El Maestro Sierra Oloroso (15 years old)
Euro 11,95 in Berlin from www.vinos.de
$ 19,99 per half in NYC from www.flatiron-wines.com
Not Riesling? Not even a complex aromatic white? Nor even a rich and subtle red?
No. My wine of the month spot finally returns after a long break due to work on BEST WHITE WINE ON EARTH – The Riesling Story (pub. Stewart, Tabori & Chang June ’14) with the wine I have been enjoying the most during the last few days. This is a wine style which Riesling can’t do, because the kind of long-term and hard-core oxidation which developed the toasted nut and dried citrus peel aromas of this elegant, discreetly bitter Oloroso sherry just destroys the things which make Riesling enticing and fascinating. In contrast, the Palomino grape seems to lap this kind of treatment up revealing a completely different side to its personality to the fresh and lively character of pale and young Fino and Manzanilla sherries, that I also enjoy in summer. This is one of the great winter wines, and it’s still too little appreciated right around the world outside Spain. If the bitterness of this Oloroso is a bit too much for you, then try it with blue cheese. Yes, this combination is anything but classic, but the slightly sweet creaminess of blue cheese make this kind of sherry taste yet more mellow. My only wish is that I could buy it here in New York for the friendly price I can get it in Berlin!
