Marlene Parrish - What Einstein Told His Cook 2

What’s so special about Sherry that makes it a separate category of wine? Is it the grape, the region, the method of production?

It’s all three, but primarily the method of production.

There are some five thousand varieties of wine grapes that could be used in almost one hundred appellations d’origine in France alone, plus seventy-four appellations in California, not to mention Australia, Chile, and dozens of other wine-producing countries. Multiplied by perhaps ten years of vintages, that amounts to over 37 million possible bottles of decent wine—plus untold bottles of plonk. I often wonder how anyone can select the best wine to match a dinner course when faced with such a staggering range of choices lying in a make-believe cellar the size of Antartica.

But I do know something about Sherry, having visited the one place in the world where it is produced: in and around the town of Jerez de la Frontera, a couple of hours’ drive south of Seville in Spain’s province of Cádiz. There, I was figuratively and almost literally immersed in Sherry as I toured the headquarters of Williams & Humbert, producers of Dry Sack, Pando, Canasta Cream, and many other Sherries and brandies.

Why the non-Spanish names Williams and Humbert, you may ask? And whence the English word Sherry ? Several of the Sherry companies in Jerez were founded in the nineteenth century by British entrepreneurs for the purpose of exporting Sherry to England, where the dry Sherries have always been favored as apéritifs and the sweet ones as dessert wines. The word Sherry came into English from the name Jerez (HER-eth), but throughout the Spanish-speaking world Sherry is still known as vino de Jerez .

So what’s so special about Sherry?

The identity of Sherry is tightly controlled by a regulatory council. To earn the Denomination of Origin “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry,” the grapes must be Palomino, or less commonly Pedro Ximénez or Muscat, and they must be grown within the triangle formed by the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. (The regulatory council most zealously excludes the American state of California.) This small region has a unique microclimate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the Guadalquivir and Guadalete rivers, and the moist, warm winds from nearby North Africa. Probably the most influential factor in developing the character of the grapes is the area’s chalky, almost white albariza soil, which has an unusual capacity for absorbing and retaining air and water.

Of course, many great wines come from exceptional microclimates and soils. But what sets Sherries apart from all others is the unique process by which they are blended and aged.

After the grapes are pressed, the “must,” as the pressings are called, is put into huge stainless-steel tanks to ferment for forty to fifty days at a controlled temperature, achieving an alcohol content of 11 to 13 percent. The young wine then goes into 130-gallon American white oak casks (butts), where the aging begins.

Then comes decision time, when each wine is classified as being suited for transformation into either a dry Fino or a sweeter Oloroso, the two broad categories of Sherry. Finos include Manzanillas and Amontillados, while Olorosos include Cortados and various blends of the very sweet Pedro Ximénez grape. Wines destined to be Finos are fortified (strengthened with added alcohol) to 15 percent alcohol, Olorosos to about 17 percent.

The reason for the difference is that the flor (literally, flower), a layer of local, naturally occurring yeasts that forms on the surface, cannot survive at an alcohol concentration higher than 15 percent, and all Finos must serve out their aging time under a layer of flor to develop their characteristic lightness and flavor. Olorosos are aged without a layer of flor , allowing air to oxidize them to a darker color, fuller body, and stronger nose. ( Oloroso means fragrant.) Amontillados begin their aging under flor and finish after a flor -killing fortification to 17 percent alcohol.

During the aging, an intricate blending process unique to Sherries is carried out. Called soleras y criaderas , it consists of running the wine through a stack of butts containing wines of increasing ages. From the oldest, called the solera , one-third of the wine is drawn off for bottling. It is replenished from the next-oldest (the first criadera ), which in turn is replenished from the next-oldest, (the second criadera ), and so on, until the youngest wine butts at the top of the stack are “refreshed,” or filled, with brand-new pressings. ( Criadera comes from the Spanish word for nursery; the criaderas are the upper butts in which the younger wines are nurtured. Solera refers to the stone floor, where the bottom layer of butts holds the mature wine ready for bottling.)

The complete cycle takes years, with several months of aging time between successive solera bottlings. By this method, the young wines gradually take on the characteristics of the older ones, leading to a consistent product that can retain its unique characteristics over a period of decades.

Part of the process for blending and ageing Sherry. Portions of the younger wines in the upper casks ( criaderas ) are drawn off into successively older, lower casks. Wine from the lowest and final cask (the solera ) is bottled.

And that’s what’s so special about Sherry.

THE FOODIE’S FICTIONARY:Amaretto—an opera by Verdi

Sherry-Browned Chicken with Garlic

When Bob and I visit a friend of ours, the cookbook author Janet Mendel, at her home in southern Spain, she makes this dish for us.

I use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for browning the chicken and an Oloroso Seco Sherry, which is a medium Sherry. It makes a lustrous mahogany-colored glaze. Don’t be afraid to use all the garlic called for. As it cooks, it mellows to a mild sweetness. Pour the ample juices—a flavorful sauce of olive oil, Sherry, and garlic—over the chicken pieces.

2 pounds chicken thighs and legs (about 4 large thighs and 3 drumsticks will fit in a 12-inch skillet)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 head garlic (about 15 large cloves)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish

½ cup medium-dry Sherry, Amontillado or Oloroso Seco

2 tablespoons Spanish brandy or cognac, optional

1.Rinse the chicken under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

2.Lightly smash the garlic cloves with the side of a large knife blade to split the skins. Set aside 8 of them, unpeeled. Peel the remaining cloves and slice them into relatively uniform slices.

3.Heat the olive oil in a heavy, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic slices and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until golden. Skim them out with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel, and reserve.

4.Raise the heat to medium-high, add the chicken pieces, and fry (covering the skillet with a spatter shield, if you have one), turning as needed, for about 15 minutes, until browned on all sides.

5.Add the unpeeled garlic cloves, Sherry, and brandy. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, turning the pieces occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes, until the liquid is almost cooked away and the chicken begins to sizzle again.