Sherry, no risk, high reward

When I ordered a dry fino Sherry in a Hilton Double Tree recently in England, they offered me a Harvey's Bristol Cream! Furthest thing from delicate and dry that you can imagine!

OK, that was in the burbs, but you can't actually go wrong buying a Sherry anywhere.

It's the world's most underrated, under-priced wine. Fortified, from Spain, a serious bargain.

Too complicated to explain in less than a doctoral thesis but here's a guide:

Dry (fino and its saltier cousin manzanilla); medium (nutty amontillado and richer oloroso); and sweet (cream and pedro ximenez, like liquid raisins).
 
As The Guardian's wine critic wrote, "there's isn't much bad Sherry out there and it's reasonably priced, too."

You could start with a well-chilled Tio Pepe fino or La Gitana manzanilla -- with olives, nuts or tapas.

You can dilute them with lemonade to make a a rebujito. 

Medium Sherries can take bigger food: cheeses, mushrooms, meat, while the sweeties are all great with desserts.

Baristas are having fun using versatile Sherries as ingredients in every combo. 

The greatest name in the Sherry biz aside from Tio Pepe is Lustau, creator of a whole range of fabulous artisan versions.