Drink
Nothing pairs with Spanish tapas better than a good dry sherry, the famous fortified wine of Andalusia. But which of sherry's many shades should you uncork? A briskly crisp pale manzanilla or straw-gold fino? A rich amber amontillado? The dark brown figginess of oloroso, or the syrupy essence of Pedro Ximenez?
Nothing pairs with Spanish tapas better than a good dry sherry, the famous fortified wine of Andalusia. But which of sherry's many shades should you uncork? A briskly crisp pale manzanilla or straw-gold fino? A rich amber amontillado? The dark brown figginess of oloroso, or the syrupy essence of Pedro Ximenez?
There is a stage in the Iberian meal for each, but I've always found bright, dry fino to be the most flexible food pairer - especially with seafood tapas. Lustau, one of my favorite sherry houses, makes excellent and affordable wines in every style, including a superbly blended "Jarana" fino. But Lustau also offers an intriguing "Almacenista" series of unblended sherries, including this Fino del Puerto matured by Jose Luis Gonzalez Obregon. It is a classic fino, almost startlingly dry, with a light golden luster that weaves yeast and nuts into a long and tangy sea-salt finish.
Lustau's Almacenista Fino del Puerto Obregon is available at selected Pennsylvania wine stores for $19.99.
- Craig LaBan