Reciprocating Motion: Sherry baby

I found this exquisite paragraph on an American blog:

Apparently, sherry is delicious. Who knew? Last week’s sherry tasting ... took every preconceived notion I had about the drink and turned it on its head. Bear in mind that I had very little sherry knowledge to start with. To demonstrate this I’ll admit that I thought sherry was from England. It’s from Spain.

I admire their honesty, at least; but it's unfortunate indeed that (sweet, cream) sherry has become so associated with England, and that that perception has overwhelmed the range of delightful sherries.

Here, cobbled together from other people's work (why be original when you can cut & paste?), is LeDuc's Guide to Sherry:

Fino: clear and perfectly dry, fino is served chilled as an aperitif wine, often with tapas such as jamón serrano. It is a brilliant accompaniment to salty, fatty or heavily flavoured foods. The top-selling brands in Britain are Tio Pepe (Gonzalez Byass) and La Ina (Domecq).

Manzanilla: this is the fino Sherry made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It is drier and paler than other (dry and pale) finos, and within Spain it's the best-selling dry sherry. The best known brands are La Guita (from Hijos de Rainer Perez Marin) and La Gitana (Vinícola Hidalgo).

Amontillado: Named after the wine-making town of Montilla (Córdoba), this Sherry is often described as being mid-way between a fino and an oloroso, with some of the qualities of both. It starts out the same as a fino but the layer of flor yeast is allowed to die off. The better ones can be extraordinary. Well known labels include Amontillado 51-1 (Domecq) and Amontillado del Duque (González Byass).

Palo Cortado: It starts out as a fino but (by accident rather than design) the flor yeast fails to develop. A rare treat, it has an aroma reminiscent of an amontillado, while its colour is closer to oloroso. One of the best is the 60 year old Sibarita (Domecq).

Oloroso: The layer of flor yeast is thin, or absent, in this Sherry as it ages, and thus there is a partial oxidation which accounts for the wine's darker colour. Oloroso is a rich amber, and it makes an exceptional aperitif especially with cured ham. It is also one of the few wines which can stand up to such difficult-to-match foods as eggs, artichokes and asparagus. The best olorosos - that is, the oldest - include the legendary Matusalém (González Byass).

Cream Sherry: This is a big favourite among drinkers outside Spain, especially in Britain, Holland and Germany. It is an oloroso Sherry (or fino, in the case of pale cream) which has been sweetened. This is traditionally done by mixing in a measure of Pedro Ximenez, a naturally sweet wine, but many creams are made with fructose or grape concentrate. Its reputation has been utterly destroyed in Britain by being sold as a Christmas drink for people who rarely drink - overly sweet and served warm. But it can make an interesting dessert wine, and is a good companion for pâtés. The best selling brands are Harvey's Bristol Cream and Crofts.

Pedro Ximenez, or PX: This naturally sweet wine is named after the grape variety, which is widely grown in other Andalusian wine regions. At worst it can be overly sweet and cloying, but when made and aged with care (factors which are reflected in the price) it is elegant and velvety, good with dessert and even better on its own. Gran Orden PX from Garveys is considered one of the best wines in Spain.

Brandy de Jerez: Jerez produces 90 percent of the brandy in Spain. It is made by aging wine spirits in casks which have previously been used to age Sherry. The spirits are not made from grapes grown in Jerez, but come from other regions, especially Extremadura, La Mancha and neighbouring Huelva. It is sweeter and more caramelised than French brandy, syrupy if of the basic variety, warm and mouth-filling at its best. Price is a good indicator of quality.

Despite his generally abstemious ways (at least when it comes to alcohol), LeDuc's fridge is rarely without a bottle of Tio Pepe kept as chilled as possible and at the ready.