WITH Shirley talking trifle, it gives me the perfect opportunity to sip a sherry or two and all in the name of research.
Sherry used to be very popular in Scotland with imbibers enjoying a glass or two of fino before dinner and perhaps a Pedro Ximenez (PX) with the pudding afterwards.
Sadly, like many fashionable things, sherry’s popularity faded with those imbibers moving on to cocktails before dinner and whisky or rum for a digestif at the end of the night. Sherry became the bottle you kept at the back of the cabinet for Aunt Millie’s Christmas visit. This is not the way to treat sherry, or indeed Aunt Millie. Once opened, sherry (especially drier examples) should be kept in the fridge and consumed within a few weeks. It certainly shouldn’t be left for months on end as it will fall prey to oxidisation and be ruined.
There is a big movement at the moment to make sherry cool again, and this is a drink that deserves the extra attention. It is unique (due to the solera system of ageing the wine), and steeped in tradition, as well as being fortified and extremely tasty.
So, let’s join the revolution this Christmas. Replace Aunt Millie’s bottle, put it in the fridge and enjoy a glass with her when she comes over. And let’s all try to make sherry cool again.
Here are a few to add to your drinks cabinet.
Manzanilla La Gitana Hidalgo (Majestic, £11.99). This is my favourite dry sherry: it’s light, lean and clean with a lovely salty tang on the palate. It’s perfect with tapas or paella.
Dry Sack Solera Especial 15-year-old Sweet Old Oloroso (M&S, £24). This is a real fortified treat, a blend of dry oloroso sherry (from the Palomino grape) and hyper-sweet wine from sun-dried Pedro Ximenez grapes. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better-value £24 bottle this festive season.
Lustau Amontillado de Sanlucar Almacenista (Waitrose, £23.99 for a 50cl bottle). This is admittedly not as good value as the Dry Sack due to the size of the bottle, but it is still an amazing buy and you should really give it a try over Christmas. It also makes the ideal festive gift for the wine aficionado in your life who has everything.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow inverarity121.com
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