Pete, Trainee Manager at Majestic Haslemere gives us his view on when to drink Spain’s finest.

Sanlúcar de Guadiana

Sherry is a drink that we all buy for Christmas but it seems to be ignored for the rest of the year and I am on a mission to change that. Forget your cheap sweet sherries, try a dry and very slightly salty Manzanilla, aged in a bodega in the town of Sanlúcar on the Spanish coast.  A wonderfully refreshing drink either on it’s own or matched with some delicate sea food. The La Gitana Manzanilla is a great example of this.

When it comes to beautifully aged Oloroso with it’s rich, nutty character, you may not think it, but poured over some vanilla ice cream it makes a perfect sauce. Between these two ends of the spectrum there is no end to the variations of styles and flavours available to the canny Sherry drinker.

The real gem in the range at the moment  (available in-store) and what I would encourage you all to try is the Tio Pepe Fino En Rama.  A classic Fino is a dry, light wine that is pale in colour and best consumed young.  In the case of En Rama this is especially so, these wines are best enjoyed within three months of bottling.  The reason for this is that an En Rama Fino is taken from the middle of the cask while the flor is at its thickest and does not go through the same filtration and stabilisation process as a regular Sherry.  What is the flor? I hear you ask, this is the layer of yeast that forms on top of the Sherry in cask.  This means the En Rama wine has hints of bread and almond rounded off nicely with a citrus finish.  Try this wine with fish, white meats or even some cheeses.

I hope this article has given you something to consider next time you are picking up your wine, a glass of chilled Fino in the sun is a perfect drink for the summer and I urge you all to try it.

You can follow Pete and the Haslemere Majestic Team on Twitter @majestichas or on their website www.majestic.co.uk/haslemere