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This past week Gothamist learned two very important things that we will carry with us into the New Year: we love sherry and we hate sherry hangovers.
Last week Gothamist was invited to a Sherry Tasting hosted by Steve Olson, a.k.a. "the Wine Geek" at WD-50. Gothamist was in heaven dining on deliciously interesting tapas by Chef Wylie Dufresne, sipping on exotic sherry cocktails and tasting the huge selection of sherries . . . flashback . . .
Barkeep: “Would you like to taste some of the sherries? We have 15 different types.”
Gothamist: “Yes.”
Barkeep: “Which ones do you want to try?”
Gothamist: “Um, let’s start with all of them.”
That's right, Gothamist came to taste that night. We tried the Finos, then dabbled in the Olorosos and mixed it up with dessert sherries. Each glass was better then the next and before long we were seduced by this unassuming wine.
The Finos
The Fino style of sherry is quite different then one might expect from sherry. In other words it’s not that sweet heavy wine you sip with grandpa after Christmas dinner. It’s light and dry with crisp acidity and a nutty character. Fino style is unique in that a layer of flor, a yeast that is used in making sherry, forms a seal over the wine which protects it from oxidation and imparts a unique flavor on the wine. This style is best drunk young and chilled. The Finos we sampled were a great aperitif to the nibbles that were floating around.
The Olorosos
Ah, que bueno! The Olorosos were complex, rich and full of personality – not that different from Chef Wylie’s creations. In the Oloroso style of sherry the wine is fortified with higher percentage of alcohol which kills off the flor - therefore aging in contact with air. There’s something about that air in Spain because these Olorosos were delicious.
Dessert
The highlight of the evening was the PX (Pedro Ximenez) – too bad we were too sloshed to enjoy it. From what we remember it was like caramel in a glass. The texture was so rich with a finish that lasted almost as long as our hangover.
Forget the stereotypes you know about Sherry. This wine is exciting, complex and comes in any style to fit your mood. We know you’ll love it, but don’t try to make up for lost time in one night – damn that barkeep and his 15 Sherries!
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That was a very fun, if rather chaotic, event, as Olson spent most of the evening tucked into a back booth. At least I managed to finally approach Wylie and confess to being a total, abject fanboy!
Oh, and next time Gothamist may want to choose one category (like the Olorosos) and call it home. But it sounds like you already know that.
Thanks for the tip KeithS, but sometimes when it comes to Sherry, we just can't control ourselves.
PS - I think I'd like to start a Chef Wylie fanclub, are you in?
i'd join the wylie fan club if you could arrange to see how he gets liquid to ooze from a perfect cube of foie gras. genius!
As long as we can eat plate after plate of the foie gras / sardine / cocoa bean combination at meetings, I'll be the damn Treasurer.
I'll be in the fan club too -- especially for the foie gras -- but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop stalking the folks at D'Artagnan. And apparently I'm a huge fan of Wylie's fried mayo, although I have no recollection of eating it thanks to the sherry overload. Sigh.
Think the straight sherry gave you a hangover? You're lucky you kept your distance fromt he sherry martinis. I'm sure they're great in moderation. But after you've had a couple, they devour you only spit you back up in the morning sans sense or sensibility.
I wish I kept my distance from the Sherry martinis! I think starting with a few of those contributed to the horror I experienced the next morning. Oh the horror.
As far as the fan club goes, I think we should meet once a month. Who wants to design the logo? (come on, everygood good fan club has a logo!).
Ah, but the sherry martinis had the advantage of the bartender using flame.
Whether they're applying fire to an orange peel, your bar tab, or the tie of someone who's passed out on the bar, only good things can come of barkeeps and fire.
Oh, and here's one potential logo.
i think our logo should be a close up of his sideburns!
why cant you print the recipes on this site? that sucks