The place of Sherry
I've been a fan of Sherry ever since my first visit to Andalucía in 1998. But my first visit to a Sherry bodega (Lustau) came only last fall.
I came away from that visit with the notion that, although Sherry is very much a product from its relatively small region of production, it's not especially suited to consumption there. It's true that Fino Sherry goes well with many of the tapas from Andalucía, including fried fish and olives. But the climate is too damned hot for a fortified wine. What's needed is a light, refreshing, fairly low-alcohol beverage - in other words, beer. Unfortunately, all of the Spanish beer that I've tasted ranges from insipid to awful. (I was actually happy to find Amstel on tap at a bar in Cádiz!)
Another conundrum: This blog claims to be about "site-specific (i.e., terroir-driven)" wine and food. All of the other wine loves of my life - Burgundy, Piemontese nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco, and Roero), German riesling... - are all about vineyard specificity. Sherry is all about blending of multiple sites and multiple vintages. Sure, the albariza soils in the Sherry Triangle have something to do with the character of the best Fino-style Sherries. But have you ever seen a single vineyard Sherry? I haven't.
I'm still chewing on these questions - and still drinking Sherry.
I came away from that visit with the notion that, although Sherry is very much a product from its relatively small region of production, it's not especially suited to consumption there. It's true that Fino Sherry goes well with many of the tapas from Andalucía, including fried fish and olives. But the climate is too damned hot for a fortified wine. What's needed is a light, refreshing, fairly low-alcohol beverage - in other words, beer. Unfortunately, all of the Spanish beer that I've tasted ranges from insipid to awful. (I was actually happy to find Amstel on tap at a bar in Cádiz!)
Another conundrum: This blog claims to be about "site-specific (i.e., terroir-driven)" wine and food. All of the other wine loves of my life - Burgundy, Piemontese nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco, and Roero), German riesling... - are all about vineyard specificity. Sherry is all about blending of multiple sites and multiple vintages. Sure, the albariza soils in the Sherry Triangle have something to do with the character of the best Fino-style Sherries. But have you ever seen a single vineyard Sherry? I haven't.
I'm still chewing on these questions - and still drinking Sherry.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home