroom risotto.  Or, for some seriously good Arborio rice (AKA risotto), replace a half cup of the liquid with Amontillado.  Scrump-diddly-umtious!

I must admit to having a love/hate relationship with Oloroso Sherry.  The reason being is that the most widely available expression of Oloroso is Cream Sherry.  Alas, a few Creams are painfully sweet (as in after one glass, you're riding a sugar-high, followed by a sugar-crash).  For super sweet Creams, try combatting the sugar with espresso.  Add a shot of Cream Sherry to a double-shot or Cafe Latte.  The result is caramely-coffee goodness.

If you have an eagle eye and are lucky enough to spot an Oloroso labeled, "dry," you are in for a treat (seek out Lustau 'Don Nunes,' Pedro Romero Dry Oloroso, or Barbadillo Dry Oloroso).  Dry Oloroso is akin to bittersweet chocolate.  It possesses an overall dry character with allusions to sweetness.  There are flavors of toasted hazelnut and caramel; along with bitter notes of chocolate and coffee. Pair a dry Oloroso with rich, heavy-duty blue-veined cheeses.  One interesting thing I plan on trying with Oloroso is Sherry ice cream.

There you have it; appetizers, entrees and dessert - all paired to Sherry.  For even more Sherry-friendly recipe ideas, visit Ten Star Tapas. Keep in mind Sherry is not your typical wine.  It won't wow you with fruity flavors.  On the other hand, it may very well seduce you with its nutty, wooded flavors. If you have yet to sample it, visit Part II of this series for a few recommendations.  Here's to a wonderful wine with rich history and unique production.  Here's to Sherry.

Things you should consider

You like whisky, right?
You like WhiskyCast, right?

The entry deadline for the 2006 Podcast Awards is July 15, and one of the criteria to become a finalist is the number of nominations a show receives.

So how about you show Mark Gillespie how much you like WhiskyCast and go nominate his excellent show for Best Food/Drink Podcast.

Do It. Now.

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I may be going to the Bruichladdich Distillery Academy in September (there are still some spots I believe) - but Bruichladdich isn't the only show in town.

The Wild Scotsman himself (Jeff Topping) is running a three-day distillery school at Bladnoch, Scotland's most southerly distillery.

Jeff, John McDougall, Raymond Armstrong & John Herries will be your instructors while you participate in all aspects of milling, mashing and distilling. The school costs $700 USD.

There will be two different sessions of the school: October 19-22 and 26-29th.

For more information, contact Jeff Topping directly.

Ulf Writes a Book

Keeper of the Quaich and Malt Maniac Ulf Buxrud emailed to let me know about the fall release of his book:

My whisky book, with a foreword by Charles MacLean, is due and globally released at October 31st.

Unofficial release will occur at Malmoe (Sweden) Whisky Festival mid October.

Pre orders may be placed via my UK publisher.

The book will be available a few weeks later via usual web book shops like Amazon, B&N etc. or over the counter at major book sellers - including visiting centers at Diageo's Malt Whisky distilleries.    

Ulf

The book, entitled Rare Malts as described by the publisher:

Rare Malts is an endeavour to document the facts and figures of a formative and exciting segment of whisky history. It is also an attempt to mirror the arduous work and joy surrounding the rise of a cottage trade that became an industry.

Its format is portraits of all the distilleries involved in the compilation of the Rare Malts Selection series; a collection of outstanding examples of the makes of thirty six legendary distilleries. Each portrait contains histories and technical data, flavour profiles and tasting notes.

A must have for every whisky devotee.

Free Stuff - Macallan (#2)

The Macallan (Hat #2)

Here's the question...

This former Macallan master distiller is now one of the JMR guys...

UPDATE: Eric K of Massachusetts was the first to answer:

Dave "Robbo" Robertson - The "R" in JMR

---------------------------------------------------
Remember the rules:

• Be the first person to email me the answer to the question.
• You can only win if you have not won "Free Stuff" before.
• Include your Postal/Zip Code.
• I will notify the winner and let you know the shipping cost.
• I will NOT notify you if you did not win.
• The winner must respond with payment within 48 hours, or the offer goes to the next person who responded.
• Payment is by PayPal only.
• No hat substitutions.

Beau on Sherry Part 2

Beau Jarvis writes an excellent blog called Basic Juice. Beau really knows his wine, and takes an unpretentious look at what is basically fermented grape juice - hence the name of his site.

Beau is writing a 3-part series on sherry which is being concurrently posted on his site as well as here on The Scotch Blog.  Read Part 1.

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Very Simply Sherry 2

Now that you know a little about the epic history of Sherry, It's time to learn what all the fuss was about.  Buckle up.  I'll do my best to explain how Sherry is produced and which grape varieties are used to produce the various styles of this Spanish treat.

Part 2: "Waiter! There's a 100 Year Old Wine in My Sherry."

What would you say if I told you that a glass of 100+ year old wine will cost only a few bucks at a tapas bar?  This is the beauty of Sherry.  Sherry is a blended, non-vintage wine - and in some cases, a portion of the wine used in the blend is decades old. Sherry producers go to great lengths to produce a consistent 'house style.'  In this respect, Sherry is similar to Champagne.  Of course, in most other respects, Sherry is utterly unique.

Hot and Dirty
Jerez, the demarcated Sherry production zone, is situated in the southernmost region of Spain.  The region's otherwise toasty climate is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean.  Still, only a few miles inland, summer temperatures can reach 100F, while coastal communities enjoy much cooler air (~20F cooler).  In addition to hot hot heat in the summer time, Jerez experiences essentially drought conditions from June through October.  Grapes growing in this environment need to be tough.  The luckiest vines grow smack-dab in the middle of the Sherry Triangle (the 3-town triangle, which forms the nucleus of Jerez).  In this sweet spot, spongy, water-retaining Albariza soils slake the thirst of hot grapes during the hostile growing season.  Albariza is a chalky, calcareous soil.  In fact, vineyard sites within Jerez are ranked by the amount and depth of calcareous minerals within the soil.

Palo, PX and Mosca
Pre-Phylloxera, Sherry producers used many different grape varieties in their wine.  Since vineyard replanting at the end of the 19th century, three varietals have risen to prominence: Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximenez (AKA 'PX') and Muscat of Alexandria (AKA 'Moscatel').  Palomino is the king-o; as it represents well over 90% of total vineyard area.  Still, PX and Moscatel play key roles in the production of Sherry.  Moscatel excels in sandy, non-Albariza soils, while PX produces intense, super-sweet wine.

Butts & Yeast
More important than grape varieties to the production of Sherry, is the manner in which the wine is fermented, aged and blended. Specifically, Sherry's unique character is due to butts (heh) and a unique yeast called flor.  Nowadays, most of the wine in Jerez is fermented in stainless steel tanks.  Once fermentation is complete, wine is poured into butts (heh, heh) - the name given to Sherry barrels.  Butts (heh [last time, I promise]) are made of American oak, and hold 600 litres of wine.  Depending on the style of Sherry to be produced (we'll get to the Sherry styles in just a minute), the butt (...) is filled to partial capacity (see pic, at right).  Butts destined to produce lighter Sherry are filled less than butts used to produce heavier Sherry.  The remaining air space is reserved for friendly flor yeast.  Flor yeasts are endemic to the Jerez region.  Flor is unique in that it produces a film over the top of the aging wine, which protects it from rapid oxidation.  The flor film feeds off oxygen in the butt (!) and alcohol in the wine.  This yeast-wine interaction dramatically alters the scents and flavors in the maturing Sherry.  However, were the butt/barrel to remain sealed, the poor flor would suffocate and/or starve to death; thus producing a rather unhelpful scum over the top of the wine. Fortunately, Sherry producers discovered that they could preserve the flor film by occasionally replenishing the butt with younger wine - providing new yeast cells, a fresh supply of nutrients and a puff or two of oxygen. This practice of recharging butts (I can't help myself) is the foundation of the Solera Reserva System, which is still used by all Sherry producers.

Solera Power
The Solera system is essentially a fractional blending of new wine with older wine in order to achieve a consistent house style.  It works like this: Sherry butts are divided into graduated units; each unit comprised of a specific age, or maturation level of wine.  These like-aged units are called criaderas (see figure at right.  credit: Emilio Lustau House of Sherry).  New wine is added to the highest ordered criadera (e.g. 4th criadera).  A fraction of wine from this criadera is then added to the next criadera (e.g. 3rd criadera), which is in turn added to the next criadera, and so on.  Butts containing the oldest wine are called the Solera.  Each year, producers take wine from the Solera, bottle it and then replenish it using this system.  In this way, a Sherry lover will be sipping a wine containing fractions of Sherry from several decades.  For example, Sandeman's "Royal Esmeralda" is from a Solera established in 1894 - meaning a portion of this wine is over 100 years old.

Sherry's Shades of Style
The styles of Sherry are derived from its interaction with flor and the characteristics of the end product - whether it is dry or sweet.  Of course there are also hybrid styles and brand-specific styles created by marketeers within the Sherry houses.  Understanding all of these styles can become an exercise in confusion and/or boredom.  Let's tease out the classic Sherry styles.  Sherry is initially divided into two categories based on the wine's heft and flavor: Fino refers to the lightest, most delicate wines; while Oloroso refers to heavier, darker wine.   Fino wines are fortified up to 15% alcohol with neutral grape spirits, poured into butts filled to 5/6th capacity and begin their Solera journey under yeasty flor film.  Finos will be bottled as either "Fino" (confusing, I know) or "Manzanilla." Manzanillas are the same as Finos - its simply a difference in geography.  Finos are from the area around the town of Jerez, and Manzanillas are from the community of Sanlucar. If, during the maturation process, a Fino, or Manzanilla, loses its flor covering, the wine becomes slightly darker due to increased oxygen exposure.  Such wine will be bottled as "Amontillado." Finos and Manzanillas are light, tart and tangy.  In contrast, Amontillados are heftier, slightly darker and offer nutty flavors. Amontillados may also be 'induced' from Finos/Manzanillas by upping the fortification above 16% alcohol.  This knocks out the flor.

The heavier wines, that were initially classified as Olorosos, are fortified to 17%+ alcohol.  This prevents flor from forming during the ageing process.  As a result, Olorosos are directly exposed to oxygen.  These wines are quite dark and full of nutty & biscuity flavors.  Olorosos are commonly sweetened to produce Cream Sherry.  It is interesting to note that due to the lack of flor, some Oloroso wine often evaporates during ageing.  This results in concentration, and effectively increases the alcohol percentage - commonly over 20%.  These sweet Sherrys are produced from sweet wine made from raisinated grapes.  Historically, the Pedro Ximenez grape is used in Cream Sherry production.  There are, of course, additional styles of Sherry.  However, the above-mentioned styles are by far the most common.

In Part 3, we will explore the flavors of each of these Sherry styles and discover a few tapas to pair with this quintessential Spanish drink.  In the meantime, your homework is to sample:

Fino: Lustau 'Jarana'
Manzanilla: Hidalgo 'La Gitana'
Amontillado (dry): Lustau 'Los Arcos'
Amontillado (off-dry): Dios Baco Amontillado
Cream Sherry: Sandeman 'Armada' Rich Cream Oloroso

 

Now that you know a little about the epic history of Sherry, It's time to learn what all the fuss was about.  Buckle up.  I'll do my best to explain how Sherry is produced and which grape varieties are used to produce the various styles of this Spanish treat.

Part 2: "Waiter! There's a 100 Year Old Wine in My Sherry."

What would you say if I told you that a glass of 100+ year old wine will cost only a few bucks at a tapas bar?  This is the beauty of Sherry.  Sherry is a blended, non-vintage wine - and in some cases, a portion of the wine used in the blend is decades old. Sherry producers go to great lengths to produce a consistent 'house style.'  In this respect, Sherry is similar to Champagne.  Of course, in most other respects, Sherry is utterly unique.

Hot and Dirty
Jerez, the demarcated Sherry production zone, is situated in the southernmost region of Spain.  The region's otherwise toasty climate is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean.  Still, only a few miles inland, summer temperatures can reach 100F, while coastal communities enjoy much cooler air (~20F cooler).  In addition to hot hot heat in the summer time, Jerez experiences essentially drought conditions from June through October.  Grapes growing in this environment need to be tough.  The luckiest vines grow smack-dab in the middle of the Sherry Triangle (the 3-town triangle, which forms the nucleus of Jerez).  In this sweet spot, spongy, water-retaining Albariza soils slake the thirst of hot grapes during the hostile growing season.  Albariza is a chalky, calcareous soil.  In fact, vineyard sites within Jerez are ranked by the amount and depth of calcareous minerals within the soil.

Beau on Sherry Part 1

Beau Jarvis writes an excellent blog called Basic Juice. Beau really knows his wine, and takes an unpretentious look at what is basically fermented grape juice - hence the name of his site.

I believe that sherry (via the casks) is a little understood, though extremely important, part of the whisky experience. And since I know just enough to be dangerous in this area,  I asked Beau if he was interested in doing a piece on sherry for us.

He thought this was a great idea, and over the next three installments, we'll be reading Beau's thoughts on sherry. What is cool is that his pieces will appear on both Basic Juice and The Scotch Blog concurrently.

If you love wine, like wine or are interested in wine, I highly suggest you add Basic Juice to your list of frequently visited sites. And now, Beau teaches us about sherry...

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Very Simply Sherry 1

Sherry is one of the wine world's most undervalued creations.  Sherry's history alone could fill up a War and Peace-sized volume. Additionally, the production of Sherry, and its numerous styles, is complex enough to add a second volume to Sherry's tome.

When confronted by Sherry & its vocabulary, many modern wine drinkers become dazed & confused by terms like flor, fino, olorosa, criadera and solera. It's easier to walk on by.  However, a little time investment in understanding Sherry, will open up an entirely new world of wine scents and flavors.  Allow me to present Sherry in a user friendly, 3-part format.  Who knows, you may experience the sudden urge to grab a bottle and whip up a few tapas.  It could happen.

Part 1:  Make Sherry, Not War

Sherry is produced within a 3-town triangle in the southern Spanish community of Andalusia.  By far, the key town in the history of Sherry is Jerez de la Frontera (Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda being the other two towns).  Jerez has been home to a who's who of civilizations.  Evidence suggests Jerez may have been founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC.  These ancient folk were succeeded by the Carthignians, who were in turn kicked out by the Romans.  The Romans called Jerez, "Certium."  Alas, the Romans were squeezed out in the first century AD by Vandals, who, in turn, were forced to vacate by the Visigoths.  Then came the epic battles between Islamic Moors and Christian re-conquestors. Amazingly, during these centuries of successive occupation and frequent war, wine production continued in Jerez.  By the 15th Century, Jerez and its satellite towns began exporting wine to both England and France.  In fact, many British merchants moved into the Sherry region to take advantage of this rapidly growing wine trade.

After one Chris Columbus sailed the ocean blue, transatlantic trade of wine from Sherry began in earnest.  It is quite possible that the first European wine to be drunk in North America was from Jerez.  However, the Sherry trade wasn't immune to the vagaries of culture and politics.  A number of wars between France, England and Spain caused Sherry production and trade to be fairly uneven (depending on whom was fighting whom).  Then, in the 1800's, the Sherry industry experienced an invasion of the Sherry snatchers.  Bogus "Sherry" produced in Australia, Germany, France and South Africa hit the marketplace.  Even though many of these impostor beverages weren't even wine - German "Sherry," for example, was potato-based - Sherry prices dropped through the cellar.  To add insult to injury, Victorian society in England shied away from Sherry, as rumors abounded that this wine was hazardous to one's health. 

Ironically, Sherry was saved from certain extinction at the end of the 19th century by the phylloxera-fueled plague, which swept across Europe's vineyards.  Phylloxera effectively destroyed the vineyards of the Jerez region.  Thus, only a few Sherry producers survived long enough to stay in business while vineyards were replanted with resistant vines.  This Sherry-scarce time period fueled demand for wine from Jerez.  Had it not been for a couple of World Wars, the Spanish Civil War and problems with monopolies, Sherry producers would have been in the clear...(/sarcasm).

The state of the Sherry triangle today is one of reduced vineyard acreage (less than half of 1970's vineyard area), alternate crops (vines now share space with cereal grains) and depressed demand.  The remaining Sherry houses are currently battling consumer indifference along with global wine competition.  One bright spot in all of this is that Sherry has become incredibly affordable, and quality has never been better.  As a wine experimenter, once you learn about Sherry, you'll be able to dive right in and sample all that Jerez has to offer, without busting the bank.

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Stay tuned for Part 2: "Waiter! There's a Hundred Year-Old Wine in My Sherry." I'll discuss how Sherry is produced and the varieties of grapes used in this wine.  I will also describe the major styles of Sherry.  If you wish to get a head start on familiarizing yourself with Sherry, try one of these wines: Lustau "Jarana" Fino Sherry ($8, 375ml), Lustau "Los Arcos" Dry Amontillado ($9, 375ml). 

(sources: Oxford Wine Companion, emilio-lustau.com, winesfromspain.com)

Sherry is one of the wine world's most undervalued creations.  Sherry's history alone could fill up a War and Peace-sized volume. Additionally, the production of Sherry, and its numerous styles, is complex enough to add a second volume to Sherry's tome.

When confronted by Sherry & its vocabulary, many modern wine drinkers become dazed & confused by terms like flor, fino, olorosa, criadera and solera. It's easier to walk on by.  However, a little time investment in understanding Sherry, will open up an entirely new world of wine scents and flavors.  Allow me to present Sherry in a user friendly, 3-part format.  Who knows, you may experience the sudden urge to grab a bottle and whip up a few tapas.  It could happen.

Part 1:  Make Sherry, Not War

Sherry is produced within a 3-town triangle in the southern Spanish community of Andalusia.  By far, the key town in the history of Sherry is Jerez de la Frontera (Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda being the other two towns).  Jerez has been home to a who's who of civilizations.  Evidence suggests Jerez may have been founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC.  These ancient folk were succeeded by the Carthignians, who were in turn kicked out by the Romans.  The Romans called Jerez, "Certium."  Alas, the Romans were squeezed out in the first century AD by Vandals, who, in turn, were forced to vacate by the Visigoths.  Then came the epic battles between Islamic Moors and Christian re-conquestors. Amazingly, during these centuries of successive occupation and frequent war, wine production continued in Jerez.  By the 15th Century, Jerez and its satellite towns began exporting wine to both England and France.  In fact, many British merchants moved into the Sherry region to take advantage of this rapidly growing wine trade.

Follow-up/Whisky Live Paris 2006

32 Primary Aromas follow up

In the latest episode of WhiskyCast, Mark Gillespie did me one better on the subject of 32 primary aromas - not only interviewing me, he also talked to Charles Maclean - to whom I attributed as the seminal source of the 32 aromas myth.

Read the original The Scotch Blog article: 32 Primary Aromas? Myth Busting

Listen to Episode 47 of WhiskyCast

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Whisky Live Paris

I did not get a chance to attend last year's Whisky Live in Paris - I've been told it's one of the most interesting shows any where. I also believe that anything Martine is involved in would be top shelf.

This year, the show serendipitously happens to occur the weekend before I'm attending the Bruichladdich Academy. So, it wasn't too much of a task to switch my plans to include a stop in Paris to attend this show.

Last year, the Whisky Live Paris show was completely sold out, attracting more than 1,800 private visitors and 1,200 professionals, this year the show will be spread out over three days, September 16, 17 and 18, to accommodate the expected crowds. I understand that one of those days will be for "professionals".

Co-sponsored by La Maison du Whisky and Whisky Magazine, Whisky Live Paris will host more than 50 distilleries (and 300 whiskies) from Scotland, Ireland, United States, Japan, France, Wales, and India. In addition, each day, there will be a tasting of rare whiskies that have been bottled especially for Whisky Live.

A rare whiskies tasting gives the opportunity to try three single casks selected by La Maison du Whisky: a Glenfiddich 1974, a Highland Park 1977, and an Ardbeg 1975. Apparently there will also be a special surprise - but that's all they will tell me.

If you are planning to attend the Paris show, please consider buying tickets via The Scotch Blog (by clicking here or on the Whisky Live graphic), since this will register the traffic as coming from this site. If you do not speak French you may, like me, need a translator.

Here's an idea - convince your (girlfriend/wife/boyfriend/husband/significant other) that a romantic autumn trip to Paris would be a great get-a-way for the two of you. Only upon reaching Paris do you "discover" that a whisky festival, of all things, happens to coincide with your trip.

How could he/she refuse you the pleasure of attending the show, after you were so considerate to take them to Paris? It could work.

In the coming months I will be giving you more information about the show, and I hope to see you there.

Whisky Live Paris