Sipping Your Way Through December: Wine 12

Here’s the 12th installment of The Wine Chef’s December "Advent Calendar" wine series.

Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry

In her best-selling book, The Wine Bible, Wine Educator Karen MacNeil said, “If there were justice in the wine cosmos, Sherry would be one of the world’s best-loved, oft-sipped wines, As it stands, Sherry – the unsung hero of five great wine classics (Sherry, Port, Madeira, Champagne, and Tokaji) – is largely misunderstood and underappreciated. That it is sometimes cast as the libation of little old ladies is nothing if not amusing. Sherry, after all, is the daily drink of southern Spanish men- known for their machismo, love of bullfights, and prowess at horseracing, not to mention their predilection for bars and cigars.”

Many people think Sherry is a sweet drink, but there are several styles—mostly dry and irresistibly delicious. Manzanilla and Fino are two bone-dry versions. They are the favorites of the Spanish, especially when paired with a spread of tasty tapas—think garlicky grilled shrimp or bowls of green olives drizzled with olive oil.

I usually get a hankering for sherry when seafood is on the menu, and Manzanilla is my top choice. This light and elegant wine hails exclusively from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a small seaside town in southern Spain. The humid ocean air lends the wine its signature sea spray aroma and crisp, salty tang—a true taste of the coast.

One of my favorites is Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla. Its savory, salty character enhances the brininess of seafood—from shellfish like oysters, clams, mussels, and grilled shrimp to delicate white fish filets and hearty, oily fish like salmon or sardines.

La Gitana Manzanilla comes in three sizes: 375 ml, 500 ml, and 750 ml, and prices range from $14 to $28. If you’ve never had a dry sherry, this one is a great place to start. Try it with your favorite seafood, and let me know what you think.

You can find it on wine-searcher.com.