Did you know Sherry is one of the oldest wines in the world? If that doesn’t make you curious about this complicated yet divine drink, perhaps I can convince you over a Harveys Cream Sherry Old Fashioned?
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Where is Sherry From?
All Sherry is from the south of Spain in a place called Jerez – in the sherry triangle. It was originally made in Andalucia in 1231 and back then, Jerez was known as Sherrish.The sun shines for 300 days of sunshine every year making it a fascinating place to grow wine grapes. There are mild winters and hot summers, two winds that blow through the area and the perfect amount of rainfall.
What Exactly is Cream Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made of grapes. It comes from the oldest wine-producing region in Spain, called Jerez De La Frontera. It is made from local white grapes and it is blended for a certain taste profile.
Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry is a very well known brand, and an icon in the region and in its category. It was created in 1882 by John Harvey II and his brother Edward and is the result of a meticulous selection of over 30 Spanish grape blends of the Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado and Pedro Ximenez.
How is Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry Made?
Delicately crafted from vines that are hundreds of years old. Growing on these vines are Indigenous grapes called palomino and Pedro Ximenez sherry is complex and yet an exciting kind of wine to learn about. Palomino grapes are harvested and vinified and PX grapes are dried after harvest to cultivate a final grape that has less water, higher sugar before being crushed. This helps to make a sweeter wine more naturally in style. The sherry is then mixed together to create the perfect taste profile and alcohol level. The final juice is then aged in American oak casks using the traditional system of soleras and aged for an absolute minimum of three years in American oak barrels, known as ‘botas’ around Jerez. It is then bottled, labeled and put on shelves.
How do you Store Cream Sherry?
You can store in the bottle standing up in the fridge or in a beautiful vintage decanter decanter
What Does Harveys Cream Sherry Taste Like?
Known for its deep golden chestnutty and amber tones, the nose is both full and fragrant and pungent and elegant all at once. It has explosive aromas of fig, floral, caramel and dried citrus and in a blind tasting you can be sure to pick this one out of a crowd. The liquid is full bodied and has a richness on the palate followed by a velvety finish. Acquired taste, maybe. But delicious for anyone who appreciates sweeter wine based liquors.
What Does Harveys Cream Sherry Pair With?
Sherry is truly versatile. There awaits a whole world of discovery through food pairing this with type of juice. You can also use it also in your cooking and in cocktails. A roaring fire, chess board or vinyl player could be optional accessories. Try using Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry as a pairing to a rustic charcuterie board, meat pies, roasted chicken, or even braised lamb. d cocktails
How do you Serve Sherry?
Cream Sherry is best enjoyed chilled at 12°C. Serve it on its own neat in a wine glass, or mixed over ice with a slice of orange. Take it up a notch by making a Harveys Cream Old Fashioned.
RECIPE: HARVEYS CREAM SHERRY OLD-FASHIONED
Ingredients
- 50ml Harveys The Bristol Cream sherry
- 1 tsp simple syrup *plus more to taste
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters *plus more to taste
- 1 slice of orange peel
- 1 maraschino cherry
Method:
- In a glass, combine simple syrup and bitters.
- Fill the glass halfway with ice, then stir about a dozen times.
- Add enough ice to fill glass.
- Squeeze orange peel over glass to extract oils, add peel to glass, and add sherry.
- Stir and garnish with a maraschino cherry.