Amontillado: the two-phase sherry
I
Origin
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia
II
Description
Amontillado is fino that has lost its flor — the yeast layer that protected it during biological aging has died (through the wine's natural development or through deliberate fortification to above 16.5% ABV), and the wine has then continued aging oxidatively. The result is a wine that carries both phases: the dried fruit and almond character of fino, and the walnut, caramel, and oak of oxidative aging. A genuine amontillado is amber, complex, and entirely dry — the sweet 'amontillado' found in supermarkets is a commercial blend with no connection to the real thing. True amontillado from a serious producer is one of the world's great wines.
III
The Thread
Not yet written for this entry.
IV
Flavour Context
Not yet written for this entry.
Pillars V — VII
The full training pages are part of membership.
Quality hierarchy, sensory tests, and where the dish lives or dies — on every entry in the Library.
Enter · from $49 a year