30 November, 2010
Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry
Posted in : Fortified Wine, Sherry on by : The Gourmez
Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry
Jerez, Spain
Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry is so well-known, Saturday Night Live did a spoof on it in the 70s. This particular sherry is responsible for the lion’s share of the sherry market in the US. Make no mistake; this is a dessert wine, and I really can’t picture using it for any other purpose.
It’s not a tawny, thankfully. Tawny’s are so not my thing. It’s the color of a rich, dark apple cider. Smells like sherry, with an emphasis on the chocolate, brown sugar, and maybe rhubarb. Very sweet with some bark flavor and a little earthiness that gives it a unique counterpoint to that sweetness. The creaminess helps it all go down well. I’m happy with it, but I think a glass and a half will do me in.
3 stars
Other Bloggers’ Thoughts:
I could only find one entry that I’d consider a review. The Google pages are full of reflections on holidays of yore with a glass of Harveys Bristol Cream in hand, recipes that call for it, or people rolling their eyes at it, but nary a thought on how it actually tastes could I find but this one.
The label says “rich and full bodied” on the front but I find it neither. It’s more comparable to a rainwater madeira, which I’ve ripped in past reviews too, and the watered down madeira probably still had more complexity and flavor than this did. Honestly, I poured almost this entire bottle out. It was taking up valuable space in my liquor cabinet and wasn’t getting used. 4 out of 10 for below average.