Just finished a crazy tasting of top Canadian microbrews. Top ones, http://t.co/WNT2JZjO, http://t.co/mgSu7ADf, http://t.co/yiK7BC2H
| 30 June 2010
| Article Index |
|---|
| What Your Wine Really Says About You |
| Sweet Wines |
| Chardonnay |
| Merlot |
| Rosé |
| Champage Look-Alikes |
| All Pages |
Page 1 of 6
Why is it that being caught with a glass of White Zinfandel is like being caught staring at a computer screen full of topless car-wash girls holding dipsticks?
Why? Because wine is unequivocally and absolutely not just a drink. It is an admission and extension of who we are, or at the very least, our arms. It’s an accessory. Frankly, our wine choices say as much about us as our wristwatches, iPod menus, reading material and shoes.
Ironically, some wines say something strikingly different than you might think. Let’s look at what drinking sherry, sweet wines, Chardonnay, Merlot, rosé, and Champagne look-alikes really says about you.Sherry
Sherry, that fortified wine from Spain, has a reputation for being a thick, sweet, geriatric concoction that Granny stores in the back of her pantry. And that image, I’m quite certain, keeps it the most undersung wine style in the world (see Tony Aspler’s Final Word, Tidings April 10). Truth is, sherry can be dry and pale, sweet and dark, and quite often deliriously delectable — from fine Fino with its layered flavours of sea salt, minerals and bread dough to oomph-endowed Olorosos packed with dried fruit, nuts and caramel.
Frankly, it’s an open secret in the wine trade: sherry packs more complex, varied, undervalued pleasure than almost any other wine style. And like the youth who lead fashion, the wine trade is the cool-kid clique that influences the vinous choices of the masses. So sherry is on its way up. And drinking it shows you’re very aware. Here are a few selections that would look good on you:
González Byass Tio Pepe ($15)
A classic example of a fine Fino — bone-dry and very neutral with a slightly salty tang and hints of fresh bread, white flowers and lemon–lime twist. Not a fruity drink; an extraordinary aperitif. There’s a reason it’s the best-selling brand of sherry in the world.
Food Pairing: Big, firm, green olives
Bodegas Hidalgo Napoleon Amontillado ($20)
An excellent, bone-dry sherry that’s all coffee, toffee and nuts.
Food Pairing: Roasted almonds
Bodegas Osborne Oloroso Premium Sherry Medium 10RF ($16)
A medium-sweet attack of dried figs, dates, prune, dried orange peel and buttered toffee melt away to a long, dry, roasted-nut finish.
Food Pairing: The cheeseboard