Harveys Bristol Cream is the worlds best selling sherry, but despite this Harveys sherry is a unique product in that it is one of the few forms of sherry to be drank chilled and is marketed as “Bristol Cream” despite containing no dairy ingredients.
Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry: The Wine
Historically, Harveys Bristol Cream was blended in Bristol from wines imported from the Jerez region of Spain, thus giving the sherry its namesake. However, today the wine is blended and bottled back in its country of origin and shipped around the world from its point of production in Spain.
Harveys Bristol Cream is a blended sherry made from no less than 50 wines and incorporates the three major types of sherry, Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso into a single bottling. The wine contains a high proportion of Pedro Ximenez grapes, which help to give the wine its characteristic smooth texture. The wine is made in the Jerez region and the bottle bears the DDO stamp giving the sherry its provenance of origin.
Here Harveys have produced a wine with an alcoholic content of 17.5% by volume, the wine is recommended to be served chilled or even mixed with lemonade and a slice of lemon.
Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry: Tasting Notes
- Price – On this occasion a 75cl bottle was purchased from Budgens convenience store for £6.99. The bottle is more commonly sold in a 1 liter bottle.
- Presentation – The sherry is presented in the legendary blue bottle which has become the famous hallmark of Harveys Bristol cream sherry. The bottle is sealed with a plastic topped natural cork, which is removable with a pulling action. The label proudly bears the royal appointment as an official supplier of sherry to the royal household.
- Appearance – The wine is of a malt brown color and takes on the appearance of whiskey in color. When swirled in the glass, the legs appear to have good staying power, as is the case with most fortified wines.
- Nose – The nose is not a powerful one, there are notes of raisins, rum and a little burnt sugar.
- Palate – As the name implies, the sherry is a very smooth one with a creamy silk like texture. The palate is packed with nutty flavors, including almonds and hazelnuts which follow through into a good long finish.
Summary – Whilst not the most complex sherry available, Harveys Bristol cream is a decent sherry for every day drinking and comes in at a reasonable price. This is a sherry to keep the drinks cabinet stocked up with, rather than one to hold back for a special occasion.
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Frank Smith - Frank Smith currently works as an full time industry analyst for a well known construction company in Lincolnshire. In his spare time, ...
