Sherry, it turns out, is more than that sweet stuff your grandma Mildred used to drink to calm her nerves. Done right--i.e., with decadent pairings like honey-smothered bleu cheese, Spanish manchego or huge, fruity green olives--it's delicious. And almost as sexy-mysterious as Daniel Craig.
As part of Santa Fe's annual Restaurant Week, renowned La Boca chef James Campbell Caruso packed four different sherries, four tantalizing accompaniments and 3,000 years of history into one blissful hour.
Now, I've spent a little time in Spain, and I come from a family that considers Saturdays mostly as opportunities for golf, bloody marys and backyard beer tastings, but sherry's generally been relegated to the stuff I keep in the fridge and use for deglazing a stewpot.
According to Caruso, however, sherry--the unique group of wines from the Jerez region of southern Spain--should hold a more exalted status.
With one caveat, that is: "You really shouldn't have sherry without food," Caruso told his audience, a group of about 25 that took up most of the restaurant. "Or," he added quickly, "food without sherry."
(Caruso confesses he sometimes does have sherry without food.)
His point, though, is that pairing sherry correctly can turn an exotic glass of wine into a sublime experience in foodism. With an extensive range from dry and briny to syrupy-sweet, each different sherry has its own history, makeup, taste and perfect food pairing. Here's what SFR learned from Caruso's whirlwind sherry hour.
1) fino
Fino is the driest sherry. It's also the most pure, both in color (it's pale, like a light Pinot Grigio) and in makeup (it's made from the first gentle pressing of the grapes).
how it's made: After the first press, sherry-makers collect the juice and store it in barrels, Caruso explains. They fortify the fino to bring it up to 15 percent alcohol--the alcohol content at which a layer of yeast can grow on the top, protecting the sherry itself from oxidizing (and, in effect, keeping it pure).
taste: "It tastes like the salt air" of southern Spain, Caruso says--dry, subtlely briny.
pair with: Caruso's choice--plump, Spanish green olives and jamón serrano--was perfect. He also recommends raw seafood (think sushi or a Mexican coctel).
2) amontillado
Caruso describes this type of sherry, which is darker in color than the fino but a bit sweeter, as a "delicious, beautiful accident."
how it's made: Most amontillados start out as a fino, but then oxidize instead of remaining protected under the layer of yeast, Caruso says.
taste: still dry, but almondy with a hint of caramel
pair with: Caruso considers paprika-dusted Marcona almonds with amontillado a pairing of divine inspiration. "You can almost hear the universe clicking together, it's so perfect," he says. Why mess with that?
3) oloroso
In Spanish, oloroso literally means "scented" (or smelly). It's darker still than amontillado, and it's quite sweet.
how it's made: Oloroso is fortified to 17.5% alcohol, allowing the sherry itself to oxidize.
taste: warm and rich, like toffee-filled baked apples
pair with: Caruso's choice: sheep's-milk Manchego; he also recommends lamb dishes and combining it with cream and mustard to steam mussels.
4) Pedro Ximenez
The sweetest of the sherries on offer at La Boca, Pedro Ximenez is the color of balsamic vinegar, but with none of the acidity. It's pure sugary delight.
how it's made: If I recall correctly (and this came at the end of an hour of sustained sherry-drinking), the PX grape is blended into an oloroso white grape that's been aged on the vine.
taste: sweeter than Port--pure dessert
pair with: honey-soaked bleu cheese, or serve as a shot over raisin ice cream
At this point, pretty much all I remember was the elderly woman on my right telling the middle-aged woman on my left she thought the PX was "good, but would have been better served as a shot out of Pierce Brosnan's navel." She agreed to invite us to her next party.
At any rate, go to La Boca and try a nice jamón serrano with your glass of fino. You won't regret it--and you can even stop by a specialty liquor store on your way home for a small bottle of oloroso.
And now, darlings, you're ready...for the Secret Sherry Society.
