Simple Spanish Food

Boutique Sherries?

In his  recent article in The New York Times, "In Spain, Sherry Producers Learn to Think Small" Eric Asimov is somewhat misleading about jerez--one of my favorite styles of wine--but he also gives lots of information about where the world of sherry may be heading.

In the beginning of the article, when Asimov writes  "in a business largely built on selling vast quantities of inexpensive mediocre wine" he should make it clear that he is referring to the sweetened sherries bottled almost exclusively for the export market--NOT the sherries that Spaniards drink, almost all of which are dry and, as Asimov himself admits, "can be good."

Can be?

The wine writer Oz Clarke has included one of these sherries,  La Gitana manzanilla, in his "World Class Wines That Don't Cost the Earth" list for years.  Andrés, my father-in-law, knew his sherry, and loved La Ina. 

If you've ever tried a La Gitana manzanilla, you will know it is a truly fantasic wine, especially for the price: even here in the U.S. it costs less than $20 a bottle--when you can find it. 

But  Asimov's article is still worth reading.  It explains how the sherry industry has begun producing smaller batches of even higher quality sherry for the new sherry-aficionados. It has a pretty good slideshow too. 

How good are these boutique sherries? How much will they cost?

Asimov promises to tell us more in an upcoming article.

In the meantime, you may want to check out  La Tienda's selection of sherries, and also my other posts on jerez or sherry.

The Best Sherry Bar in Madrid? La Venencia

Whenever in Madrid, we make a point of going to the sherry bar La Venencia at least once. We go partly out of tradition (Andrés, my father-in-law, loved La Venencia), partly for the atmosphere (very "old school"), but mainly because the jerez and food are fabulous.  The prices are also very reasonable.  At La Venencia you can enjoy a truly world-class glass of sherry and a tapa for a few euros.

La Venencia is the only place that I know in the city that serves sherry the traditional way--from barrels--and this makes all the difference. Bottled sherry is great, but sherry stored in the barrel is even better.

Keep in mind, the sherry is not drawn directly from the barrel into your glass. It has to be chilled first.  So when the bartender pulls an unmarked bottle from the fridge to serve you, don't worry. He filled it up only a few hours ago from the barrel.

The varieties of sherry at La Venencia include fino  (a tangy light sherry), manzanilla  (an especially delicate type of fino), palo cortado, amontillado,  and--probably my favorite--oloroso (dark, nutty, and complex).   All of these are dry.  (Unfortunately, I have yet to find  in the U.S. any brands of oloroso or amontillado that have not been sweetened for the export market, and I rarely see palo cortado at all--so for these I give no links to sources).

The menu of pinchos or tapas at La Venencia is short and simple, but everything on it goes beautifully with these wines: salt-cured anchovies, anchoas en salazón (see my post "All About Anchovies"), paper-thin slices of smoke cured beef (cecina),  manchego cheese , cured pork loin (lomo), and of course Spanish ham (jamón) .  When you order a glass of sherry, you will receive a  complimentary tapa of aceitunas de Campo Real, probably my all-time favorite olive. 

La Venencia is located in the old city center, Echegaray 7, Madrid

 

 

Is Sherry Finally Coming Back into Fashion?

In his recent article "America's Love of Sherry Smolders," Eric Asimov of the New York Times says that good sherries (as opposed to sweetened "cream" types usually available)  are becoming more popular.

Unfortunately the driving force behind the trend seems to be "the sherry cocktail movement."  To mix a fine sherry in a cocktail is a shame, to put it mildly.  You might as well use a Vega Sicilia to make sangria.

About ten years ago the New York Times predicted  manzanilla was going to be the rage, and around that time it was possible to find a La Gitana Manzanilla, if no other brand, in our local wine shops here in Central Florida. This is no longer the case. If there ever was a manzanilla fashion, it seems to have fizzled.

There are advantages to sherry's low profile.  Asimov writes, "Nobody’s bidding up the prices, which remain highly reasonable, with world-class wines starting around $15 a bottle." 

The disadvantage is that unless you live in Manhattan (or Spain) wine shops almost never have a decent selection of sherry.  If you can't find good sherries in your area, check out  La Tienda's selection of sherries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spanish Wines Under $20: Tio Pepe Fino

Fino is one of the best apéritifs in the world.   It's also one of the most under-appreciated. 

Renowned wine writers like Hugh Johnson and Oz Clarke consistently praise fino as something truly extraordinary.     Yet outside of Spain, fino remains a relatively unknown drink.  Here in the U.S. it's not unusual to run into serious wine lovers who know little, if anything, about fino. 

Why isn't fino better known? At least part of the problem is that English-speakers tend to lump fino and many other wines from Jerez  under the generic term "sherry."  As Marimar Torres explains, " Unfortunately many consumers associate true Spanish sherry with the sweet, less expensive, poorer quality product from other countries. "   Torres goes on to say, "I find that even the U.S. wine critics often have some confusion about jerez."

To be fair, there is plenty of reason for confusion.  Even some  sherries genuinely from Jerez just   aren't very good.   (There is a long tradition in Spain of exporting low-quality, sweetened, brandy-spiked wines, especially to England. These are usually labeled as "Cream Sherries,"  though sometimes they are passed off as amontillados or olorosos, giving good wines a bad name).   And as with any type of wine,  some finos are better than others.  So it's important to buy a good brand.  Tio Pepe fino is a good one. At less than $20, it's also a bargain. 

Fino is a must for any authentic tapa's party.   Bone-dry, clean and tangy, fino is a perfect match for olives, toasted nuts, jamon serrano, or anchovies (Click HERE to read my posts on anchovies).  Unlike sweet sherries, fino should be served cold.   It's great before the meal with canapes.

It's not always easy finding fino in the U.S. Here in Central Florida even the best wine stores tend to carry the cheapest (and worst) brands of fino, when they carry it at all. If you can't find fino in your area, consider buying it from La Tienda, which carries Tio Pepe.  Click HERE to read more about Tio Pepe fino at La Tienda.

It's important to serve fino in the appropriate glasses.  Fino is stronger and more intense than most wines.  Regular wine glasses are just too big for it. The small glasses made especially for serving sherry are best.  Click HERE to see Amazon's selection of sherry glasses.

Once you've opened the bottle, try to finish it within a week or two.  Unlike some sweet sherries, an opened bottle of fino will go bad within a few weeks. Wine guides often tell you to finish an open bottle of fino within a day or two, but I find this to be an exaggeration.  Keep it in the fridge.