Sherry is not just for your Gran!
I have a nervous breakdown in the film and in one scene I get to stand at the top of the stairs waving an empty sherry bottle which is, of course, a typical scene from my daily life, so isn't much of a stretch.
Emma Thompson
I'm looking out of the window and as I watch the light drizzle, you know, that fine rain that gets you really wet, (thank you Peter Kay!), I see the golden, red and brown leaves fall gently onto the lawn and I sigh, not a sad sigh, a sigh that takes me back to the long, hot summer we were treated to this year, a summer of bikinis, barbeques, music and laughter. It was a lovely summer and I feel blessed!
In the middle of that wall to wall sunshine, a couple of bessies and I decided we’d take a trip to the magical city of Seville. Seville was wonderful, a cacophony of music, food, colour and sherry, yes, you know, that tipple you give to your gran that makes her nod off mid conversation, let me tell you, sherry was a real revelation!
Sherry is super versatile, from a lovely, crisp aperitif to a scrumptiously sweet dessert accompaniment. The sherry vines are baked in the scorching sun of Andalusia on the chalky white soil around Jerez.
If you want a delicious alternative to a G&T, try a pale dry fino, technically classified as a wine, it’s made from the palomino grape. It goes through the solera system, a process for aging liquids such as wine, beer, vinegar, (I know – I had to Google it!), the wine is protected by the covering of a yeast called flor which prevents it from oxidising giving it that perfect crispy freshness. Alternatively, Manzanilla is a slightly lighter style of sherry, made from same grapes but aged in the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Fabulous with seafood, olives, tapas and hard Spanish cheeses like Manchego. It has a faint salty tang which is said romantically to have come from the sea. The fino you'll find on your supermarket shelf is Tio Pepe, popular for all the right reasons, equally, Hidalgo La Gitana is lovely example of a good Manzanilla!
Next on the list is Amontillado. The best comes from aged finos that have lost a little of their freshness. This is either as the result of the yeast dying naturally and the loss of flor or, encouraged by the addition of alcohol to kill off the yeast. It produces a softer, darker wine and can be sweetened. Great match with tapas dishes.
Olorosos are much darker and richer than amontillado, this will be more to the liking of your nana however, a good one is a thing of beauty. Here the floris is killed off early in order to lose the freshness and develop oxidised, nutty flavours. Dry olorosos work well with game dishes, especially venison, yummy!
Before I talk about the sherry right up at the sweet end of the scale I have to tell you I'm breaking a house rule, no talking about Christmas until October at the earliest! However, for the sake of this version of my ramblings it's worth it. Imagine Christmas day lunch, turkey, roasties and all the rest of the trimmings, eventually you get to the pud, you know you shouldn't but, it's Christmas day, right? Here's my top tip, get yourself a bottle of Pedro Ximenez also referred to as PX. As with other sweeter tasting wines the grapes are dried so that the flavours are concentrated, developing complex sweet raisin flavours. Honestly, it's simply Christmas Pudding in a glass, the perfect accompaniment!
There's so much more to sherry than just Harvey's Bristol Cream, go on, nip into Waitrose and pick up a bottle of Tio Pepe, I dare you!!
What’s on today?
Head, Eyes & Teeth – Catwa Head, Rigged Eyes and teeth - Catya v3.2
Hair – TRUTH / Daphne Red Pack - @ this round of Uber
Skin – Amara Beauty - Antonia 04 Catwa Applier
Body, Hands & Feet – Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V4.0
Physics – Temptation – 5.5 BONUS C+ D+ SuperTease - Physics
Shape – [Elle et Lui] Tyler Shape - Catwa Bento Head Catya - Maitreya
Top & Bodice – [The Forge] Kendra Top & Bodice Cream @ this months FaMESHed
