Best of: 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.
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...
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)
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