Did you know that there are several types of Sherry available? Sherry is a fortified wine of the Jerez region of Spain. Being fortified means grape spirits are added to the wine either during the fermentation process to stop all the sugars from being converted to alcohol or after fermentation is complete. With Sherry, the spirits are added during fermentation. After fermentation Sherry is divided into two groups and from those two groups it is divided into even more types of Sherry.
The wine grapes used in the production of Sherry are: the Palomino grape which is the base wine for all Sherry, the Pedro Ximenez, which is used as a sweetening agent and the Moscatel grape which provides color. Sherries are classified into two groups depending on the quality of the juice after fermentation. The higher quality juice is put into the Fino category. Everything else is put into the Oloroso category.
The best of the best juice is made into Fino Sherry and is made exclusively from Palomino grapes. The process involved in fermentation, the affect of yeasts on the juice delivers the nutty qualities to the Sherry. Controlled oxidation is another factor determining a Fino's characteristics: a taste similar to roasted almonds.
An almost subcategory of Fino Sherry is Manzanilla Sherry. The S. Beticus yeast, native to the Sanlcar de Barrameda region, imparts a salty nuttiness due to its proximity to the ocean air. Manzanillas are given open exposure to the air in order to achieve proper maturation. This exposure ranges from short periods to moderate time in the sun and imparts a light to medium gold color.
Amontillado Sherry is the last of the Fino types of Sherry. However, it starts to move away from the Fino category as it matures in the open air, deepening in color and taking on a more maderized flavor of roasted hazelnuts. These types of Sherry are sweetened with either vino dulce (a sweetener made from sundried Palomino grapes) or dulce de almibar (pure sugar).
Oloroso Sherries are types of Sherry made from juice deemed of lesser quality than those made into Fino Sherry. There is nothing wrong with the juice that goes into making Oloroso, it is typically made from pressed juice, whereas Fino Sherry is more free-run juice.
Oloroso Sherry is aged purely through oxidation which means that the direct exposure to the air ages it faster. Oloroso Sherry is always sweet. It has a dark brown color increasing its alcohol level, body weight and aroma. The taste of Oloroso Sherry is toasted pecans.
A rare style of Sherry is the Palo-Cortado. It has all the aromas of an Amontillado but doesn't go through the same process of yeast contact. On the other hand its colors and flavors are similar to Oloroso Sherry. It can be categorized in the middle of Fino and Oloroso but because of its unstable nature it eventually falls into the Oloroso style.
About the Author:
If you would like to learn more about Sherry Production you can find more on the subject and the different types of Sherry at the author's website, Learn About Wine. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
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