I figured, since I’ve drunk and enjoyed many, many whiskies that are aged in ex-sherry casks, that I probably ought to try sherry some time. So while my wife and I were at the wine store, picking out a bottle of red to go with Valentine’s Day dinner, I grabbed a bottle. I went for something mid-priced that had good reviews.
It’s so sickly, syrupy sweet. It tastes like…grapes. What the hell kind of wine tastes like grapes? And honey. And floral notes. This tastes like a dessert topping.
And it’s like 17.5% alcohol! High alcohol, sticky sweet, tastes nasty…I just figured it out. Sherry is Mad Dog 20/20 for snobs. The original bum wine.
Luckily, the label invites one to enjoy the wine “by itself, chilled, or on the rocks.” So I’m drinking it on the rocks now. I think I’ll just finish the bottle tonight, so that it doesn’t bedevil my home any longer than absolutely necessary. I don’t want it there in the booze cabinet, molesting my Glenmorangie and Sailor Jerry by night
Anyone out there like a nice glass of sherry? Next up, I try port.
There are LOTS of different types of sherrys (sherries?)…just like there are different wines and different beers. It might be premature to reject the whole genre based on one bottle.
Yes, I see. And this one is an “Oloroso Cream Sherry,” which the internet tells me is a particularly sweet version. There are much drier ones out there. Perhaps I’ll try one of those after I forget about this hangover in a bottle.
It taught me to drink alcohol, back in the day. I would have a glass of creme sherry every evening… sort of like I would have a mocha every morning while I was learning to like coffee.
Try a Manzanilla or an Amontillado sherry. As for port, do your homework. Bad port tastes like prune juice. Buy a decent bottle that’s actually made in Portugal, and have a glass with some smoked almonds and Stilton cheese for a snack.
I ADORE sherry. The cheaper ones are kind of harsh, but OK for cooking. I’ve always loved sherry, I do prefer the dry types. So warm, nutty tasting, soothing. It seldom gives me a hangovery feeling, unlike hard liquor or red wine. A little goes a long way, too, higher alcohol content.
Personally, I love sherry and port. We always have a bottle or two around for sipping or cooking. But you have to know what you are buying, as you have discovered. Best thing is to find a friend or friendly wine merchant that does tastings and play around before you buy.
For port, I’ve found that a LBV from a good house is the best default.
I love sherry, but it’s dessert for me. The Lustau East India Solera is particularly good, but needs to be chilled or the sugars make it too sweet. I also love almost any 10 or 20 year Old Tawny port, or any vintage port, if you can get it.
Just finished a bottle of the Lustau not long ago. I bought a case of Graham’s 20 year old port when I was posted in Lisbon in the 90s. That was some fine stuff.
I bought a bottle of Amontillado, just to have the bottle to use as a prop for E.A. Poe allusions.
It was wonderful! I had the greatest joy making the bottle last as long as I could. It was delicious. Yes, definitely sweet. Some call it a “dessert wine.” Nothing wrong with that!
I guess what I am trying to say is that it sounds like OCS came at it with different expectations. If he comes at sherry again, knowing a bit more about what to expect, he may find he can enjoy it…
Many think that because it’s a fortified wine that it will keep indefinitely, which is not the case. If you pay a lot for a premium port or sherry, you’ll need to drink it down in a reasonable amount of time and keep it tightly corked.
