Sherry

Sherry is a great food wine to drink with tapas and tasting plates. "We've got a significant movement in Australia towards more grazing - dare I say tapas - style eating," says Scott Wasley, of specialist Melbourne wine importers The Spanish Acquisition. "We're eating slower and sharing more, which makes more of an opportunity to slip a sherry in among it all."  

Sherries match just about all foods and run the gauntlet of Australia's diverse palate. Fino and manzanilla, with their minerally complexity and austere, refreshing finish, need to be drunk very fresh and well chilled. Oloroso, meanwhile, is more in the style of the familiar sweet sherry, having greater complexity and a nutty, dry finish. Palo Cortado falls under a similar umbrella as oloroso but has dryness, finesse and a luxe texture. This is the new hip sherry to drink among sherry enthusiasts. It's also the most challenging for its balance and complexity. Rounding out the sherry family are the molasses-like, liquid gold varieties taken post-meal like the sexy Pedro Ximinez (PX). Like Christmas cake in a bottle, PX is usually very raisiny and full of dried fruit and spice characters.

"The scope is huge for Sherry," says Wasley. "It's a precise wine style and certainly is one of the world's few great global drinks."

Delgado Zuleta La Goya Manzanilla 375ml (Sanlucar de Barrameda)
Loads of chalk, briny tang and snap-to-attention acidity are at play here. This is crisp, brilliant sherry that beguiles with its refreshing tones and gently building hints of almonds and honey. RRP $15. From Ultimo Wine Centre

Regente Palo Cortado
Palo Cortado has aromas of roasted cashews, burnt caramel and bush honey and a palate of walnut, honeysuckle and molasses. It's a layered and complex sherry with a firm, clean finish. Try it for $8.50 by the glass at Bodega with their fish fingers (Kingfish sashimi on toast).

Lustau Pedro Ximenez 375ml
Think figs, caramel and chocolate with a huge dollop of golden syrup. This is an all-senses experience; you'll want to run your fingers around the glass to mop up the last dribbles of sticky liquid. It retains its freshness in the finish, meaning you can reach for a second glass. RRP $28. From Annandale Cellars

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