Sherry
Sherry might have only picked up half the number of Golds that port did, but this was a pretty good year for the Spanish fortified.
We tend not to get the entries from Spain that we do from Portugal and there are years where our tasters have felt somewhat short-changed when they try to put together the sherry section of our list. This year, though, numbers were decent, and our judges found a nice balance of really good sherries in all the key styles for our Gold List.
Where sherry maybe does do better than port was in the pricing. These were stunningly cheap, and gave our tasters plenty to get excited about
From The Tasting Teams
‘All the samples were very good. Complex and good-quality. I didn’t find any that weren’t good.’ Luma Monteiro, Wineria
‘This [Valdespino Oloroso] was the star; it was amazing. It had the most terrific aroma, you didn’t even need to drink it – just put it to your nose. It’s a superbly intense wine, a real gold medal winner. It would be great with some blue cheese.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader
‘The sweet sherries were very nice. When you drink this kind of wine it automatically reminds you of dessert – perfect for the end of the meal. They are expensive but worth it.’ Michele Ciciriello, China Tang at The Dorchester
‘A really good dry amontillado is a top choice for restaurants. It’s great to serve with meat and soups and cheese. I’d love to see more food matches for that.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader