Sherry - on a need to know basis

So it is largely felt that to be uncool is by nature, well... cool.  An oxymoron I guess that perfectly describes my recently discovered love of sherry. This is not a cool region, oh no, rather one which those on the inside of the wine trade seem to find impossible to resist.  As I write I feel myself drifting back in time to evenings spent at Bancroft’s local tapas bar in Bermondsey Street; José.  Warm summer evenings (yes, I think there were three this year and fortunately one of them was a Friday) spent enjoying a chilled bottle of crisp, refreshing Manzanilla and simply watching the world pass by.
Minutes turned to hours and sadly, as sure as night follows day, those delightful sunny evenings are now crisp Autumnal nights.  The memory lives on. Rather than close the door to my new found love (at least until the sunshine reappears), I have simply broadened my search for a more seasonal style of the coolest wine in the world. 

This brings me on to an impromptu tasting staged in the Bancroft office last week.  Keen to take advantage of Bancroft’s excellent supplier links in Spain, Johnny requested samples of a range of unique, rare and serious Sherries. It goes without saying that this was too good an opportunity for the Bancroft team to miss and like a kettle of vultures we descended on the poor, defenceless sample bottles!

Several styles were available, which I have summarised below, and all carry the Drake & Friends label.  Drake and Friends was founded as recently as 2010 with the intention of raising awareness in the wines of Jerez and bringing them to a new audience whilst simultaneously supporting more established consumers.

Why Drake & Friends? Well, Francis Drake was a huge fan of Sherry. Famously he exported 2900 barrels of fine Sherry into the UK on 29^th April 1857.  Though only a tentative link to this famous explorer; a perfect replica of Francis Drakes’ ship, The Golden Hinde, is docked no more than a mile from the Bancroft office on the banks of the Thames.

Fino ‘En Rama’ (unfiltered)

An unusual style where rather than utilising Jerez’s solera system, the wine remains almost static and in the same barrel for its entire life. Whether the bottle was bad or there is something distinctly blue cheese-like resulting from this method of production, it was felt that the wine was not showing well.  Sadly we did not have a further bottle to taste. Tears started to flow from the Bancroft team. Ok, tears started to flow from me.  

Medium

A blend of 15 year old Amontillado (90%) and 5 year old Pedro Ximenez (10%). A big and forceful nose of dried fruit and nuts. On the palate there is a delightful apricot and toffee character and despite being called Medium, this wine is still reasonably dry. This feels like a comfort Sherry and very much suited for Autumnal enjoyment.  I would drink this kind of Sherry all day and night if you gave me the chance! 

Amontillado ‘VORS’ (old rare)

A wine close to 60 years in age. Much deeper in colour than the Fino, this wine had a delicate nose of dried orange and roasted nuts. Very refined. Salty and rich, it was still quite

dry on the finish. Full flavoured and densely packed this was much more like it! A lovely style of sherry, which would be excellent served at the end of a meal or simply with a bowl of salted almonds. Delicious and totally unique.

Olorosso ‘VORS’ (old rare)

The ultimate Sherry in the range. Made from wines in excess of 100 years old. Extremely rare and distinctive in every way. With the exception of vintage Madeira, what other wine

could you possibly drink of this age without having to take on a second mortgage? A concentrated, walnut and truffle nose leads to a full throttle palate of great acidity and balance.  Clove, all spice and orange rind combine beautifully.  The concentration and vivacity on show belies the wine’s years. Stunning and extremely memorable.

At the close of the tasting, and once I had regained my composure following the Olorosso VORS, the team were in no doubt of the diversity, complexity and sheer class in the wines on display.  Alarmingly, Sherry remains very much on the fine wine periphery. As a subject it requires far greater understanding and is waiting to be embraced by a new generation of wine drinkers. With the recent trend towards tapas style dining, Sherry has been given a window of opportunity, with many bars offering sherry and plate matching menus. Sherry by the glass is becoming more common, helping to encourage consumer experimentation.   José is a fantastic example where the comprehensive list just screams out to be tried. 

I for one hope that Sherry is given its time in the sun.  In the meantime, Shhhhhhhh.  It’s on a need to know basis (and nobody else needs to know!).

By Martin Wheatley