Drinking Sherry At Terroir Wine Bar With Paul Grieco | Tasting Table NYC

"For 3,000 years, sherry has witnessed the fall of empires, Phoenicians, Romans, the Caliphate, Spanish, British and now A.I.G."

So begins the new sherry list at Terroir, the East Village wine bar where wine director Paul Grieco authors deeply personal, highly politicized wine lists that look like wine-themed Trapper Keepers and read like white-knuckled manifestos. (For proof, check out the hilarious "My Wine in a Box.")

If you haven't embraced this Spanish fortified wine, go now: October is Sherry Month at Terroir, where gratis glasses are served before 6 p.m., and 26 bottles are available by the pour ($7 to $24). Grieco's 20-page "Jerez Book Report" is jammed with history, maps, photos and just enough banter to keep you engaged. He likens each of sherry's six styles to a pop icon: fino is Avril Lavigne ("bright, poppy with a punk edge"), manzanilla is Amy Winehouse ("lean and incredibly spirited") and palo cortado is Courtney Love ("a freakshow").

To see how remarkably food-friendly sherry can be, pair a few glasses with some of chef Marco Canora's excellent bar snacks. Lamb sausage wrapped in fried sage ($7), tonnato bruschetta ($6) and a few Spanish cheeses (six for $24) are a great place to start.

Terroir, 413 E. 12th St.; 646-602-1300 or wineisterroir.com