Quality remains in smaller sherry choice

Press, 16 June 1989, Page 30

Quality remains in smaller sherry choice

One of my many sojourns to the local liquor retailers prompted me to have a look at what people are drinking in the way of dry sherries these days. The choice from New Zealand and Australian producers is somewhat smaller than what I remember a decade ago, but the quality is certainly there. Price, it seems, has knocked the Australasian fortified wine market around, both the Austra-

lian and New Zealand Governments grabbing a fairly good-sized whack out of the finished product.

This is really quite sad

with

Phillip Pye

in a way. The fortified wine market has a deserved place in our culture. It must be a real blow to the senior citi-

zens of both nations that their normal bottle of sherry or port or madeira has been priced almost out of their reach.

Dry sherry, though forgotten by many, still has loads of characters that one cannot find in other wines — for example, it is ' an absolute dream with a real pea-and-ham soup, and really quite pleasant if chilled and served with a good cracked-pepper pate. It is also rather more pleasant to relax with than other wines when you arrive home after a cold, wet and busy Canterbury day. Sutton Baron Palomino Pale Extra Dry Sherry.

$7.95. I think this is about the best value-for-money dry sherry in the country. The fortification in this wine does not tear at the throat and palate like so many dry sherries in a similar price bracket. It is clean, and a real pumpkin-soup wine. Penfolds Dry Sherry. $7. A beautiful gold in colour with rather a rich palatal structure. Rather a brilliant wine to serve with a great Cantonese noodle soup or with a smattering of pate maison on rye bread. Montana Flor Fino Dry Sherry. $B.

Gold in colour with crystal clear hues. The

wine has mouth-filling yeasty characters and sweet wood overtones. It is one of those fireside dry sherries that you could serve with a selection of roasted nuts and dried fruits.

Penfolds Very Dry Flor Fino Sherry. $6.75. Rather an aggressive wine in that the fortification really twists the palatal structure of the wine. There are better dry sherries around at a price equally as good.

Harveys Bristol Fino Extra Dry Sherry. Perfectly light, dry and crisp. It is rather pleasant as an aperitif wine and an absolute delight to serve with steamed

king prawns on a cold winter’s night. It is no wonder that this wine is one of the world’s biggest sellers.

Mildara Supreme Dry Australian Sherry.

This wine is almost immaculate up front with a little hint of fortification. It is clean with rich and toasty fruit and the pick of them all. It is the wine that will end up in my home as No. 1 aperitif wine.

Mildara George Australian Sherry. Light, crisp and dry and rather pleasant with garlic prawns with a little tasty cheese melted over the top.