Great show! I'd love for you to taste a Commandaria and compare it to a sweet ambra Marsala and a Cream Sherry. Perhaps you could also taste a Mavrodaphne and compare it to a ruby Porto and a Marsala or Madeira. Commandaria and Mavrodaphne are high quality Greek dessert wines that are also used as sacramental wines in the Greek Orthodox Church. Commandaria may be the oldest wine in continuous production, dating perhaps to Homeric times.

Good intro on the episode and beautiful rant...it makes lots of sense.....

To me sherry is like for old ladies....lol hmm....maybe I should give it a try..ya why not....

ALVEAR IS NOT SHERRY!!...is MONTILLA (ok, it is almost the same but is NOT). Fino in Sherry (Jerez) is made with Palomino, in Montilla (Cordoba), is made with Pedro Ximenez.

Great episode!! I didnt know anything about sherry except that it was a fortified wine and therefore I thought all sherrys were dessert wines. Thanks for clearing that up and its def. a wine I have been looking into and now I absoultely will pick one up. QOTD: None, which is a good thing.

Just clocked this recently. Enjoyed the rant and pleased to see sherry getting a plug. Just watch the facts tho, Alvear is from Montilla (it's not a sherry), and there's not usually any Moscatel in Oloroso...

Great episode Gary - I would love to see another one on Sherry (and I have to say, that I am a big fan of the Alvear's...good stuff, tangy, delicious and under 20 Canadian bones :) )

I absolutely love the fortified wines but I've never had a dry sherry so that's on the list of things to pick up. When are you going to get to an episode on the Solera process? It's fascinating. Maybe you could mix in a Madeira or two?

QOTD: I know at least 2 lurkers, possibly 3. I'm not really sure how often the third watches. I'm trying to get them to comment ... really, I am.

Yeah what is with all the birds?

Why does it always sound like you're sitting in the middle of a wild bird preserve? There's always birds chirping in the backround.

Gary ... Thoroughly enjoyed this episode. For a number of family reasons, I haven't checked your web site out for 6 weeks or so. I was very pleased to see the "Sherry episode" as Sherry wines are one of my many passions. To all of you who are interested in Sherry, as Gary stated in this episode, out of necessity he has abbreviated somewhat the Sherry/Jerez story. In fact 2 of the wines discussed - the Alvear Fino and the Alvear Cream are not really Sherry as they are from the Montilla-Morales region of Spain which is just north of Jerez. They employ very similar wine making techniques in their Bodegas, however one of the interesting differences is the basic grape is generally Pedro Ximenez, not Palimino. The PX grape is naturally fermented to an alcoholic content of around 15% alc. where the flor film of yeast will develop. In Jerez it is necessary to add raw brandy spirits to fortify the base wine to this level. As Gary said the Jerez or Sherry making business is complex. The key thing to really remember is that Jerez is really just a geographic designation, not a wine style, much like Bordeaux where wine may be red, white or dessert. The other thing to remember as Gary say's Sherry (and Sherry style wines such as Alvear's) are distinctive and of great value. Enjoyment and appreciation of these wines will take some time, (not unlike the appreciation for single malt whisky), but once understood are a pleasure to enjoy. Gary's comment that Sherry goes well with cheese is bang on, particularly salty cheeses. Sherry also goes very well with salty foods such as nuts, olives and ham. And fino sherry is one of my favourite wines with Chinese food. Great episode ... Bill ... Calgary, Canada

Yeah, I have to say that "nuts in your mouth" really left us infantile viewers chuckling with good humor. I'm glad that you gave the overview of some of the aspects of sherry making (which is something I know naught about). Definitely one the list of things to try (checked off Dolcetto from that list and quite pleased with it). So who knows, maybe sherry could be my next biggest thing?

QOTD: 0

Interesting episode Gary, never really got into sherry, but I am now thinking about it.

QOTD: Not many......dude.....nutz in your mouth? That killed me ;)

Wow, very entertaining. I almost fell out of my chair when you started talking about nuts in your mouth. Not a big sherry fan but I'll have to give it another try.

Ha! I commented on 306 before watching this one. I guess my Dolcetto comment didn't make you so happy after all. WLTV has definitely changed my attitude towards wines, and in this case reminded me about Dolcetto.

What really shifted my mindset was doing a day of tasting rooms in Sonoma. Tasting so many wines back to back really opened my eyes to the fact that you can't make any generalizations about wine. People should try to find events where they can taste a variety of thing all at once, it is really great for opening your mind to different wines.

There are great Sherrys out there, keep on trying.
Maybe they're not all 8$ though... :P
Great as an aperitif, chilled.

I don't know any lurkers, except maybe my gf, who
really hates your show, I am sorry to say. Oh well.

Wonderful episode. Please, more on sherries in the future, particularly Amontillado. What do you get for $20?

QOTD: I knew a lurker once, and it was me.

Thanks for doing a show on sherry. I've always been interested in them, but I've never actually tried them. I put all four in my cart, so I'll be drinking them soon.

Lurker CKC coming out for the first time on this, of all, episodes.

Sort of loosely related to the topic of sherry: I'd love to see some Pineau des Charentes make an appearance on WLTV. One of my favorite ways to drink up at desert.

Thanks.

Missed this episode when it posted, but I got a chance to catch up today.
Never been a huge sherry fan, but you presented some interesting facts and made it sound rather appealing. I think I'll have to give it another go.

Thanks, Gary.

QOTD: 0

Sherry? Not for me. You don't like them too, Gary?

Wild. Leaving a comment so I can slowly pull myself from murky lurker status.
All about the Albarino! Not sure about animal wines though; assuming it is somewhat tongue in cheek Gary?

I know one lurker, but I am trying to get better.

Watching this in reverse from the Big Announcement show because, well, I just got busy yesterday. Any how, I liked the episode. Anytime I can learn something new about wine is a good day.

Great rant, why not wine, if we say to give peas a chance.

On the solera, when you splain it, where does the fortification of the wine come in the process? Is it part of the initial blend or do they wait til sometime later? Is it different depending on the wine, sherry/madiera/port/marsala/etc. Finally, there are some wines out there that advertise using a solera process that blends every vintage of reserve cabernet they have ever produced. It is big bucks, is it worth it?

QOTD - maybe one or two

I agree whole-heartedly with the rant.

This was an interesting episode about something I didn't know much about. I guess I'd been led to believe that fortified wines were in some way a lower class, and generally unpleasant. I guess all of us with stereotypes need to occasionally reexamine them.

Yeah my husband and sister are both LURKY and refuse to be shamed into commenting. So I do all the talking. I guess I'll give sherry a try (sigh).
The alcohol content turns me off, though.

QOTD: None...I only know a couple people that watch and I see there comments. I would like to find a way to get in touch with people that make comments. 1855class says he lives in Milwaukee...I live in Milwaukee...it would be fun to be able to hook up with him but I can't figure out how.

Excellent rant, you should join in on the forums some time! QOTD - no, don't know any lurkers, although I'm trying to create a couple.

I see you messed up a little on Jerez, grapes, classifications and whether Alvear is even a Sherry, but you did say you weren't an expert, so OK.

I'm currently sipping a fine Lustau Oloroso, very dry, really dark and you nailed that "industrial smell" description. Definately not sweet, bitter and herby. Yum! (Don't like the sweet Sherry, go Madeira or Marsala for that).

you are awesome for tasting the sherry's, but you did taste at the absolout bottom of the price scale,, try a 30 dollar amontillado..or even some 20 dollar lustau ect,,
also Alevar is not sherry , its Montilla Morillies.
not trying to be snarky ..

QOTD: 2, and I introduced both, and they STILL LURK! Come on, guys- you know who you are...

QOTD: 2

Looking forward to tomorrow. Nervous... You've got us all on tenderhooks, Gary!

DO I LIKE NUTS IN MY MOUTH??!?!?!? :-o

Hey Gary,

I really liked this show as Sherry is a drink I have discovered in Spain a couple of years back. I tasted a couple but am not as comfortable as with wine but since I am a fan of rum and I like to try new products, Sherry appeals to me . Sherry is quite popular in England also. I couldn't tell which ones I have tasted as it's been a while now, but I do like to enjoy them either at a beginning of a evening - digestive - or with desert and with cheese or just alone, all depending of the circumstances so if you do do another show on Sherry, it be nice as I am open to educate myself a bit more on them through your expertise on wine library tv of course. So, thumbs up to this show !

Nice episode, thanks, Gary. I've only had a couple of sherrys, the sweet kind, and didn't like them at all, but I'll have to try the drier sherrys like the ones you tasted today.

QOTD: I know 2 or 3, will try to convince them to come out.

Great show. I find the production of Sherry complex...with the solera and the classifications but I am learning. I actually enjoyed a Fino this past weekend with several tapas and I also have a Pedro Ximinez, which I like to pour over vanilla ice cream.... Cheers!

Thanks Gary for getting the Sherry episode in. I can't wait for the follow-on.

I've had Sherry over the years either as an aperitif or dessert wine, never thought of it with cheese. I've had several bottles of Tio Pepe, but still not sure I really like that style. At this point, Dry Sack seems to be my favorite for just sipping, etc. The dry Oloroso's are a new avenue for me to try, as I've not had one.

QOTD: none

Totally agree with your rant Gary! I've had many different wines made from the same grape - sometimes they're amazing, sometimes they stink! Don't blame the grape! It's not the grape's fault! Give each grape multiple chances! Maybe you don't like a grape - it happens. BUT TRY MORE THAN ONE! Couldnt agree with you more Gary!

I've had Sherry I hated, but if i have the chance i'll try anything, so I have had one that was sweeter that I liked!

QOTD: I'm trying to convert 3 of my friends that have been lurking. ... But are the Diggnation guys lurkers? The one says he watches, but does HE lurk?!?!

Good show Gary.

That was a great show Gary. In my experience most people (and books) would just categorize those wines as Sherries so don’t worry too much about the wine geek semantics. Does it make things a little murky?...maybe but it also helps simplify a style of wine that is so complex it probably turns people away from trying to understand them and give them a chance (see also German wine). All in all it was educational and you covered a lot of ground and probably convinced a number of people to give Sherry another try so good job.