Sherry

If spicy flavours rock your world, try this treacly, intensely luscious sweet sherry from one of the great producers in southern Spain - Lustau. This wine is made 100% from the Pedro Ximenez grape, also known as PX. It's a white grape, which is typically given long hang time on the vines followed by sun drying to create its intensely rich, sweet flavours, which come partially from the shrivelled well ripened grapes and partially from the production - this wine is fermented to a low level of alcohol and then fortified. 

Sticky date pudding or home made ginger bread, here's your perfect match.

We love sweet sherry but it's not to be confused with the great, tangy dry sherries of the world, which are an entire delicious category in their own right. 

This is a rich, sweet, treacly dessert wine made from PX, which stands for Pedro Ximenez, one of the three classic grape varieties used to make sherry. 

PX is a white grape variety which is typically used to make sweet sherries (although it also makes dry wines in Montilla-Moriles DO, which borders the sherry region). The PX grape is used harvested late then dried in the sun to encourage a shrivelled character, which in turn concentrates the sugars in the grape. This helps to produce intensely richly flavoured wines, which are fermented to a low level of alcohol (usually between 5 to 7% ABV) then fortified and aged in seasoned sherry barrels to mature the wines and add complexity in taste.

The value for money in this wine (and in most PXs) is exceptionally good, due to great concentration of flavour, richness and complexity.

Drink lightly chilled with sticky toffee pudding or warm gingerbread - a match made you know where. 

Tio Pepe is one of the great dry white wines of the world and is a fortified sherry from Gonzales Byass; the largest producers of this classic Spanish fortified wine style. 

This wine gains its bone dry flavours and green olive like astringent appeal from being aged under flor yeast, a foamy looking white film, which develops during the ageing process, which takes four years. This flor ageing process imparts the distinctive nutty and bread-like aromas to the sherry. There are hints of green apple and raisins on the palate. 

This wine tastes outstanding served lightly chilled with salty tapas and smoked slivers of serano ham and other smoked meats.

La Gitana is Spanish for the gypsy and is one of the most complex dry sherries in the world, a top notch Manzanilla best enjoyed in its youth. Which is a little bit of an oxymoron for such a complex dry wine made from aged sherry components. 

This is full bodied, fully dry and super complex with salted almond, tangy green olive and notes of cedar all vying for first place in this beautifully integrated fortified wine. 

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanl?car de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.

Deliciously treacly sweet sherry from a great producer - this is the ultimate liquid match for sticky date pudding or warmed gingerbread, fresh from the oven.

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanl?car de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.

This is a perfect aperitif, made from the Palomino grape. Dry and complex, this sherry shows shows oxidative notes of died fruit and nuts and a fragrant nose. The Elegate Fino Sherry is a great match for cheese, fish and white meats.  

This is a classic cream style sherry from one of Spain's most well known sherry producers. Elegante Cream is sweet and rich, with nuttiness and notes of caramel, dried fruits and gentle spice. 

Andalucia is an autonomous region in southern Spain. Its capital is Seville but, more important than this city, is Jerez de al Frontera; the home of sherry (the word being an Anglicism of Jerez). Master Distiller Robert Fleming, carefully chose the best sherry butts from the ancient dunnage warehouses at Glencadam to create Reserva Andalucia. Once married together with bourbon casks, it was finished in Oloroso sherry butts from Andalucia. The fruitiness of the Glencadam spirit is balanced with sultana and sweet spice notes.

Here's your perfect excuse to eat salted chocolate caramels - one of the world's great fortified wines; Amontillado from a top producer. Bodegas Hildago Amontillado Napoleon is a complex full bodied amber coloured sherry with flavours of caramelised almonds, sandalwood and vanilla. It's a blend made up of Oloroso Faraon, Cream Alameda and PX Triana, all between six and 20 years old, which add to the taste of cedar and sandalwood.

It is excellent served lightly chilled with a platter of aged cheddar and nuts or simply on its own as a late night cap with salted caramel. 

Bodegas Hidalgo - a rare sherry producer, six successive generations...

Bodegas Hidalgo is one of the few independent sherry producers remaining in Andalucia in the south of Spain - the home of sherry. All of its grapes come from its own vineyards, another rarity these days and one that definitely supports the universally high quality of its wines, which are made at Sanl?car de Barrameda near the Guadalquivir River, at sea level. The continuous exposure to sea breezes bears a strong influence on the quality of the wines and their long aging process, helping to keep barrels moist in the solera system, which creates a slow and steady aging. 

Bodegas Hidalgo produces about 200,000 cases of sherry and brandy every year.

This is an amber coloured, medium sweet sherry from one of Spain's most well known producers. The nose is rich and aromatic, with notes of spice, nuts, dried fruit and cocoa. The palate is smooth and fresh, with complex ripe fruitiness and a balanced sweetness. This is great as an aperitif, served with nut and cheese. 

A classic dry fino that tastes like sherry, but is made made from the Pedro Xim?nez grape (rather than, more typically, Palomino) and is completely unfortified as well as coming from Montilla-Moriles rather than Jerez, which is the city where sherry comes from. 

This wine was made following the traditional solera ageing system in barrels and was aged under a veil of natural yeast known as the flor - exactly like sherry. This gives the wine its distinctive flavours of toasted almonds, olives and salty tang, finishing on a clean and refreshing flavour note.

It is one of the rare wines which will happily partner dishes containing vinegar. Pair it with jam?n serrano, mussels, salted Marcona almonds, marinated olives, croquettes, clams or gazpac