It's hard to believe today but sherry was one of the most popular alcoholic drinks by volume in the UK in the 1970s, second only to beer. Sadly, much of it was low quality, unnaturally sweet and often from Cyprus or even Australia, rather than its spiritual home of Jerez (hence the name) in the far southwest of Spain. This is a legacy it has struggled to shake off.
Sherry, like the other great victim of mistaken identity in the 1970s, German Riesling, can be one of the most rewarding and, best value wine styles you can find on a supermarket shelf.
The purest expression of sherry and therefore the ideal place to start is Fino, a light-coloured, deliciously dry wine with flavours of citrus, yeasty sourdough bread and salted almonds which develop as it is matured over seven or so years in a series of oak barrels.
Here are four sherry recommendations from the Wotwine team:
Tio Pepe, £10.00 per 75cl, Morrisons
Gonzalez Byass has been producing this since the 1850s. The team describes this as the benchmark of Finos. Clean, fresh-tasting but with depth and complexity. Worth £10.99 per 75cl.
Lustau is one of the newer companies which has brought back the focus on quality to sherry and a good example is the Waitrose Solera Jerezana Fino del Puerto, £10.49 per 50cl, Waitrose
Good, clean fino sherry. Fresh and nicely intense.
Manzanilla is a Fino but from the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, which gives it lighter flavours and a delicately salty aftertaste. It's the perfect introduction to one of the wine world’s unsung treasures.
Hidalgo La Gitana, which dates back to the early 1800s, is the most famous Manzanilla brand, delivering the classic salty minerality and 'an excellent product' according to the panel.
Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla, £10.99 per 75cl, Waitrose
Bright, crisp, bone-dry sherry, lovely light, salty mineral freshness. An excellent product. Worth £11 per 75cl.
If you’re keen to try Manzanilla at a slightly lower price point, try Asda Manzanilla, £5 Asda
Salty, tangy wine, typical light Manzanilla with chalky minerality. Worth £7
Wotwine is an online wine guide with thousands of regularly updated reviews of most wines stocked in UK supermarkets. Download the free app to scan the barcodes of wines and discover what the independent panel of Masters of Wine and professionals have recommended for quality and value for money.
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Food and wine enthusiast Alex joined the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2015 following seven years in the wine trade. In addition to her passion for oenology and Diploma in Wine & Spirits, she is a dedicated home cook and baker with skills learnt whilst working alongside the likes of Michel Roux Jr and Antonio Carluccio.
