Did You Ever Hear of Sherry and Port?

Originally written by Elena Rodriguez in 2021-02.

Okay, maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I barely heard of Port and Sherry. They were basically a thing that I heard about in the movies. I always thought they were associated with cooking, but apparently I’m wrong.

I got to try a variety of them and let me tell you, this Mom is now learning the joys of Sherry and Port.

First off is Sherry. I’ve always heard it to be the kind of drink that only old people drink. Why are they saying this horrible thing!

Both are fortified wines, but they come from different places. Sherry is tied to Jerez in Spain, while Port is a protected wine from Portugal’s Douro region.

First off, on the left you’ll see Amontillado. This stuff is dry and carries a punch with a bit of spice.

The Don Zoilo Manzanilla was lighter.

The Pedro Ximenez was basically like drinking a candy store. Oooh was this sweet.

The Harveys felt a bit 1950s style but after Wandavision’s first episode it fit in perfectly. Okay, after five of these I’m feeling a bit loopy.

Did I mention that Sherries are high in alcohol? What was I saying?

Maybe I shouldn’t write this having tasted all five in a row!

You know, having gone through all, I can say it is definitely an acquired taste. Now whenever I say “Acquired Taste” I feel like that means it’s something bad.

That’s far from it.

For me, the Sherries you see here are nothing like I’ve tasted before. They are great for a drink at dessert.

This isn’t your grandpa’s Sherry. I feel like there is a negative label to Sherry, like it’s only for old people. There’s a long history behind it, but my takeaway here was much simpler: I liked sipping it.

I found them a quite lovely sipping drink. For me, these felt made for sitting by the fireplace and putting your feet up. It’s a different experience than drinking a chardonnay by the fire.