Sherry - and not exactly

[labradors]

For a long time, I have tried to find sherry, here, but had not found any - until yesterday.

Actually, I found sherry AND something else, which is not exactly sherry; and, thus, found a bit of an education about sherry, as well.

Being an Edgar Allan Poe fan, I certainly knew that there were different types of sherry, including Amontillado (since I remembered it from Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado"). I also knew that "sherry" is a very specific name, requiring the wine's origin be within a particular region.

Thus, it was no surprise (when I finally found a store that has sherry) to see the bottles of Tio Pepe "Fino" ($7.36/bottle) and "Manzanilla" ($13.50/bottle) and the "Jerez" mark on the label.

The surprise were the bottles of "Fino," "Amontillado," "Oloroso," and "Pedro Ximénez" from a different brand name, which did NOT bear the "Jerez" mark, and only cost $2.82/bottle.

After doing some research, online, I discovered that, although those less-costly wines shared the NAMES commonly associated with sherry, the could NOT, technically, be called "sherry" because they were from Córboba, and not the "sherry triangle" within Cádiz. The two provinces are, however, relatively close, and are each part of Andalusia. The wines ARE made with the same types of grapes, and using the same processes as sherry, but are not from the "sherry" region, but from "Montilla-Moriles."

Still, for THAT low a price, I was willing to take the risk, and I bought a bottle of the "Musa" (Moreno) brand of Amontillado. It was quite good, although I have never tasted ANY kind of Amontillado before, since my experience with sherry had, hitherto, been limited to Dry Sack and Harvey's Bristol Cream.

Again, given the price, I will probably try the sweeter "Pedro Ximénez" next, and maybe even get one bottle of each of the other two, eventually, as well.

For more information, here are the three best links from my research:

The Wikipedia article

The brand I bought

Info about the general region of Andalusia, containing something about Cádiz and Córdoba

[pjcooks]

Labs, I gotta tell ya, I appreciate all the time you take to research these things. Your posts are like mini cooking classes, and I enjoy them, as do many other members here.

Thanks so much!

PJ

[bjcotton]

When I was in the Navy, I was stationed at Rota Naval Station which is right across the bay from Cadiz. On a clear day you could see the white-washed walls shining in the sun. Although I never went to Cadiz, I was in Jerez several times. Of all the places in the world I've been for any amount of time, that was one I enjoyed the most. I had a 4 bedroom apartment on the 4th floor [walkup] for $185 a month; utilities were $45 every three months; there was a bakery right next door and you could see the beach from my apartment. I lived in Old Town with the citizens, not in Little America where most military lived. Loved it. I once bought dinner ware service for 20, smoked glass with bread plates, salad bowls, soup bowls, plates, and serving plates for less than $50.

[pjcooks]

That's pretty cool, Billy! You've had quite an exciting life, haven't you? Do you still have the dishes? What did you do in the Navy? (Sorry if I'm being nosy, you know me)

PJ

[cjs]

hmmm, interesting - don't know why I didn't think of this, but I didn't realize sherry (like champagne) had to be from a particular region to be called sherry.

[labradors]

Got the Pedro Ximénez today. Very tasty, but it is very sweet, especially contrasted with the dryness of the Amontillado. Fino is drier, still, so I think I'll try the Oloroso next. At this price, they're certainly worth trying! Generally, I don't drink much alcohol (and have never been drunk), but something like this is a delight, and is providing me with wonderfully interesting gustatory experiences.

[farnfam]

Thanks labs, I agree with pj, I'm happy to learn all the stuff you research. Next visit to the liquor store, I'm going to look to see what they have for sherry and not exactly. Things are quite limited here, but it will be interesting to see the results.
Cis

[Roxanne 21]

BUT---there are sooo many types of Sherry!!!! We have dry, pale, sweet, semi-sweet and, of course, Harvey's, which is a really sweet that I use for cooking---actually, I use all of them for cooking depending upon the recipe and the ingredient required......not a sherry fan by the glass but great for my recipes!!!

BTW---many Chinese recipes call for dry sherry in the recipes---I guess that is where I use most of the sherry on my shelf!!! We have a superb wine maker here that has an awesome sherry --- but the best is from the Spanish regions---battle here between the wine makers and the naming of the product!!! Port naming is an issue as well!! Whatever---I have my favorite brands that are readily available!!