I’ve enjoyed many memorable wines during our second year of COVID. My most recent one was a Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino Sherry ($20.99; 90 points). It’s the global ambassador for Fino worldwide. Like all genuine sherries, the Fino is from the region around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia in south-western Spain.
Fino means ‘fine’ and it is the lightest and palest of the sherries. But unlike most sherry, the Fino is bone dry and it's the most consumed sherry by Spaniards.
When I was conducting wine appreciation classes throughout Metro Vancouver, I was surprised how serving Fino was a very tough sell! Most of my adult students had never sampled it before and overall it was a negative experience for them. Which is a shame because Fino is a delicious and complex white wine.
Fino is very affordable for the quality and it is excellent for enjoying with tapas and other appetizers. But alas, it is not very popular outside of Spain. Most Canadians think Fino Sherry is a sweet Sherry that elderly ladies sip. But it is bone dry. And it’s worth discovering!
Finos are meant to be served fresh and cold just like any other fine white wine. But too many people think it's liquor that once it’s open you should leave it at room temperature. Don’t! Keep it ice cold and finish it within a day or two.
Sherry is made by a complicated procedure, which is a bit like the labour intensive production of Champagne. Fino is made from white Palomino grapes. The wine is fortified to 15% alcohol and then put in casks 4/5 full, where a special floral yeast forms on the surface of the wine. This oxygen-inhibiting yeast is responsible for the distinctive flavour.
Like non-vintage Champagne, Finos are blended from several vintages and aged. While NV Champagne has to age a minimum of 15 months, finos stay in their blending soleras at least 3 years. Soleras are tiers of barrels with 3 to 9 steps called scales. Young wines go into the top scale and the finished wine is taken from the bottom scale.
The Tio Pepe Fino displays a light gold colour with an aroma of salt, olives, citrus and pungent pine. There’s much to savour as you sip: Saline, ripe quince and apples, almonds with electric acidity balanced by the fruit and alcohol. And it finishes on a super lengthy dry lemony finish.
After a Christmas feast of baked ham and all the trimmings, we enjoyed my daughter Erin’s charcuterie platter of cheeses and cold cuts with the Fino, which surprisingly restarted our appetite!
It’s about time to understand and fully appreciate Tio Pepe Fino, which is available at government liquor stores. Enjoy with tapas, charcuterie, and grilled sardines and lemon. Salud!
