Sherry ideal companion for Christmas roast
Christmas is less than three weeks away, so it’s the ideal time to get serious about what wines to savor on the most important of Christian holidays. Others may fret over gifts and parties but to me the true essence of this holiday is sharing great wine and food with loved ones.
Historically, the cultures of wine and Christianity are intimately intertwined. The first miracle of Jesus cited in the Bible was turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana.
The monks of the Middle Ages kept the art of winemaking alive and in several instances even embellished ancient wine techniques. Catholic clergymen were also some of the earliest settlers to cultivate vines in the New World. So, a Christmas without wine is unimaginable. The quandary I face is, what wine to serve?
Christmas feasts around the world feature a host of different ingredients and dishes and this presents significant wine pairing challenges. One tried and tested solution is to focus on the featured dish, commonly a big meat roast or substantial fish. The wines you choose may not pair perfectly with every ancillary dish but they will be synergistic with the main gravity of the meal.
Since the mid-17th century, roasted turkey has been a mainstay of Christmas feasts in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and other English-speaking nations. Large baked hams are also a Christmas table mainstay in Europe and North America.
My great grandparents from Germany always celebrated Christmas with roasted goose followed by a bounty of cheeses. While I haven’t finalized my Christmas menu this year, I have decided on a style of wine that goes perfectly well with all the aforementioned Yuletide staples. This year, I’m opting for a sherry Christmas.
Sherry is a fortified wine from Jerez, a magically beautiful small city in southwestern Spain. The place and its wines boast over 3,000 years of history and traditions.
The Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO wine region is the southernmost wine region in Europe with an average of 290 days of brilliant sunlight. The sun-baked white albariza soils of the Sherry Triangle, a wine-growing area that is bordered by the three ancient city-towns of Jerez, Sanlucar and El Puerto, bequeath fruit to some of the world’s most intriguing and distinctive wines.
Sherry is one of the world’s greatest and most inimitable wines. Because it is not a mainstream wine, it has the distinction of being what many wine experts consider to be the world’s bestvalue great wine.
The grapes and process of making sherry are truly unique. The principal grape used to make sherry is Palomino, which is sometimes blended with Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel to make sweeter styles of sherries.
The first stage of making sherries is the same as making white wines, but when fortified, and the special Solera aging process begins, the wines take on a special quality.
Pale sherries like Manzanilla and Fino undergo the entire aging process protected by a natural occurring yeast called flor that protects the wine from oxygen. Darker sherries like Oloroso have higher amounts of alcohol added and this kills the protective flor. As a result the wines undergo oxidative aging.
In the solera system the wines are aged a minimum of three years in stacked rows of American oak casks. These casks have a blend of many vintages, in some cases over a century old, and are stored
The three authorized grapes are Palomino, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel.
Varieties:
Flor is a layer of living yeasts that protects Sherry from oxygen while aging in the barrel.
Key term:
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But why is sherry perfect for Christmas? From the bone-dry and fresh Manzanilla and Fino sherries, to the amber-colored, complex and richly flavored Amontillado and Oloroso wines and the off-sweet, sweet and super sweet progression of medium, cream and Pedro Ximenez sherries, sherries offer a solution for almost any food adorning your holiday table. The permutations are countless.
Before Christmas lunch or dinner, a dry Fino or Manzanilla makes for the perfect aperitif. These two golden yellow-colored wines stimulate your appetite and prepare you for the substantial meal to come. They’re also great with any seafood appetizers. When the roasted turkey, goose, ham or other substantial fare is served, I recommend a sophisticated Amontillado or robust Oloroso to augment and embellish the flavors of the meat.
At the end of the meal when pungent cheeses and desserts arrive, there’s no better partner than a glass or two of Moscatel or Pedro Ximenez Sherry.
These dark amber-colored wines offer an abundance of sweet fruit and nutty flavors. Not only will they make your cheese and dessert taste better, but they’ll also help you digest your heavy Christmas feast.
After choosing the style of sherry you want, it’s important to pick a top producer. Some highly respected producers with wines available in Shanghai are Lustau, Williams & Humbert, Gonzalas Byass and Domecq.
To optimize your sherry experience I suggest paying special attention to the serving temperature. Unlike fine red wines, sherries do not need breathing time but they are quite temperaturesensitive.
Finos and Manzanillas should be served about 8-10 degrees Celsius, while dry Amontillado and Oloroso sherries are best at approximately 10-12 Celsius. I like my off-sweet and sweet sherries well-chilled, about 8 degrees Celsius.