Recently, there's been a change. On the supply side, a new generation of importers has started to make these sherries available here in the last few years. On the demand side, the emergence of many great new Spanish wines has reawakened interest in her traditional strengths.

Additionally, the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry D.O. recently added two official sherry age classifications: VOS and VORS. VOS stands for Very Old Sherry and must be certified to be an average age of at least 20 years. VORS stands for Very Old Rare Sherry and must be certified to be an average age of at least 30 years, although they are often 40 or 50 years old from the best producers. Not all producers have adopted use of the classifications and some have chosen to stick with their traditional labeling without VOS or VORS certification stickers on the back of the bottle.

PJ Wine thinks it's a great moment to learn about these remarkable wines. We firmly believe that top sherry cuvées are the most underpriced great wines in the world. These wines are extremely limited selections, they are very old (average age is often above 50 years) and they are sold ready to drink. Think for a moment about buying a top Bordeaux, Champagne or Port from the 40s or 50s (you'd be lucky if the price didn't have four digits!) and $30-120 a bottle for the very best sherries starts to seem very reasonable indeed.

And make no mistake these are great wines with entrancing bouquets, enormous complexity and power in the mouth and unreal length. Plus these wines can be kept for weeks after opening with absolutely no deterioration (after all they've already undergone decades of oxidative aging so how much difference can a few days make), so you can enjoy a glass or two with friends anytime.

How to start? Try a few of these wines as after dinner drinks on their own. They have half the alcohol of a brandy or whisky and twice the flavor (that's why many top single malts boast about being aged in "used sherry casks"). Good sherry is a perfect vino di meditazione (as the Italians dub such thought-provoking meditation wines) and thoughtful sipping is the best way to get to know their flavors.

Start with the sweeter wines, either the dense, sticky Pedro Ximenez or PX bottlings or the rich, semi-sweet Amoroso/Oloroso Dulce bottlings. Then work your way down to the drier wines: the rich dry Olorosos, the elegant Palo Cortados and the suave Amontillados. Try with toasted nuts for added enjoyment. Although not the rarest, the most difficult styles for American palates are usually the Finos and Manzanillas, which are bone dry and pale in color. Serve your first Finos and Manzanillas well-chilled with olives, salted nuts or Manchego cheese since food helps the palate acclaimate to the intense flavors of these crisp, snappy wines—and they really are at their most compelling with food.

Once you have a bit of experience you can start to work your way back up, matching the wines with different foods. Finos and manzanillas pair perfectly with sushi and sashimi. Forget sauternes: nothing shows off foie gras better than an Amontillado. Try a Palo Cortado with an aged reggiano and toasted pecans or with a buttery croissant filled with chocolate and almond paste. When he eats fresh truffles, Jacques Pebeyre, owner of Maison Pebeyre, France’s largest truffle producer, prefers an old Oloroso. Far from clashing as would most wines, a Pedro Ximenez is a perfect foil to rich chocolate desserts. You’ll soon be discovering your own exciting sherry and food pairings.

Antonio Barbadillo

Sherry Features
Click the links below to access additional Sherry articles:

PJ’s Sherry Primer

Profiles On Top Sherry Producers:

Antonio Barbadillo

Pedro Domecq

Gonzalez Byass

Vinícola Hidalgo

Emilo Lustau

Sanchez Romate