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The Drink

Harveys Orange, Reserve and Fino sherries

The Price

$15 for Harveys Orange
$15 for Harveys Reserve
$15 for Harveys Fino

The Score

for Harveys Orange E-mail this to a friend  »
for Harveys Reserve
for Harveys Fino

The Taste

Harveys Bristol Cream is the most famous sherry in the world. Of course, almost no one under 55 orders it anymore. Looking to breathe some life into a company that has been around since 1796, Harveys recently introduced three new sherry products: Orange, Reserve and Fino.

The packaging has clearly been modernized, and the typography and icons have an artsy minimalist appeal. The price is certainly right: $15 a bottle. The Fino, a dry and very pale yellow, has an almond-vanilla aroma, but then completely psyches out the palate with a dry, acidic flavor. It is best served cold, before the meal, with seafood. The Orange, as its name implies, has a deep caramel hue, smells of orange zest, but tastes more like some kind of sweet, candied orange. This is one to pair with rich foods, such as foie gras, or dessert. The Orange definitely has more personality and more fruit and balance than the Fino. Finally, there is the Reserve, a deeper orange-red sherry with oak and spice flavors. A blend of various sherries including Oloroso, Amontillado, Fino and sweet Pedro Ximènez wines, the Reserve is best chilled or on the rocks with a slice of orange.

These are all fine sherries, even if they are unlikely to get the X-games generation hooked anytime soon.

-- James Oliver Cury

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