Sherry on and off the plate

Spanish fortified wine from Jerez has long since gone from being a corny product to a popular wine variety, especially when paired with food. We love it and are happy to provide some recipes to serve with the different varieties. And have you ever tried sherry vinegar, with that same nutty flavour? -TEXT MARJOLEIN SCHUMAN

Sherry on and off the plate

'People with gastronomic acumen quickly fall in love with sherry wine' Ferrán Centelles said. Ferrán should know. He is a wine teacher, wine judge and, at the time, was sommelier of the Catalan restaurant El Bulli, one of the best restaurants in the world that still exists as a laboratory for food innovation. Since then, more and more sommeliers have turned to the wonder from southern Spain, which ranges from white dry wine to very sweet, dark dessert wine. Its wide range of flavours makes sherry the perfect partner to all kinds of dishes. 

This is also agreed by sommelier Randy Bouwer of star restaurant Vigor, who together with chef Martijn Wijnands recently won the prestigious restaurant competition Copa Jerez with their three sherry-food combinations (see photo). Randy is a true sherry ambassador: 'I think we have the largest sherry selection in the Netherlands on our wine list.' 

What is Sherry anyway?

For the record: sherry is simply wine and simply made from 100 per cent grapes. 'Just' is an understatement, of course, because an authentic production process precedes the typical flavour of sherry - and the higher alcohol content of at least 15%. Part of this process is maturation in a stack of barrels. The wine being bottled comes from the barrel containing the oldest wine, which is refilled with a slightly less aged wine, and so on. 

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Want to read more about sweet desserts and wine? Then order here WINELIFE issue 82.

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