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Sherry Vinegar - en espanol vinagre de jerez

Prior to working in a restuarant I was not exposed to the vast array of vinegars available on the market. Today, I would like to focus on a vinegar I have come to appreciate very much in the last couple years.

Sherry vinegar is a wine vinegar made from sherry (duh). It is produced in the Cadiz provence of Spain and must be produced in the area between three Spanish cities referred to as the Sherry Triangle. Many laws dictate what vinegars may or may not be called Vinagre de Jerez (similar to the laws regarding what sparkling wines can be called Champagne).

To be a true Sherry Vinager it must be aged in American oak barrels within the Sherry Triangle for a minimum of 6 months. There are 3 levels of Vinagre de Jerez. Vinagre de Jerez Reserva is aged a minimum of 2 years. Vinagre de Jerez Gran Reserva is aged a minimum of 10 years. Any Sherry Vinager aged 2 years or less is simply Vinagre de Jerez. At the restaurant we use Cepa Vieja a Reserva vinager. It retails for about $20 for a 17 ounce bottle and can be ordered online.

Sadly, Sherry Vinager used to be considered a failure in the bodegas which sold Sherry. When Sherrry had undergone an acetic ferminatation and turned to vinegar it was esentially garbage. The vinegar was sometimes given away to the staff of the bodega or put in storage away from the sherry. Some say there are barrels of forgotten sherry vinager that are aged over 50 years in the region. It wasn't until the French discovered great uses for Vinagre de Jerez that its popularity as a vinager increased. Today, the French are still the largest users of sherry vinager in the world.

I find sherry vin to be particularly complex and flavorful rather than just harshly acidic like many vinagers. It is a great vinegar to use for a vinagrette and pairs really well with lots of veggies.

Sherry vinegar is also an essential addition to a great gazpacho. It gives that extra oomph some gazpachos are lacking.

Recently, I used sherry vinegar to add a much needed burst of acidity in a cream of mushroom soup and found it worked perfectly. It also matches well with black truffles.

This week try to experiement with vinager in some way. If you're making a dish and it lacks "something" that something might be acidity! Vinegar can bring out rich, complex flavors in soups and casseroles. Don't be afraid of the acid!!