Cream Sherry

Cream Sherry is the plush, amber, medium-sweet face of Sherry — the sweetened blend that made the drink a fixture of British sideboards and export markets. It starts as a dry, nutty Oloroso, aged oxidatively in the solera system of Andalusia, and is then sweetened, most often with intensely raisiny Pedro Ximénez (and sometimes Moscatel), to a rich, rounded, dessert-leaning wine. In the glass it is a glossy deep amber, full-bodied and velvety, smelling of dried fig, raisin, walnut, toffee and orange peel over a savoury, oaky base. It is sweet but not cloying — the oxidative Oloroso keeps it dry-edged and nutty — and finishes long, warm and faintly bitter with about 17.5 to 18 percent alcohol. Traditionally served lightly chilled or over ice, it is drunk as an after-dinner or between-times sipper and pairs with blue cheese, dried fruit, nuts and rich desserts.