Crazy about wine
The overlooked groups - sherry and madeira
The overlooked groups
When it comes to liqueur wines, sherry and madeira are often overlooked in favour of port, which is a shame as these two overlooked wines have a lot to offer not only in terms of taste but also food compositions. The reason is not entirely clever, although some of the explanation may be that these typographies are often considered to be “what our grandparents drank”.
Sherry - Andalusian Pearl
If we start with sherry, we are geographically in southern Spain in Andalusia south of Seville. Sherry comes in many variations and is available both crunchy and with intense sweetness. Sherry is an enriched wine (alcohol-infused) made from the grapes Palomino, Pedro Ximinez and Moscatel. Sherry is rarely made in a specific vintage, but is often a mixture of several vintages, also known as the solera system, where there can sometimes be a small part of some very old wine, but where the majority will be of a significantly younger vintage. The same system is also used to make some types of rum.
As mentioned, there are different types of sherry depending on the need. The dry ones include Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Pablo Cotardo and Oloroso, while the sweet ones include Cream, Dulce, Moscatel and Pedro Ximinez. Typically, the alcohol content is between 15-22%, which means that they should ideally be drunk ice-cold and from dessert wine glasses or similar.
Match with food - from oysters to vanilla ice cream:
In terms of food composition, there are countless options for sherry, and it is really here that this typology is unfortunately overlooked, as sherry in isolation can be either too dry and acidic or too sweet and intense for some. But if you find (as with any other wine) the perfect food companion, it’s really a gastronomic experience.
In fact, the safest, but perhaps also the most surprising match, is dry sherry in the form of Fino or Manzanilla together with oysters. For many, it is natural or instinctive to pair oysters with champagne, and even though this is not definitely wrong, there is simply a greater symbiosis with sherry. This is because the intense sea and salty taste of the oyster overdoes the champagne and its relatively low alcoholic strength. But with dry sherry, you achieve both a higher acidity level and an amount of alcohol that goes in and creates an opposition and cleanses the mouth to the taste of oysters. Similarly, sherry complements and matches vinegar, which is the main character of the classic vinaigrette with red onion, which accompanies oysters due to its acidity and crispness.
In general, it can be said that Fino-sherry is a fantastic all-round wine that can blend with most tapas dishes, small dishes and other small snacks, such as olives, air-dried ham, almonds, octopus, prawns, scallops, just as it is one of the few wines that can easily blend with large and intense quantities of garlic.
It almost goes without saying that sweet wine is needed for sweet food, and sherry is no exception. For example, the Pedro Ximinez variant is unbeatable for vanilla ice cream, and when you’re on the go, you can just as well pour a few of the delicious drops over your ice cream. While dry sherry is usually very clear and light in colour and light in consistency, sweet sherry is the opposite. Especially Pedro Ximinez is almost syrupy in its texture and leaves good curtains in the glass. In terms of taste, we are in an intense wave of caramel, chocolate, raisins and plums. It requires a bit of sweetness, but if you have, it’s the perfect dessert companion or just as a little avec at the end of the evening.
Madeira - liqueur wine paradise in the Atlantic
While some might associate Madeira with Cristiano Ronaldo’s hometown, it is also the origin of a product of at least the same high class, albeit less well-known, but on the other hand cheaper and with a long-term potential, namely Madeira wines. Madeira is an archipelago located off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean and belongs to Portugal, although it is 968 km to Lisbon and the islands are on the same latitude as Morocco.
Most Madeira wine is made from the red wine grape Tinta negra, while the white grapes go under the names Malvasia, Boal, Sercial and Verdelho, with the first two being used for the sweet versions and the last two for the dry ones. In addition, Madeira is made in much the same way as ordinary wine, where the order is called harvesting, pressing and ageing (often in oak casks). Whereas the sweet grapes are fermented with the shells, these are removed during the fermentation of the dry grapes.
Most Madeira wines have been cask-aged for shorter or longer periods, with a minimum of three years and five years more common. However, they can also be found with ten years, fifteen years or longer barrel life, just as there are also colheita (harvest in Portuguese) and vintage versions known from the world of port wine, where there are specific requirements for the minimum barrel life. As is known from other typographies (such as sherry, wine and port), longer barrel storage will always be noticeable by a darker colour, a deeper viscosity and a more intense and deep taste and aroma.
Mad(eira):
Like sherry, madeira comes in both crunchy and super sweet versions, each with its own purpose in the gastronomic world. For Sercial and Verdelho, it’s a match made in heaven with sardines or anchovies dipped in lemon juice and olive oil topped with sea salt. Due to the salty taste of Madeira, it is also a perfect accompaniment to olives, nuts and other types of tapas/antipasti, e.g. in the form of salted ham. The dry Madeiras are characterised by notes of citrus, apricot and honey.
If you grab the Madeira made on Tinta negra, you have an obvious companion with strong cheeses, charcuterie or just as an after-dinner drink while watching the sun set over the Atlantic. Since this is made from a red grape, it is more marzipan- and nut-like notes that go in and provide a contrast to fatty and heavy foods.
The sweet version in the form of Boal goes extremely well with chocolate-based desserts due to its suede and chocolate heat, just as it can handle a blue cheese. Conversely, the Malvasia version is slightly lighter and lighter in style, making it suitable for softer cheeses and more fruit-based desserts.