About the Wines
The wide and varied range of Sherry Wines could be seen as a faithful reflection of the long history and friendly, welcoming character of the Andalusian people, who pride themselves on pleasing, and adapting to, their customers and visitors. Hence the frequent claim that there is a Sherry to suit every taste and every occasion. Sherry Wines have sensory characteristics whose variations and nuances are rarely matched elsewhere in the wine world. They range in colour from the palest, clearest greenish yellow of the biologically aged wines to the darker, more opaque mahogany of the natural sweet wines, with various shades of gold, amber
Fino Sherry
Fino is a dry white wine made from palomino grapes, which, as is the case with Manzanilla, is aged under a layer of yeasts which make up the veil of flor. It is stored and aged in American oak butts using the traditional solera y criaderassystem in the bodegas of Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María.
Ranging from bright straw yellow to pale gold in colour. A sharp, delicate bouquet slightly reminiscent of almonds with a hint of fresh dough and wild herbs. Light, dry and delicate on the palate leaving a pleasant, fresh aftertaste of almonds.
Fino wine has the extraordinary ability to stimulate taste buds. Due to this, it's an ideal aperitif for preparing the palate to better enjoy food. Additionally, the savoury nature of this type of Sherry intensifies all flavors in a dish; as such, any food is better understood if it's accompanied by a glass of Fino.
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Manzanilla Sherry
Manzanilla is a dry white wine made from palomino grapes and aged under a layer of yeasts know as velo de flor. It is produced exclusively in the bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The special climatic conditions of the town, situated at the mouth of the river Guadalquivar, favour the formation of a special kind of veil of flor which gives the wine its uniquely distinctive characteristics.
A very bright, pale straw coloured wine. A sharp, delicate bouquet with predominant floral aromas reminiscent of chamomile, almonds and dough. Dry, fresh and delicate on the palate, light and smooth in spite of a dry finish. Light acidity produces a pleasant sensation of freshness and a lingering, slightly bitter aftertaste.
Occasionally, Manzanilla wines are subjected to unusually long ageing periods, in which the flor is slightly weakened, causing a small level of oxidation and greater complexity which are known as "Manzanilla Pasada". These are wines with more structure, but with all the sharp and intense character that supports the biological ageing.
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Amontillado
Amontillado is a very unique wine due to its dual aging process: first under the veil of flor, typical of Fino and Manzanilla, followed by a period in which the flor disappears and the wine is exposed to oxidation. Made from palomino grapes, this fusion of aging processes makes the Amontillado wines extraordinarily complex and intriguing.
This is an elegant wine which ranges from pale topaz to amber in colour. Its subtle, delicate bouquet has an ethereal base smoothed by aromas of hazelnut and plants; reminiscent of aromatic herbs and dark tobacco.
Light and smooth in the mouth with well-balanced acidity; both complex and evocative, giving way to a dry finish and lingering aftertaste with a hint of nuts and wood.
There is a wide range of Amontillados, resulting from the different stages that occur between the two ageing phases that the wine is made from: biological and oxidative. Thus, some Amontillados have a paler color with very sharp notes and faint memories of yeast, from being aged longer with the flor. In others, however, the notes of oxidative aging—spices and wood—predominate.
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Oloroso
Oloroso is a wine made from palomino grapes. The special structure that it demonstrates at an initial tasting destines it for oxidative ageing. For this reason alcohol is added to 17°, thus preventing the development of the veil of flor and allowing the wine to age while exposed to oxygen. The result is a wine both structured and complex
Ranging from rich amber to deep mahogany in colour, the darker the wine the longer it has been aged. Warm, rounded aromas which are both complex and powerful. Predominantly nutty bouquet (walnuts), with toasted, vegetable and balsamic notes reminiscent of noble wood, golden tobacco and autumn leaves. There are noticeable spicy, animal tones suggestive of truffles and leather.
Full flavoured and structured in the mouth. Powerful, well-rounded and full bodied. Smooth on the palate due to its glycerine content. It lingers in the mouth, with complex retronasal aromas of noble wood creating an elegant dry finish.
Although the Olorosos sometimes reach relatively high alcohol levels, even above 20%, it is simply the result of the long ageing process. The cask allows for the evaporation of a good amount of water that the wine contains, thus concentrating not only the alcohol content, but also the rest of the components that contribute to the aromas, flavours, and complexity of the wine.
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Palo Cortado
The production of Palo Cortado is the clearest example of the necesity of Sherry winemakers to correctly identify the true vocation of each type of wine and to act accordingly.
A wine of great complexity which combines the delicate bouquet of an Amontillado with the body and palate of an Oloroso.
Chestnut to mahogany in colour with a complex bouquet which harmonises the characteristic notes of Amontillados and Olorosos, citric notes reminiscent of bitter orange and lactic notes suggestive of fermented butter. It has a deep, rounded, ample palate with smooth, delicate aromatic notes appearing in the aftertaste, leading to delicious lingering finish.
The origin of the first generation of Palo Cortados is very old; it comes from times when wines were fermented in casks that had multiple oenological variables, causing subtle differences between wines of the same vintage. Today the foremen continue selecting very special and delicate young wines to nourish the old generations and maintain the distinct character of the Palo Cortados.
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Cream Sherry
Cream is a semi sweet wine which is obtained exclusively from oxidative ageing and involves blending the Oloroso (in what is known as cabeceo) with an amount of Pedro Ximénez, hence it being commonly known as Sweet Oloroso.
Ranging from chestnut brown to dark mahogany in colour this wine has a dense, syrupy appearance. A strong oloroso bouquet in the nose combines with a hint of sweetness reminiscent of roasted nuts, such as in nougat or caramel. Full bodied and velvety in the mouth with a well-balanced sweetness, seductively elegant with a lingering aftertaste combining hints of sweetness with the characteristics traits of an oloroso.
The intensity of this wine and its concentration of sweetness allow it to be served “on the rocks” while it continues to show its aromatic power and length on the palate. Served in a tumbler, Cream with ice and a slice of orange is a fantastic aperitif which combines the complexity of Sherry with delicious citrus notes.
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Natural Sweet Wines
Naturally Sweet Sherry Wines are those obtained from must produced from over-ripe or sunned grapes, generally of the Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel varieties. This must, rich in sugars as a consequence of the sunning process of "pasificación" (which literally converts the grapes into raisins) is only partially fermented, with the aim of conserving most of its original sweetness.
In order to achieve this, wine alcohol is added once fermentation is under way. Those wines thus obtained are then aged in direct contact with the oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere, leading to them acquire a deep mahogany colour and distinctive thickness. The following types of naturally sweet wines are produced according to the variety of grape used:
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Brandy
Jerez Brandy is different from other brandies because it has its own singular organoleptic properties which result from its traditional process of production, the characteristics of the oak barrels in which it is aged and naturally also the local climatic conditions of the place of its birth, the Sherry Zone.
The role of the wood used is particularly important during the process of ageing. Jerez Brandy is aged in American oak barrels with a capacity of 500 litres which have previously been seasoned with one of the traditional styles of Sherry (Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez etc.). These are the famous Sherry “butts”.
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SHERRY WINES AS A BASE FOR COCKTAILS
The richness of sherry lies not only in the purity and ancestral character of its flavours, the mixture of sherry wines with all kinds of distillates, liquors, syrups and bitters, it give us a new dimension of harmony and contrast.
Sherry wines offer us all their heart and potential when it comes to mixing in cocktails. They offer a wide variety of aromas, flavours and textures