I left law school after my second year in order to take a job as the cook at a Buddhist monastery. It seemed rational at the time, but one fact gave me pause: I had no idea how to cook. I had never boiled an egg, let alone produced a full vegetarian dinner for fifteen hungry, table-pounding mystics. The only reason I didn’t snap and flee to the tranquility of torts class at U of T was the guidance of the excellent vegetarian Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. I think I’ve made every one of its recipes, so I was surprised to learn in a subsequent book that when Mollie cooks for her family, she usually just makes soba noodles and vegetables. Here was one of the most celebrated vegetarian chefs, and she eats the same thing 4 nights of the week.
I thought of this fact the other day when a friend asked, “Do you try a different wine every night?” My reply was simple, “No – I mostly drink Oloroso.”
Oloroso is a kind of sherry, or fortified wine (I have written about sherry here). It is exposed to more oxygen than other sherries, which darkens it and adds flavours of raisins, burnt sugar and especially walnuts. It combines the refreshment of wine with the grip and body of a single-malt scotch. I drink it so often because I treasure complexity and richness, and Oloroso has this in spades. It is one of the best values you can find at the liquor store.
Oloroso is often dry, but sometimes it is sweetened with a sugary grape called Pedro Ximenez. These “dulce” sherries can be delicious, but require some caution. Cheap ones are called “Cream Sherries” and are usually a gag reflex in a bottle.
Here are some of my favourite Olorosos:
- Gonzalez Byass “Matusalem” Oloroso Dulce Viejo ($30.75, SAQ ). I had to go to Quebec to find this because it appears so rarely in Ontario. Not only the best Oloroso, it is one of the best wines I have ever had. It has a velvetty and almost greasy texture with a cascade of complex flavours, including a definite hint of polished church pews. If you see it, buy it.
- Bodegas Maestro Sierra Oloroso (
$16.85[Ed. note: No longer available], Vintages #680215). This is a very dry Oloroso, and comes off as more elegant and crisp than the others. It has deep, scintillating flavours like warmed almonds, marmalade and burnt butterscotch. A superior Oloroso and a great accompaniment to appetizers.
- Osborne “10 RF” Medium Oloroso ($16.95, Vintages #87536). Fantastic nose of yeast, raw almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts. The palate is less refined – the tangy acidity competes with the caramel sweetness. I would proudly serve it with all sorts of cheese after dinner.
- Gonzalez Byass “Nutty Solera” Oloroso ($11.95, Vintages #35204). One of the best bargains at the LCBO, this wine appears regularly on the shelves. A sweet, gregarious concoction of burnt orange peel, vanilla and caramel. Delicious.
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca