Forget grandma's Harvey's Bristol Cream. Investigate Spain's open secret and discover what wine geeks have long known: dry Sherry is cool.
Open a bottle of fino Sherry, and you know you’ve crossed a boundary. Light in color, steely on the nose, and distinctively dry in the mouth, it is so bracing, you might recoil initially. Dry Sherry, you say? Sherry — a name that stems from the Moorish Seris, which is also the root for Jerez, the Spanish word for the same — is a fortified wine with a complicated pedigree. A bit of background, however, will unravel for you the mystery of Spain’s last crown jewel.
Sherry's Humble Beginning
Dry Sherry – which accounts for 95% of Sherry production – starts life as a simple white wine made of Palomino, an innocuous grape grown in this arid triangle near the southern tip of Spain. Once it is fermented dry (no residual sugar), it is transferred to American oak casks, which are only filled five-sixths of the way and loosely covered to insure air circulation. Then, something unique happens.
Some of the barrels develop a layer, called flor, which has been described as reminiscent of cream cheese. In reality, it is a yeast of the genus Saccharomyces, which protects the wine from oxidation. The barrels that develop flor are lightly fortified and set aside to make fino. Those that don’t, get a bit more alcohol added (in part to stop further yeast growth) and are left to oxidize and become olorosos.
Aging the Wine
To age Sherry, a solera, or fractional blending, system is used, by which a portion of younger wine is added to an older barrel that in turn has had a part of it added to an even older one. The process is complicated, and often left to separate almacenistas who specialize in this art. Soleras can consist of as many as 100 barrels, typically arranged in a pyramid with the oldest barrels at the bottom.
A Bit About Finos
Finos from Jerez, where the summer heat burns off the flor, are heartier, while those made in Sanlucar, where the milder weather is conducive to growing flor year-round, are lighter and more delicate. The latter are known as manzanilla, perhaps because they recall chamomile tea which bears the same name.
These wines are pale, light, and meant to be consumed chilled and soon, which isn’t to say they are inferior to other types of Sherry. On the contrary, having taken on unique flavors from the flor, finos are very highly regarded by wine geeks around the world. But, beware! You might make a face the first time you taste a fino. One of the heavenliest tastes in wine is also an acquired one.
Fino is generally young, generally about five years old. If it is allowed to be aged, however, it will eventually lose its flor and start oxidizing. This wine is called fino amontillado or simply amontillado. It begins to take on oxidative characteristics – darker color, nuttiness and caramel notes. These wines are aged much longer, where the vibrancy of the younger wines in the soleras are an essential counterbalance to the older richer ones.
Oh, So Oloroso
Olorosos develop in a similar oxidative style, and are perhaps a touch richer. Both of these styles are necessarily expensive due to their long age. Beware of cheaper bottles bearing these names. Even so, Sherry in general represents a great value since it is currently out of favor.
You will sometimes encounter sweet amontillados and olorosos. These wines have been sweetened by the addition of one or both of the regions sweet grapes. They make a good beginners’ entry point, so you may cross into Sherry a step at a time. Next time, we’ll take a deeper look at the sweeter side.
Resources
The Wines of Spain, Julian Jeffs (Mitchell Beazley, latest ed. May 2006)
Sherry, Julian Jeffs (Mitchell Beazley, latest ed. September 2004)
