businesstraveller.com NOVEMBER 2018
WINE
point the yeast runs out of nutrients and dies away,
exposing the wine to the air. It continues to oxidise and
age for another eight years. It is darker than the fino with
a dry, nutty f lavour and an almost salty aftertaste, which
is ideal for rice dishes and white meats, Simon informs
me. Bottles are often sold out as soon as that year’s supply
is released. I make a note and happily finish the glass.
Mythirdglassisapalocortado.There’squiteastory
behind this one. Once upon a time, barrels were each
marked with chalk to record what was inside. One
scratch (palo) meant fino. If the yeast died off for some
reason,alinewasdrawnthroughthescratch(thepalo
cortado)andratherthanbeingsold,itwasgiventothe
workers. The bottles of palo cortado became highly
sought after, and about 40 years ago the bodegas started
to produce them commercially. The process, however,
is a bit like alchemy: each bodega has its own means of
producing this sherry. I thoroughly enjoy my glass – it
is less dry than the others, and has not just the colour of
caramel, but also a hint of the f lavour too.
Next comes the oloroso, which loosely translates
as “pungent”. Simon explains that the amber colour
andfullerbodyisduetothesherrycomingfromthe
second pressing of the grape. It is aged for eight years
SUGAR CONTENT
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0–5
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160+
212+A GUIDE TO BUYING
Sherry is amazingly afordable with a decent bottle starting as low as €5 (US$5.8).
At the other end of the spectrum there are special limited editions. Look out for a
bottle of Pio X 1903 from Tio Pepe, made in honour of the Pope at that time: 120
bottles were found in a hidden cellar in 2017, but only 100 were put on the market at
€1,300 (US$1,523) per bottle. As the limited productions become harder to find, their
value is sure to increase. At the top end of the spectrum are the Versos 1891, a rare
blend of 125-year-old Amontillado sherry, which comes from the personal collection
of the Barbadillo family. It has a very intense flavour, with prices up to €12,000
(US$14,060) per bottle.WHERE TO BUY SHERRY IN ASIAPACIFIC
If you can’t get to Spain, you can still treat yourself to a tapas and sherry dinner
at: Ham and Sherry, a Spanish tapas bar in Hong Kong (hamandsherry.hk); Niajo
Spanish Restaurant in Beijing (niajo.com); or El Willy in Shanghai (elwillygroup.com).
For deliveries throughout Asia you can also order online at yesmywine.com or
tintafinawines.comdzW Fino
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15–1716–17
17–22
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15–22but without any protective yeast layer, so it takes more
f lavour from the American oak barrels in which it is
stored. There is definitely a taste of oak and spice, and
something akin to vanilla about this sherry.
Ourpenultimateglassisdulce,asweetsherry,andmore
reminiscent of what I think of as a classic sherry. Simon
explains a complicated method of mixing Palomino
grapes (as used in an oloroso) and Pedro Ximenex grapes
withthemust(thepulpandjuiceextractedfromthe
grape) from each aged separately for four years, then
blended and aged under full oxidation for a further four
years. Just like Goldilocks, I find this the most delightful
of all the sherries, not too dry and not too sweet.
Finally, there is the icing on any cake, the sweetest
nectar of them all, Pedro Ximenez, a dessert wine, sweet,
dense and as dark as coffee. These grapes arelet on the
vine much longer, then dried in the sun for several weeks
to concentrate the sugars before they are put through a
strong press and aged for at least eight years. The sherry
tastesabitlikefigsandraisins.Simontellsmethis
particular sherry has been aged for 30 years, and locals
like to pour it over ice cream as a favourite dessert. “You
don’thappentohaveanyicecream?”Iaskhopefully.
“No,” says Simon, as he gently guides me to the door...CLOCKWISE
FROM OPPOSITE
TOP:Sherry
ranges widely
in both colour
and taste;
abottleof
Tio Pepe
PioX1903;
barrels in the
cellars of the
Gonzalez
Byass bodega
bear words
of praise
from famous
visitors63