In Culinary | By Valerie Howes | September 24, 2021
A New Sherry List for Late Fall and Winter
Sherry is a fitting drink for the cooler months on Fogo Island, as a warming aperitif to savour by the fire or woodstove or to pair with heartier dishes on our seasonal menus.
This fortified wine is made in the Spanish province of Andalucia, which, like Fogo Island, sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Traditionally, Newfoundland traded its salt cod for sherry from this region, so the drink found its way into East Coast sipping and culinary traditions via centuries-old trading routes.
Sherry comes in a variety of styles. "Our list is laid out by density and weight, from the lightest to the richest sherry," says our Wine Steward & Maître d’, Kim Cyr. In Spain—and in the sherry bars of cities such as New York and Toronto, which have seen a resurgence over the past several years—sherry is often served with nuts, cheese or charcuterie. One way Kim might serve it to guests at Fogo Island Inn is with a seaweed snack of fermented sunflower seeds and nori. "It brings out the salinity in some of our sherries," she says.
Since arriving on our shores from mainland Newfoundland, Kim has been researching the interplay between the botanical notes in wines and sherries and the wild flowers, berries and plants of Fogo Island. On our new sherry list, which appears on the In-Between menu offered in the afternoons and late evening, she identifies notes of wild chamomile, balsam fir, sea buckthorn, among other botanical ingredients found locally.
Our new seasonal cocktail list also features a sherry cocktail, The Equinox. The name alludes to the fact that the cocktail recipe was perfected, after much fine tuning, on the Sept. 22 Equinox—a day of equal daylight and darkness. It's made with sherry amontillado, rye, chai-infused red vermouth and blackcurrant syrup. "The chai-infused vermouth lends warm fall spices and the syrup is a reflection of our berry bounty," says Bartender Michelle Adams, who created the drink. "This is the perfect drink for transitioning into the cooler seasons."
