Sherry lovers around the world have been celebrating Sherry this week. November 2-8, 2020 marks the seventh International Sherry Week Celebration organized with support from the El Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. We are happy to take this opportunity to share a Sherry with you that we received as a tasting sample.
Sherry is a fortified style of wine made exclusively in Spain’s Jerez region, which is situated in a triangle of land formed by the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María in coastal Andalusia south of Seville. The main grape varieties are Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel, but the resulting wines are varied in style and extremely complex thanks to the vinification methods used to them. The Sherry Wines website is an excellent resource for detailed information about Sherry wines and how they are made.
This Amontillado Sherry begins the vinification process as González Byass Tio Pepe (Fino Sherry.) Palomino grapes are pressed and fermented to between 11% and 12% alcohol and then fortified to 15.5% alcohol. The wine then enters the Tio Pepe solera where it ages for four years under flor. The wine is then moved to the Viña AB solera where it ages a further 8 years. During this time the flor dies due to a lack of nutrients and concentration of alcohol allowing the wine to age oxidatively.
NV González Byass Viña AB Amontillado Sherry — pale amber in the glass with generous aromas of toast, smoke, butterscotch, iodine and hazelnuts. Sharp, salty flavors with toasted nuts, dusty earth, umami and herbs are persistent with a mouth-watering finish thanks to ample acidity. The wine is relatively light on the palate, not at all sweet and a bit warming. 16.5% abv. SRP $24.99
The flavors of Sherry always confound me. I find them very challenging to describe because they’re so unique and complex. We found this style of Sherry very appealing and particularly food friendly.
NV González Byass Viña AB Amontillado Sherry made a delicious pairing for one of our favorite happy hour snacks: smoked salmon, goat cheese and olives. It’s easy to put together and can easily double as a light meal.
We found this Amontillado easy sipping on its own and preferred it slightly chilled with or without food. I took the bottle out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before happy hour and the wine was at the perfect temperature. A chilled glass might be just the thing on a warm summer’s evening too.
González Byass is a family-owned collection of wineries based in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. The winery was founded in 1835 and now includes wineries in many major Spanish wine regions. This wine is imported by González Byass USA.
Thanks to Donna White Communications for sending this taste of Jerez our way.
Cheers!
