Sherry, but not like your granny might have liked to sip

Some people love it, others don’t. There is a cohort of real enthusiasts who are passionate about sherry, and a much larger group who see it as something their granny drank. Sherry tastes very different from other wines. It is more alcoholic – from 15-20 per cent alcohol. Some are sweet and some dry.

So, why bother? Well, as one of the hard-core enthusiasts mentioned above, I believe sherry to be one of the world’s great drinks and hate to see wine lovers missing out. There are signs that a new generation of wine drinkers is turning to dry sherry, especially as a partner to tapas and tasting plates. I will look at paler styles of sherry once the weather improves, but today, the darker side – amontillados and olorosos, plus a very tasty sweet sherry.

Most sherry is dry. Some are sweetened, usually through the addition of sweet wine made from the Pedro Ximénez grape. The enthusiasts tend to look down on cream sherries such as A Winter’s Tale and Harveys Bristol Cream, but they can be very good. The Cream Sherry featured here is remarkably good value, part of Marks & Spencer’s excellent range of sherries.

Amontillados are essentially aged finos. Tangy, nutty and dry, they go really well with pâtés, toasted almonds, mushrooms, kidneys and Iberico ham. In fact you can treat them as cold weather finos. I like to sip away at a glass while cooking dinner during the winter. Olorosos are richer, with dried fruits and spice. They go well with firm cheeses – Parmesan, mature Gouda, Comté, as well as all sorts of game.

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M&S Solera Cream Sherry

17.5%, €18

Soft dried fruits, caramel and grilled nuts. Try it with lighter desserts or after dinner, by itself. Serve lightly chilled.

From: Marks & Spencer

Callejuela Amontillado NV

18%, €35-37

Delicious, tangy grilled almonds, good acidity and a bone-dry finish. Drink it with nibbles, Iberico ham and firm cheeses.

From: 64 Wine; A Taste of Spain; Green Man Wines; Baggot Street Wines; Lilith; Redmond’s;

Strandfield Flowers; Clontarf Wines; Whelehan’s; Lennox Street Grocer; Blackrock Cellar.

Lustau Don Nuno Oloroso NV

20%, €17.95 per half bottle

A wonderful glass full of walnuts, polished furniture, dried fruits and spice. Blue cheese or mature Parmesan.

From: Mitchell & Son; O’Briens; The Wine Centre, Kilkenny; World Wine Wines; Whelehan’s; Martins Off Licence; Sweeneys D3; Ardkeen; The Drink Store; Redmond’s.

Diatomists Oloroso Sherry

19%, €27 per half bottle

A delightful mix of grilled walnuts and fresh peaches. Try it after dinner, or with rich pâtés.

From: Wines Direct.