Sherry Lunch: A Culinary Journey with Nadien de Visser

On behalf of D.O. Sherry Wines and Pitch PR, The Story of My Wine was invited to an exclusive press lunch at Restaurant de Mark near Amsterdam. Alongside other professionals, we explored the culinary world of Sherry, hosted by Nadien de Visser. She aimed to make Sherry more popular with her campaign: Make Sherry Great Again.

Today, WSET3 and ASI-certified sommelier Daphne visited Durgerdam to learn all about sherry, reflecting on her trip to Jerez last January.

Introduction to De Mark

De Mark is a restaurant in Durgerdam, near Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Despite the rainy day, the location offers lovely lakeside scenery. Head Chef Koen Marees founded De Mark in collaboration with Richard van Oostenbrugge and Thomas Groot of Michelin-star restaurants 212, De Juwelier, and Bistro de la Mer.

The restaurant's food philosophy sources from the sea, local cheese farmers, and the fertile fields around De Durgerdam. The menu is innovative, robust, and familiar, designed to impress.

Host Nadien de Visser

The founder of Le Club des Vins and a wine educator, Nadien also cohosts the podcast “Le Club & SommelJJ”. She has completed The Diploma Course and now trains others in the wine industry. Additionally, she is a sherry educator. Today, she gave a brief explanation about sherry. As a passionate sherry enthusiast, she aims to introduce everyone to sherry and visits Jerez at least once a year. Her motto is: “Make Sherry Great Again”.

Sherry

These days, Sherry is often seen as an "old lady" drink or very sweet (PX, Pedro Ximénez). However, it is becoming more popular, thanks to Nadien de Visser. In the sixties, the Netherlands consumed about 40 million liters of sherry, but now it is around 2 to 4 million liters.

If you are unfamiliar with Sherry, it can be harsh, alcoholic, and difficult to taste or describe the flavors.
Imagine being in a hot city during the summer, wanting something refreshing but enjoyable. Try a good Fino or Manzanilla. They are high in acidity, fresh, and pair well with food.

For the Dutchies, in Jerez, you can find a glass of Fino for just €1.50. It's one of the cheapest alcoholic beverages here. ;-)
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes, mainly Palomino Fino, and for the sweeter varieties, Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez. It is aged and developed in Solera, where fortified wines are blended with several criaderas for years, with or without flor.

In Andalusia, South of Spain, Sherry is known for the triangle of three cities: Jerez de La Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. Recently, sherry production has expanded a little outside this triangle. The wines must be blended and stored within this triangle for at least two years before selling.

The Lunch

Before lunch, we were given a glass of Bodega Lustau Cream with ice cubes and a slice of orange.
Today, guided by Nadien de Visser, we tasted various sherries, including brands like Valdespino, Barbadillo, and Gonzalez Byass.

The menu
Aperitif
Cream on the Rocks (1,2)
Starter
Tomato tartare | Sourdough with garlic
Manzanilla (3,4)
Mid-Course
Roasted Beetroot | Ice of Mustard | Vinaigrette of Raspberry and Pine Needles
Fino (5,6)
Main Course
Cooked and Roasted Lamb | Crispy buckwheat | Foam of leek and hay
Amontillado & Oloroso (7,8)
Selection of Cheese
Cream & PX (9,10)

The Sherries

1. Cream East India - Lustau → Made in a good cocktail, served with some ice and a slice of orange. Refreshed and flavors of herbs and oranges. A good way to start the lunch.
2. Manzanilla - Generic → Before we started with the lunch, we had a small glass of the Manzanilla Generic. Just a good glass of Manzanilla good way to show “what is Manzanilla”. Salinity and a good level of acidity are well balanced, but lack intensity, especially compared with the ‘brands’.
   The next flight was about the Manzanilla. Manzanilla has the same production as Fino, although Manzanilla is only made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and aged with flor. We got two different. One of the Manzanilla was Pasada (3), which means that the sherry has been in contact with flor for more than nine years, which is a long time!
3. Manzanilla Pastora - Barbadillo → Pastora, named after the shepherd woman, which goes well in combination with the dish. Especially the smokiness of the tartare went well with the flintiness and hints of hay from the manzanilla. Besides, the taste of the Pastora has high amount of minerality, salinity, and chamomile, just a perfect glass with right complexity and layering. 
4. Manzanilla La Goya - Delgado Zuleta → Good example of a classic manzanilla. A bodega that makes up 90% of manzanilla is named after the typical flamenco dance in the South of Spain. Good characteristics of salinity freshness, with good complexity, but was a lit harsh accompanied with the dish.
   For the second course, we had a flight of Fino. Fino is often found in the Jerez region and aged with flor. However, as a sommelier, I always search for the best combinations. So I was thinking about how an Amontillado would accompany this cause of the warm, nutty flavors of the dish and the acidity of the mustard. While I was discussing this, Nadien came up with the opportunity to try the dish with the Amontillado. It went pretty well; however, the mustard is a though ingredient to make a good pairing.
5. Fino Marismeno - Sanchez Romate → Contact with flor for 4 till 5 years, needed some time to develop in the glass, but good concentration of warmness, nuttiness like almonds, and some pineapple and hint of coconut. Bit more tropical, but still nice salinity and acidity. Was a good one together with the beetroot, however the mustard made it a little harsh, so for me not the best combination.
6. Fino Innocente - Valdespino → Valdespino is a “big” name in Sherry and is well known for its bodega, which is huge! (picture). This fino has been averaged aged for over 10 years. And the difference is noticeable. Much more richness, structure, and complexity. Has nice salinity, but also its softness towards the acidity. Chamomile and some biscuits noticeable. However, due to the complexity, it was not the best pairing with the beetroot.
   However, as a sommelier, I always search for the best combinations. So, I thought about how an Amontillado would accompany this dish because of its warm, nutty flavors and the acidity of the mustard. While I was discussing this, Nadien came up with the opportunity to try the dish together with the Amontillado. It went quite well; however, the mustard is a necessary ingredient to make a good pairing.
   
   On the following flight, accompanied by the main course, Nadien had a small tip for us on how to compare sherries along with food:
   - If it swims, pair it with fino or manzanilla;
   - If it flies, pair it with amontillado;
   - If it runs, pair it with oloroso.
   
   Amontillado starts as a fino or manzanilla but is fortified to 17% alcohol, which is too much alcohol for flor to stay alive. So, flor dies, and the wine continues with oxidative aging without flor. When making Oloroso, right from the beginning, they fortify to 17% alcohol, so there is no opportunity for flor to develop, which means that this wine will have oxidative aging without flor.
7. Amontillado - Generic → Lightly touch of smoke, almonds, a hint of caramel, wine with sweet hints in the nose, but the taste is dry. There was a bit of salinity, but mainly herbs and spices. It goes well with the foam of hay and leek, but the taste will be less when compared with the lamb.
8. Oloroso - Generic → More bitterness and nutty, also more warm flavors, which paired well with the smokiness of the lamb. More tones of dates and autumn spices.
   For the dessert, we had cheese. The Cream is made the same way as an oloroso, however, at the end, they also have a small addition of Pedro Ximénez, just for the sweeter balance. Where Pedro Ximénez (PX) is only made from the Pedro Ximénez grape instead of the Palomino grape. The PX grapes are harvested later than others and followed by natural “asoleo”, which means sundried grapes, which gives the stickiness.
9. Cream Classic - Fernando de Castilla → Semi-sweet wine, hints of dried fruit and caramel. Still well-balanced level of sugars, whereas the acidity brings it all together towards a well balance with structure and complexity. A good pairing alongside the cheese selection. 
10. Pedro Ximénez Nectar - Gonzalez Byass → Although we like to accompany cheese with port within the Netherlands, Pedro Ximénez is also an excellent option to try! Hints of raisins, figs and dates, with high amount of residual sugar, but still elegance due to maturation. 

Conclusion

The Sherry Lunch at Restaurant de Mark was a remarkable experience showcasing Sherry wines' versatility and depth. Hosted by the passionate and knowledgeable Nadien de Visser, the event provided an opportunity to explore different varieties of Sherry and how they can be perfectly paired with various dishes. From the refreshing Manzanilla to the complex Amontillado and the rich Pedro Ximénez, each Sherry brought its unique character to the meal.

This culinary journey not only highlighted the rich history and tradition of Sherry but also demonstrated its potential to be a contemporary and exciting choice in the world of wines. With advocates like Nadien de Visser, Sherry is poised to shed its outdated image and gain a new generation of enthusiasts. If you have yet to discover the world of Sherry, now is the perfect time to start your journey.