Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Nectar

The sweetest wine I ever tasted was Gonzalez Byass Pio X 1903, containing Moscatel Menundo wines from around the 1850s. The wine was never fortified, so it wasn’t sherry. It was so incredibly sweet, it almost hurt my teeth. On the second place for sweetest wines I’ve tasted you’ll definitely find a Pedro Ximénez sherry. Sherry varies from a bone-dry Fino to the very sweet Pedro Ximénez, also known as ‘PX’.

Pedro Ximénez grapes are sundried which reduces the amount of water in  the grape, but maximises the taste. This sherry is dark and syrupy, with notes of dried fruit and tobacco. Also chocolate aromas. In the mouth caramel, honey, nuts, syrup, figs, chocolate and sultanas.  

Mixology Tips 

• Using this sherry as a (partly) substitute for simple syrup in an old Fashioned will result in the softest, most silky Old Fashioned you have ever tasted. 
• This super-sweet sherry is also a great mix with cold brew coffee. 

In this edition of #sherryweek, I take the challenge to serve it straight in a wineglass, in a delicious pairing with some carefully selected cheeses. Since this sherry is very sweet, you need a strong cheese to pair. You want strong and salty cheeses. A slight sour note is also welcome.  

I went to my local cheese experts at ‘t Kaasplankske Beringen and asked for their advice. These were the three cheeses that made the selection :    

• Stilton Colston Basset : Blue cheese from a small Stilton cheese producer in Nottinghamshire, England. Always a winner in combination with sherry.
• Epoisses : French cheese from the village with the same name in dept. Côte-d’Or. 
• Grand Cru : A salty Alpine-style hard cheese.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.