Alvear Solera 1927 Pedero Ximénez

I hated sherry in my early 20s. Maybe it was the cheap stuff I was buying, but I tried Amontillado, Cream Sherry, and several other styles, and didn't like any of them. I was nearly 30 before I found one I liked, and I think it might just have to be a flavor you grow into. Lately I've been craving it, and at the recent dinner party I used sherry and sherry vinegar throughout the meal.

One I would highly recommend is the Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximénez. $20, 16% abv, 375 mL bottle. As the name implies, it's made from the Pedro Ximénez grape in Spain's Jerez region. In fact, the word "sherry" is an English corruption of "Jerez". The Brits are also responsible for turning "spaghetti bolognese" into the delicious sounding "spag bol".

What about the 1927 part? How can you buy such an old wine for $20? Well, that has to do with the other word, Solera. The Solera method involves blending older and newer barrels to achieve an ideal and affordable mix. When you purchase a fortified wine made in this method, it's some combination of (in this case) 80 years worth of vintages, but not equal parts of each. The percentage of the oldest wine is going to be very tiny, but it's there. Different countries have different laws regarding such blends and how they can be labeled, and similar methods and labeling are used with products like whisky and vinegar.

The wine is very sweet but balanced, with rich aromas and flavors of stewed fruits, raisins, and an element of beef broth. Truly perfect for a cold winter night. I've had this at a wine tasting, but most recently revisited it at Grace Restaurant where several of us at the table enjoyed it after dinner. I decided it was time to grab a bottle of my own.