Updated December 2020
16 December 2014 was a special day in the Sherry calendar: the 50th anniversary of Manzanilla being included as its own entity within the denominación de origen of Jerez.
2014 was quite a year for Sherry with Jerez de la Frontera being crowned as the European Wine Capital 2014. Fast forward to 2020 and Sherry is having a huge revival as one o the most exciting wines in the world. It’s loved by sommeliers and adored by bar tenders.
Sherry also has a phenomenal new website brimming with information www.sherry.wine
What better time, then, to indulge your loved ones with the delights of this fabulous fortified wine than now, at Christmas?
So with this in mind, I’ve done a little research to come up with a suggested Christmas gift list for the Sherry lover in your life…
1. A Zoom Sherry Session with me!
A perfect Christmas present for the Sherry Lover in your life. You can either join in a session with others or book a private session to share with your close friends and family. Tasting kits of 6 different Sherries to accompany the session can be delivered to your door. Featured in both the Daily Telegraph, The Times & The Guardian as a great Christmas gift for the frustrated traveller. Click here for more info
2. A Jar of Pedro Ximénez-soaked Raisins
Fill a pretty jar with some juicy plump raisins and cover with your favourite Pedro Ximénez. PX is the sherry made from the juice of pressed PX raisins so it’s only natural for a raisin to want to snuggle up in its delicious sweetness. Buy the best your budget will allow. Tie with a pretty ribbon and label it with ‘PX and raisin topping for ice cream and porridge’. Then, for maximum deliciousness, pair with my chocolate almond cake recipe.
3. A Selection of Sherries
So where to buy the stuff? You can make your own Christmas gift hamper with a bottle or half bottle each of eight Sherry styles – Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, Cream, Moscatel and PX – or indeed a selection of any of the above. If you had to choose just two make it Manzanilla and PX, or if four, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and Cream. Check these out over at The Wine Society, Ottonlenghi and Brindisa (although maybe not quite enough Sherry, a great selection of snacks).
Master of Malt has the most spectacular range of Sherries including Gutierrez Colosia Fino and their unique Moscatel Soleado. Another great Christmas gift from here for a serious lover of Fino would be the three from the Las Palmas series from Gonzalez Byass.
Print off Annie B’s Sherry Notes as a handy companion piece.
4. A Sherry Library
There are very few books around about Sherry and even fewer that are an easy read. That was until the young editor of Punch in USA, Talia Baiocchi, came
up with this fun and charming book called – wait for it – Sherry! It has earned glittering reviews and has some fab recipes for Sherry based cocktails, too. Check out Talia Baiocchi’s Sherry on Amazon.
5. Alka-Seltzer
One thing’s for sure – if you drink too much Sherry, you will eventually fall over. A packet of AS may be just the thing for the morning after – ahead of the first festive Fino of the day, that is!
Like my pick of the best Christmas gifts for a Sherry lover? If you’re a fan of Fino or mad about Manzanilla, join me on a Sherry tour!
