Highlight of this week’s Swedish Press roundup is this cracking article by Bengt-Goran Kronstam, one of Sweden’s foremost wine men, in the Svenska Dagbladet, one of the leading newspapers.

Great stuff – was sent to me by a friend in Sweden and even in swedish you can see they are on the right track: Inocente, Dos Cortados and Noe are pictured and Tio Pepe and La Ina are mentioned too.

For those interested I have now received a summary (in Spanish):

The article emphasizes above all the choice of sherry wines as the perfect accompaniment to sushi; the japanese cuisine that is very fashionable in scandinavian countries; picking out a glass of fino or manzanilla as the perfect ally for sushi, if you want to be in touch with the latest trend, as they are in  London and New York. Then it explains that the traditional accompaniments for these wines are without doubt tapas of all shapes and sizes. From salted almonds, to the magic spanish ham, a slice of hard cheese or the more sophisticated cuisine that can be served cold or hot – in that order. 

It briefly explains the production methods and characteristics of fino, oloroso, amontillado and palo cortado, highlighting manzanilla as a very special fino from the area of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It mentions the palomino fino, pedro ximénez and moscatel grapes used in the area,and the delicate production process of the wines. Fino it describes as one of the most sensitive wines in terms of storage and as a result it recommends that the reader buy small bottles, serve the wine quite cold and moreover to finish it at one sitting, since the next day the fino will have already lost its spark.

Mr Bengt-Göran Kronstam then describes the three wines that have been tasted (Fino Inocente, Dos Cortados Palo Cortado 20 años and Noe Pedro Ximénez) underlining their properties and flavours and recommending pairings. 

In general a concise article dedicated exclusively to the wines of Jerez, depicting it as a trendy, very fashionable wine and the perfect pair for a variety of different cuisines.

Overall must be good news, despite the old chestnut in there – not at all true – that fino is difficult to store and needs to be drunk in one sitting (not that you need to space it out either). More importantly, the main thrust of the article is about pairing these wines with food, which is exactly the right idea.

I wish I could think of a signoff that didn’t involve the Swedish chef from Sesame Street.