My friend has decided to throw an old fashioned ‘tea party’, but after we’re done with Lapsong, Earl Grey etc she wants us to be lady like and have a glass of sherry.
Despite having sampled many with her on a weekend in Seville some years back, neither of us can remember what we liked - apart from we both liked the dry ones. (Probably says something about the kind of weekend it was!)
So, I would be really grateful for your suggestions and I promise to be ladylike when sipping it!
Threre are many excellent Sherries around, it is very undervalued and underapprciated. You might also post this in the main Wine Talk forum.
Easily found are the Lustau Almacenista Sherries. The Fino’s will be very dry and acidic. After tea, I think you might want something a bit richer like a dry, unsweetened Oloroso or Amontillado (as in Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado”). You might also find Sandeman’s Royal Corrigodor (Oloroso) or Royal Esmarelda (Amontillado). If lucky you might find even rarer examples, but most are not shipped to the states.
This was my first thought as well. I’m moving it on over and looking forward to the recs.
Just a hunch but I’m thinking her avatar photo and the location she lists in her profile mean she’s not in the states.
Just a hunch, could be wrong. 
LOL… As long as you don’t call me a ‘Limey’ and think that’s London Bridge, I’ll answer…
El Maestro Sierra has a wonderful line up of sherries. They have them in half bottles as well which I’m thinking, since she just wants a glass would be perfect.
I am not a sherry guy and don’t even know if the stuff is sold in the UK, but just since nobody’s mentioned it yet I’ll “recommend” Equipo Navazos which is all the rage in these parts. Here’s a blog post on the story. The remarkable sherries of Equipo Navazos" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Second the recommendation; pretty stellar sherries. They bottle only on order from the importer/distributor, so they tend to be fresh, too.
I guess I need to be more observent!
Valdespino is a house I love. Unfortunately I have a hard time finding them here. Maybe you’ll have more luck in your location. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
You can’t go wrong with Keith’s recommendation. I have been blown away by every Equipo Navazos bottle I have ever had. Best thing is that they are not ridiculously expensive given the quality.
Valdespino and La Bota de (equipo Navazos) you can find in The Sampler in London.
On the easy end, I recommend Lustau East India Solera. Probably just the thing after tea.
If you are having Sherry after tea, I would keep away from Fino or Manzanilla, which are destined to an entirely other purpose (standing at the bar and eating Tapas, for instance at Brindisa at Borough Market, in which case have Hidalgo’s La Gitana for a good example).
For an afternoon drink, go for an Amontillado, Oloroso or Palo Cortado. Make sure you clear with the wine shop if the wine is dry as some are sometimes off dry.
Equipo Navazos, as mentioned, has some stunning bottlings. I would also add Hidalgo as a reliable, easily found in the UK producer of fine dry sherries. They have several ranges, ranging in price and quality. The top of the line “Viejo” range which is extraordinary, used to be found at Justerini & Brooks on St James, but my info may be dated. I think Berry Bros nearby may also carry some. check bbr.com
Sherry is a very civilized and wonderful drink. You should certainly drink it regularly. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but once you learn to enjoy it, it is one of the most wonderful drinks in the world.
I suppose you know the difference between the styles, but if you don’t, the fino types are lighter and they’re clear, having been raised under a mold called flor, which prevents oxidation. Those would also include manzanillas. If you buy those, get them from a store with some turnover because they are like many white wines in that they aren’t known for aging once bottled.
The other major style, the olorosos, are raised with air contact, so they’re brown in color and have nutty, caramel flavors. You can leave those open for a while and they won’t go off because they’re already oxidized. (Just remember that "O"loroso = oxygen) Those include Amontillado as well, and palo cortados, as both end up being oxidized. Because of the caramel, butterscotch, nutty nose, people expect them to be sweet, but they aren’t.
Sometimes the oloroso types are sweetened a bit with grapes that are allowed to raisin and shrivel. The sweetened olorosos, or “amorosos”, are usually labeled some way, i.e. they’re called amoroso or something like dulce, or rich, or full rich, or cream or something along those lines. And a slightly sweetened oloroso, like a light cream sherry or amontillado is a very good thing in the afternoon and you don’t need to kill the bottle, just put is aside for another day.
Another thing you might want to look at is Moscatel - there is sherry made with the Moscatel grape and it’s usually sweetened too, although sometimes quite a bit. In any event, those can be really delightful. All of them work with ham and such, but after tea and scones, I guess you don’t want to get back into ham. In any event, if grandma had sherry sitting on the counter, I’d guess it was an Amontillado or some kind of oloroso.
Once you’ve decided what style you want, and I’d lean towards the oxidized style for your purposes, you can look for more specifics. Those mentioned can be good, as is Barbadillo, Pedro Romero, Hildago, Valdespuino, Gonzalez Byass, Barquero.
I realize that this thread is old, but I’m curious as to how it worked out…
Also, are there any new sherry recommendations (either lovely wines or great bargains)?
Cheers!
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- Frank
Sherry primer, with recommendations: Winophilia.com is for sale