Spanish Wine Club
Oct '08 Spanish Wine Club and Recipe
The other day, Carol and I had dinner at our pal Andy Booth's house (he's a wine sales guy who also owns The Spanish Table in Mill Valley and Berkeley). Andy and his wife Tanya served up a bewildering array of food, each plate accompanied by another style of Sherry. I realized then that we hadn't presented Sherry to the Spanish club yet, so this month, we rectify that oversight.
This month, we travel to Jerez in Andalucia for an overview of Sherry. We've got two sherries on tap, Tio Pepe Fino ($19.50) and Dios Baco Oloroso ($25.50).
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes in the area surrounding Jerez de la Frontera, one of the oldest wine making areas in Spain. The name Sherry comes from an English corruption of Jerez, pronounced: he-reth. Jerez is unique for its chalky white soil called albariza, which traps the winter rains and holds them tightly so that the vines have plenty of moisture for the long hot summers that lie ahead. .
To make Sherry easy to understand, let's focus on the two main styles of sherry: Fino and Oloroso, and how the Solera method works. Within these categories there are various styles including but not limited to: Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Pale Cream, and Cream.
Solera is a technique of fractional blending. At each harvest new wine is blended with old wine, creating a consistent style. This is accomplished by building a pyramid like stack of barrels, one on top of the other, where the oldest wine is at the bottom and the newest wine is at the top. Each year, some new wine is added into the second layer, some wine from that layer is added to the third layer, and so on. In this way, the wine at the bottom of the stack is drawn off to be bottled, contains wine from the very first time the solera was filled up. The goal is to add complexity to the wine over time, while mitigating the harmful effects of bad vintages. At each stage about a third of wine is taken out and replaced with wine from the one above until the new wine of the year goes in.
At its root, sherry tatstes the way it does because of a film forming yeast called flor. Every year in a percentage of the newly filled casks flor begins to grow and develop a thick layer of yeast cells that blanket the top of the wine within the cask, protecting it from oxidation. This tuype of yeast only exists in Jerez.
In most casks of wine, there is a small percentage of air touching the wine, usually creating a slightly oxidized flavor. Sometimes this is actually wanted, as in the case of Tawny ports and Oloroso Sherries - the longer the wine is in contact with this air, the darker it will become, taking on colors of dark wood and rich caramel. With Fino sherry, flor protects this from happening, and a wine aged 20 years is still as crystal clear, light and airy, as it was the day it was bottled.
Wines that develop flor, a process that is neither guaranteed nor exactly understood, can produce one of the following styles:
Fino - Typically served very cold. Pale in hue they tend to have an intense salt air nose. Sometimes some nuttiness plays a part too, though very lightly. In the mouth a Fino can be quite austere, and for many, it can take time before one truly falls in love with it. Sharp bright acidity framed by a light salty-nut quality. Sometimes I find light melon flavors in the mid-palate, but not always. My favorite way to get someone to fall in love with this unique beverage is have them bite into an olive and then have a sip.
Manzanilla - A style unique to Sanlucar de Barrameda a city in the south of Spain. This style is the only type of sherry that is so site specific it cannot be produced anywhere else. Very light, very crisp, and soft in the mouth, it calls for drinking it alone on a hot summers day. Manzanilla is the most ethereal of all Sherries and some say the best examples are on a level all their own. Most Sherries that you will come across in bars in Madrid are lighter examples, almost clear in color with a similar salt air nose, though a bit more delicate. On the palate: an olive pit quality and sometimes melon. If you have a chance, try it with a white anchovy or with some of the smoked bacalou.
Oloroso is basically a wine that has had the chance to oxidize and mature while in contact with air. After the primary fermentation if the wine doesnt start to show the signs of developing flor it is set aside for a solera of like wines. In the solera of non flor affected wines, it is aged in the same method as the Finos with the exception of its continual contact with air. The wine with time becomes darker and richer.
Oloroso Dark at times, thick and brooding. With this style, we head into another class of Sherry where age is important. Oxidative properties show themselves and you are left with a caramel-vanilla nose, dusted with a salted hazelnut perfume. In the mouth it can feel heavy with a richness and depth that wants to linger on your tongue.
Recipes: (from Andy Booth - Fino, and Michael Lemaire - Oloroso)
For the Fino: Gambas Al Ajillo
Makes 8 tapas
Peel and devein the shrimp. Pat dry on a paper towel & sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Heat a large sauté pan or cazuela** over medium-high heat. You can also use several smaller cazuelas to serve individual portions.
When the oil starts to shimmer add the sliced garlic. Cooking, shaking occasionally until the garlic starts to turn a golden color. Add the shrimp and stir. Cook for several minutes, stirring periodically. When the shrimp are almost done, add the crushed red pepper. Stir and add the Fino, the parsley and a couple drops of lemon juice.
Serve immediately.
This is best served in the cazuela that the shrimp were cooked in. Its great to get a plate of gambas with the oil bubbling away. Make sure to serve this with some good, crusty bread to soak up the juice and an ice cold glass of fino to go with!
**Cazuelas are earthen cooking pans, available at The Spanish Table.
For the Oloroso: Chorizo and Pistachio Cake
Here is a yummy snack to enjoy with a glass of sherry. I am not sure that this falls into the traditional category of tapas but it is hard to resist a nice piece of savory cake when hunger pains arrive around 4:30 in the afternoon!
2. Butter a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, tilting the pan to distribute them.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and chile powder.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and yogurt. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, stirring until barely incorporated. Don't overmix.
5. Gently fold in the chorizo, tomatoes, pistachios, and parsley. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.
6. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake just feels set in the center. Let cool for 15 minutes, then tilt it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
Serving and storage: Once cool, cut the cake into thin slices and serve as is. Leftover cake should be wrapped snugly in plastic and will keep up to five days at room temperature. I often cut savory cakes in half and freeze part to have on hand for emergency cocktail parties.
Note: Chorizo is available in well-stocked supermarkets and in food stores. It's also available from La Tienda or The Spanish Table, although any fully-cured, spicy sausage available locally should work.
This month, we travel to Jerez in Andalucia for an overview of Sherry. We've got two sherries on tap, Tio Pepe Fino ($19.50) and Dios Baco Oloroso ($25.50).
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes in the area surrounding Jerez de la Frontera, one of the oldest wine making areas in Spain. The name Sherry comes from an English corruption of Jerez, pronounced: he-reth. Jerez is unique for its chalky white soil called albariza, which traps the winter rains and holds them tightly so that the vines have plenty of moisture for the long hot summers that lie ahead. .To make Sherry easy to understand, let's focus on the two main styles of sherry: Fino and Oloroso, and how the Solera method works. Within these categories there are various styles including but not limited to: Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Pale Cream, and Cream.
Solera is a technique of fractional blending. At each harvest new wine is blended with old wine, creating a consistent style. This is accomplished by building a pyramid like stack of barrels, one on top of the other, where the oldest wine is at the bottom and the newest wine is at the top. Each year, some new wine is added into the second layer, some wine from that layer is added to the third layer, and so on. In this way, the wine at the bottom of the stack is drawn off to be bottled, contains wine from the very first time the solera was filled up. The goal is to add complexity to the wine over time, while mitigating the harmful effects of bad vintages. At each stage about a third of wine is taken out and replaced with wine from the one above until the new wine of the year goes in.
At its root, sherry tatstes the way it does because of a film forming yeast called flor. Every year in a percentage of the newly filled casks flor begins to grow and develop a thick layer of yeast cells that blanket the top of the wine within the cask, protecting it from oxidation. This tuype of yeast only exists in Jerez.
In most casks of wine, there is a small percentage of air touching the wine, usually creating a slightly oxidized flavor. Sometimes this is actually wanted, as in the case of Tawny ports and Oloroso Sherries - the longer the wine is in contact with this air, the darker it will become, taking on colors of dark wood and rich caramel. With Fino sherry, flor protects this from happening, and a wine aged 20 years is still as crystal clear, light and airy, as it was the day it was bottled. Wines that develop flor, a process that is neither guaranteed nor exactly understood, can produce one of the following styles:
Fino - Typically served very cold. Pale in hue they tend to have an intense salt air nose. Sometimes some nuttiness plays a part too, though very lightly. In the mouth a Fino can be quite austere, and for many, it can take time before one truly falls in love with it. Sharp bright acidity framed by a light salty-nut quality. Sometimes I find light melon flavors in the mid-palate, but not always. My favorite way to get someone to fall in love with this unique beverage is have them bite into an olive and then have a sip.
Manzanilla - A style unique to Sanlucar de Barrameda a city in the south of Spain. This style is the only type of sherry that is so site specific it cannot be produced anywhere else. Very light, very crisp, and soft in the mouth, it calls for drinking it alone on a hot summers day. Manzanilla is the most ethereal of all Sherries and some say the best examples are on a level all their own. Most Sherries that you will come across in bars in Madrid are lighter examples, almost clear in color with a similar salt air nose, though a bit more delicate. On the palate: an olive pit quality and sometimes melon. If you have a chance, try it with a white anchovy or with some of the smoked bacalou.
Oloroso is basically a wine that has had the chance to oxidize and mature while in contact with air. After the primary fermentation if the wine doesnt start to show the signs of developing flor it is set aside for a solera of like wines. In the solera of non flor affected wines, it is aged in the same method as the Finos with the exception of its continual contact with air. The wine with time becomes darker and richer.
Oloroso Dark at times, thick and brooding. With this style, we head into another class of Sherry where age is important. Oxidative properties show themselves and you are left with a caramel-vanilla nose, dusted with a salted hazelnut perfume. In the mouth it can feel heavy with a richness and depth that wants to linger on your tongue.
Recipes: (from Andy Booth - Fino, and Michael Lemaire - Oloroso)
For the Fino: Gambas Al Ajillo
Makes 8 tapas
- 1 ¼ lbs shrimp; the smallest available
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, germ removed and sliced thin
- ½ t crushed red pepper
- 1 T Fino sherry
- 2 T minced parsley
- ½ lemon
- salt to taste
Peel and devein the shrimp. Pat dry on a paper towel & sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Heat a large sauté pan or cazuela** over medium-high heat. You can also use several smaller cazuelas to serve individual portions.
When the oil starts to shimmer add the sliced garlic. Cooking, shaking occasionally until the garlic starts to turn a golden color. Add the shrimp and stir. Cook for several minutes, stirring periodically. When the shrimp are almost done, add the crushed red pepper. Stir and add the Fino, the parsley and a couple drops of lemon juice.
Serve immediately.
This is best served in the cazuela that the shrimp were cooked in. Its great to get a plate of gambas with the oil bubbling away. Make sure to serve this with some good, crusty bread to soak up the juice and an ice cold glass of fino to go with!
**Cazuelas are earthen cooking pans, available at The Spanish Table.
For the Oloroso: Chorizo and Pistachio Cake
Here is a yummy snack to enjoy with a glass of sherry. I am not sure that this falls into the traditional category of tapas but it is hard to resist a nice piece of savory cake when hunger pains arrive around 4:30 in the afternoon!
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chile powder
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (150g) plain, whole-milk yogurt
- 3 ounces (85g) chorizo, preferable spicy, skinned and finely diced
- 8 sun-dried tomato halves, finely diced
- 3/4 cup (100g) unsalted shelled pistachios
- 1/4 cup (15g) chopped flat-leaf parsley
- butter, for greasing the pan
2. Butter a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, tilting the pan to distribute them.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and chile powder.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and yogurt. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, stirring until barely incorporated. Don't overmix.
5. Gently fold in the chorizo, tomatoes, pistachios, and parsley. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.
6. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake just feels set in the center. Let cool for 15 minutes, then tilt it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
Serving and storage: Once cool, cut the cake into thin slices and serve as is. Leftover cake should be wrapped snugly in plastic and will keep up to five days at room temperature. I often cut savory cakes in half and freeze part to have on hand for emergency cocktail parties.
Note: Chorizo is available in well-stocked supermarkets and in food stores. It's also available from La Tienda or The Spanish Table, although any fully-cured, spicy sausage available locally should work.