#95- Pedro Ximenez

On the 3rd day of Wine-mas my true self gave to me- a bottle of Pedro Ximenez.
From Spain of course.

Yes, two days in a row, I've had a sherry (or sherry like). But the two sherries couldn't be any more different. While yesterday's Palomino was dry and limited in taste, the Pedro Ximenez is the exact opposite.

This wine is sweet and deep and full of flavour. But first, the most obvious thing to look at for this 2001 bottle of Alvear is the colour. The colour is a deep copper, bordering on a luscious dark brown colour. You can tell it's been aged, almost like a tawny port. The aromas are overwhelming- full of caramel, toffee, almonds, vanilla and raisins. The alcohol content is high and you can certainly smell the alcohol.

Taking a sip, you get much the same as you do on the nose. It is almost sickeningly sweet. But if you like sweet wine, you'll like this wine.

The grape is a white grape much to my surprise. For some reason I thought it was red for some reason but hey- we all learn something new everyday!

With a sweet sherry, my only logical choice was a dessert. I haven't bothered to make anything for Christmas (I'm way out of shape and need to get my ass in gear, not add to it) but I did have a box of Queen Anne chocolate covered cherries nearby so I allowed myself just one chocolate to pair it with. Surprisingly it wasn't bad. A chocolate covered cherry is quite sweet and I was pleased to see the sweetness of the chocolate was cut down by the Pedro Ximenez.

The Winery is Alvear, in the Montilla region of Spain. 

What can I say, I do enjoy this wine, and more so than yesterday's. But certainly not more than an ounce or two. That's all I've had tonight and it's more than enough for me. And with the high alcohol content, it's definitely all I need. The great thing about Sherry is it doesn't go bad so this wine will last for quite a while- or maybe just until Christmas Eve. My mom loves sherry so I might have to bring the sherry as a Christmas cheer.

Cheers to day three!

#94- Palomino

On the 2nd day of Wine-mas my true self gave to me- a bottle of Palomino. From Spain of course.

So I'm very glad I waited a couple of hours to write this blog as what I'm writing is very different than what it would have been at six o'clock.

And to make it clear- I'm not a fan of sherry on most nights so I was taking on a bottle of wine that I had my doubts I would like.

And at first, I didn't like this wine. At all. But I forced myself to drink a glass with dinner (I had a long day of shooting so I stopped by the local sushi joint and picked up some California rolls as well as Canadian rolls. The sushi was delicious however I did not finish all of it (you don't need to know this but hey, it's what happened).

I chilled the wine as recommended. The top is not a screwtop nor a cork. It's a combination of it but it's meant for me to be able to recork it easily so I knew this wasn't a bottle I'd be finishing this evening.

I cant' really describe this wine other than to say that over time, I started to enjoy this wine. It's like I got used to the taste, which I still can't describe. On the Gonzalez Byass website, it describes the wine as almondy and delicate. While I'd say it was neither, I'd say that you have to give it a chance before dismissing it. I'm glass I did.

It's a beautiful colour and it's very inviting to drink. The smell turns me off slightly and maybe that's why at first I didn't like it. But you have to appreciate sherry for what it is and the process it goes through. It is a fine wine with a 15% alcohol content.

I'm not sure I'd buy the wine again but it's because I'm not a sherry drinker and I'll never say never.