Wine Pick of the Week: Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana en Rama

Often overlooked, sherry deserves wider appreciation. This is a good place to start

Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana en Rama$22.59Spain +34801One of the world’s great wines, sherry is as underappreciated as it is marvelously complex. Whether dry or sweet, it comes in an astonishing array of styles — from briny, yeasty Fino to rich, robust Oloroso to decadently sweet and viscous dessert wines. Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana en Rama (“en rama” means the wine is unfiltered and bottled directly from the cask) is a Manzanilla sherry, which means it’s made on the coast of Spain in the port town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.Delicate and tangy, the nose reveals chamomile, seaweed, and dough, while savoury flavours of green melon, bay leaf, and apple skin unfurl in the mouth. Crisp, bone-dry, and zesty, it’s the most ethereal of all fortified wines. Chalky, fossil-rich soils give a mineral character to sherry (just like Chablis and Champagne), which makes Manzanilla an inspired match with oysters on the half-shell, but you might also like to try classic pairings of toasted almonds, Manzanilla olives, smoked chorizo, or gazpacho. After chilling, serve it in a small white-wine glass.