Tastings: Sherry goes ‘en rama’

Some years back, the sherry producers down in Jerez realised that they had a problem in that, besides being a staple drink for Andalusians, no one in Spain was drinking sherry. This fortified white wine, aged using the solera system, was quickly being relegated to the annals of history. So, the D.O. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry started taking strides to educate people about the drink and show that, while many are still convinced it’s a sweet wine, the majority of sherries are actually very dry.

I attended the Certified Sherry Educators course last year and was introduced to some of the modern incarnations that have arisen. One such example is the ‘en rama’ variety, which is basically a wine that hasn’t gone through the filtering processes of normal sherry. The advantage of this is that more particles from the solera process remain, producing a wine that is even more expressive than regular sherry. Some believe that this is simply a marketing ploy, but I find it to be absolutely wonderful.

La Guita en Rama - Manzanilla

This sherry takes everything wonderful about Manzanilla and amplifies it with sea salt and strong chalky mineral notes. Quite smooth and integrated in the mouth but with good citric acidity through to the finish. €9

Tio Pepe - En Rama Fino

Light and bready in the nose with lively nutty notes. Crisp, dry and refreshing with a clean finish that allows it to be paired with just about anything. €15