Seems I’m more into writing about beverages these days than wandering. Let’s just call this little tour of the best food pairing wines of the world a wandering of a different sort.
Today I’m doing a bit of research for another article I’m writing… this will also be the basis for a tasting menu for a beverage-centric dinner series I plan to begin in the new year.
Today I’m studying sherry (fortified wine from the south of Spain). As I mentioned a few posts ago, I attended a sherry tasting recently. I’ve long been a fan of sherry and a full believer in its magical affinity for food. I’ve even studied sherry as part of broader wine studies programs. Still, there is so very much to learn.
One of the books I’ve consulted today is “Sherry” 
by the wine faculty of The Culinary Institute of America (it’s a hefty tome, but so very worth it if you are as big a research geek as I am).
Sherry is definitely becoming more mainstream than it has been over the past 25 or so years. Its reputation as a “grandma” drink turned young Americans off, and the fact that most sherry is at its most tasty with food – not as a cocktail replacement. Sommeliers have long known the wonders of sherry and are eager to turn open-minded customers on to its wonders. Kinda like they did with another favorite, Riesling, which also had a dip in its appeal for some time.
A little bit of sherry trivia before I return to my research… according to Julian Jeffs, foot pressing (stomping grapes) was the normal method used in Jerez (where sherry is from) until as recently as the 1960s.
Anyone else love sherry? Any favorite food pairings you’d care to share?