A sherry by any other name

If I had a thousand sons the first human principle I would teach them would be to foreswear all thin potations and addict themselves to sack ?  (William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Pt II)

Vino de Jerez, as it is known in Spanish - sherry being the Anglicized version - has been around in one form or another since the Phoenicians arrived in Spain more than 3,000 years ago. Later, Vinum ceretensis was much prized by the Romans, while the Moors, though disdaining alcohol themselves, were pragmatic enough to tolerate the lucrative trade in what they named sherish. At the same time, the Moors introduced the distillation process, which served them for scientific and medical purposes. This led to fortification by adding neutral grape spirit to the wine after fermentation.

By the 16th century, sherry was renowned as one of the world's greatest wines and was widely exported across northern Europe. It was extremely popular in England under the name of sack, from the Spanish sacar, to remove or draw out (from the cask).  

This popularity only increased when Sir Francis Drake, the Elizabethan admiral (or pirate, depending on one's leanings) sailed into Cádiz harbor in 1587. It would be another few years before Shakespeare penned the quote cited above; meanwhile, Drake set about "singeing the king of Spain's beard," not only setting fire to the armada being assembled for a planned conquest of England, but also making off with the victuals waiting to be loaded onto the ships, which included some 2,900 barrels of sherry. The stolen sherry appeared on the London markets soon afterward, causing a sensation. Doubtless a good time was had by all.  

This special relationship has continued to this day, although sherry has lost some popularity as a favorite tipple. However, many experts continue to loudly sing its praises, claiming it to be undeservedly neglected and undoubtedly one of the best bargains to be had.  

Although some countries, notably the United States, have their own generic sherries, the name is protected in Europe by EU law as a fortified wine made from three specific white grapes - primarily Palomino, with 90 percent of all plantings, along with Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez. These emanate from a triangle in the province of Cádiz formed by the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, el Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda. The region covers approximately 10,000 hectares.   

All sherry is initially fortified to 15 percent to 17 percent alcohol, and has to age in cask for a minimum of three years. For top offerings like Very Old Rare Sherry (VORS) this can mean 30 years, which in practice is often even longer. However, once bottled, sherry does not age, nor does it benefit from further keeping.  

Fino and Manzanilla, the latter made only in Sanlúcar, are dry. Oloroso and Amontillado can be dry and medium; the creams are sweet. Finally, Pedro Ximénez, or PX for short, is a very special nectar. Dark and lush, it is made from grapes set out in the searing-hot sun to bake dry, concentrating the sweetness before being fortified and aged in the normal way.

As a matter of note, this writer has just returned from Jerez armed with the certificate of an official sherry educator, having undergone a crash course complete with an exam on the subject of sherry. So stand by for tastings in the coming months.

Winery of the month: Vinařství Vít Sedláček   

Among the most successful of new Moravian winemakers, Vít Sedláček had, until five years ago, made wine on a purely casual basis in Vrbice, a small village perched atop a hill overlooking Kobylí and Bořetice in the Velké Pavlovice wine subregion. He inherited just a few hundred acres of vineyard and a traditional family cellar on three floors: cellar, press room and an attic used for storing hay and straw. This has all now been modernized, and annual production is approximately 30,000 bottles.

Vrbice is in the heart of the Modré hory microregion, where red grapes are reputed to give their very best. Sixty-five percent of Sedláček's production is indeed of red wines, and he is rightly proud of them, especially the cuvée Opacus (Latin for opaque), assembled from grapes of the Frankovka, Dornfelder and André varieties. Prices range from 80 to 180 Kč a bottle and are available in restaurants and wine shops, though most of his sales in fact come from organized groups visiting his cellar. For more information, visit Vinosedlacek.cz.

Wines of the month

White: White Pinot Noir 2008

Producer: Salabka-Troja Estate, Prague, Czech Republic          

This is a rather unusual wine emanating from the small boutique winery near Prague Zoo, mentioned last month, unusual in that it is a blanc des noirs, literally, a white wine made from black grapes, a style popular in Germany, also known as "blush wines" in the Anglophone world. The process involves minimal contact with the skins, so as to impart to the juice as little color as is desired. Unlike a typical red Pinot Noir, we have here a rather floral nose with a lush, slightly sweet and fruity palate notably featuring apricots and raisins. An interesting find. 250 Kč

Sherry: Pedro Ximénez, Vina el Alamo  

Producer: Pedro Romero, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain

Deep mahogany hue that appears quite viscous when poured, leaving tears or cathedral windows on the side of the glass. This is a fine example of this exotic dessert classic. Highly intense with a thickly lush, grapey palate of treacle, raisins, chocolate and licorice that lingers tantalizingly long on the tongue as well as on the side of the glass. 400 Kč

Helena Baker can be reached at
features@praguepost.com