The difference between Sherry and Amontillado
Fans of Classic American Literature may remember Edgar Alan Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado”. The main character entices his “friend” Fortunato to come with him to classify said cask. The narrator says he’s off to see Luchesi (a wine expert). Fortunato complains that Luchesi doesn’t know The difference between Sherry and Amontillado. So, we ask: can you? Well, that’s a tough ask since Amontillado is a version of sherry. So, today we look at both, and go further to celebrate all the variations of this Spanish Treasure, for today marks the beginning of world sherry week. So, let’s fill those glasses, do some cooking and rock out with Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons to Sherry Baby!
Table of Contents
What is a fortified wine and do you know The difference between Sherry and Amontillado?
As the name implies, Fortified wines are wines “fortified” with an addition of a higher alcohol spirit (usually brandy or cognac). Vintners take a wine, add brandy or other spirit, and age it. The spirit raises the alcohol content of the wine, changes the flavor and complexity of the wine, and serves to preserve it better. While most wines age well, after a certain point, without fortification, they degenerate. This is why aged wines need to cellar at constant temperatures in climate and light controlled cellars. Fortified wines maintain longer than regular wines. Basically, the extra alcohol acts as a preservative. Unfortunately, many of them end up as cooking ingredients instead of drinking wines. You probably know some of them: Port, Madeira, Marsala, vermouth, and sherry are all fortified wines.
So, what is sherry? It is a fortified wine from the Cadiz region of Spain, named for the Appellation of Jerez. There are seven main styles of sherry: manzanilla, fino, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado, cream and Pedro Ximénez. Most of us cook with lighter versions like Fino and Manzanilla. In Spain, it goes by the names Jerez and Xeres. The name Sherry is the Anglicized version popularized by trade with Britain where it rocketed to the top of the best seller list.
To understand the difference, one needs to know the process of making sherry, which we will explain in the next section. But, for simple buying purchases: Manzanilla and Fino are the basic variations: semi dry and light. Amontillado is a hybridized Variation boosted with extra alcohol, and aged to develop a darker color and more distinct flavors. Palo Cortado is similar to Amontillado, but rarer. And, the other versions are Sweeter.
What makes Sherry So unique?
Wine-making is a territorial endeavor. When a region comes up with a style of wine, the region becomes the wine. We all know that Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France, despite there being plenty of sparkling alternatives. The same applies to sherry. But, it is a very unique type of wine. You won’t confuse it with Madeira, port, or vermouth. While these are all fortified wines, they all have unique characteristics. So, what makes Sherry sherry?
The grapes:
Sherry uses 3 different grapes in its production. The most used one is Palomino. This is a low acid and low sugar grape. the other 2 are Moscatel (aka muscat) which is a little sweeter, highly fragrant, and loaded with a variety of fruit flavors and a distinct Earthy overtone. The third is Pedro Ximénez (called PX). This is a very sweet grape that adds depth of color and flavor to sherries, often with flavors of figs, date, and raisins. You don’t often see these varieties outside of sherry. In contrast, the grapes of champagne are in many other wines.
The process:
What really makes Sherry unique is the processing. They use 2 different fermentation processes. One is non oxidative. The other is oxidative. Non Oxidative is used in fino and Manzanilla. A foamy layer of yeast called Flor protects the wine from exposure to the air and naturally occurring elements that can change a wine. Unlike most yeasts, this one actually eats alcohol and oxygen instead of sugars. A byproduct of this is a compound: acetaldehyde. This gives sherry it’s unique tangy characteristic.
Oxidative fermentation is the opposite. Wild components in the air interact with the wine to allow natural fermentation. While fino and Manzanilla are relatively dry and clear, oxidative processing allows fruit characteristics to blossom. The result is a darker, sweeter, more fruit forward wine.
Then the processing gets even more complicated. They store, age, and develop the wine in a system called a solera. They have stacks of barrels with older wines on the bottom and newer ones on top. Each row is named a criadera (Spanish name for nursery). When it comes time to blend wines, they take wine from the older casks and infuse it with the younger ones above. They replace the wine in the bottom with some of the wine from the next criadera, so the older wines are still on the bottom. It sounds complicated, but the result is some truly complex wines with exceptional aging built into any given blend.
So what the heck is The difference between Sherry and Amontillado?
Now we know how sherry is made. So, how does one get a different name? It has to do with the grapes, and processing.
Here is a breakdown of the 7 types of sherry:
- Fino: what people know as dry sherry. just the basics, dry, with notes of yeast, almonds, with pale or golden hues. Alcohol is about 15 to 17%
- Manzanilla: a variation of fino. The grapes generally come from a seaside vineyard, and a bit of that salty brine enters the flavor profile on top of green apple, and the almond flavor of fino. Again, 15-17% alcohol
- Amontillado: This is a hybrid of oxidative and non oxidative. It starts as a fino or manzanilla, then spends at least 4 to 6 years in the solera system. So, part of the time it sits in flor, holding back the elements. Then, in later processing it is exposed to oxygen to deepen the color and develop more flavor and complexity. Sometimes, they add in a touch of PX grape to round it out. 16-22% alcohol.
- Oloroso: This is made strictly in oxidative style. It develops a dark color, even deep red. It’s full bodied and the nut flavors really pop. Sometimes PX is also added to round it out. 18-20% alcohol.
- Palo Cortado: This is also known as accidental wine. originally intended as an Amontillado, It loses the anti-oxidative flor of a fino on its own, and develops like an oloroso. So, it ends up as an ellegant hybrid somewhere between Amontillado and oloroso. 17-22% alcohol.
- Cream Sherry: Start with an oloroso wine, then add at least 11% residual sugar. You end up with a sweet wine heavy on chocolate, fig, and roasted nut flavors. 15.5-22% alcohol
- Pedro Ximénez (PX). Made from the PX grape, the fruit is air dried for a week or 2, intensifying the flavor and sugars. They make great dessert wine with 40 to 50% residual sugar. flavors include molasses, fig, raisin, and toffee. 15 to 22% alcohol.
What is Sherry good for?
Given the variety of styles, that’s a loaded question. But, it’s something that people need to think about. Because, sherry isn’t something you see people ordering in a restaurant or rushing out to get. Admittedly, I am guilty as well. The only sherry I have in my cabinet right now is a cheap version I use for cooking. When it comes to fortified wine for drinking, Vermouth is far and away the most popular. But, that’s because it’s an ingredient in some very popular mixed drinks like the martini. When is the last time you ordered a glass of vermouth in a restaurant or bar? Personally, I’ve always been partial to Port as a nice after dinner drink. But, Sherry has such a unique backstory. So, it deserves a closer look.
Cooking:
Sherry makes a great addition to everything from salad to appetizers, entrees and dessert. A nice PX or oloroso can go straight on ice cream as a syrup almost. I love cooking mushrooms in sherry, it’s a natural combination like peanut butter and chocolate. A lot of Asian cooking introduces sherry into a lovely stir-fry sauce. And, it makes a nice glaze reduced with demi-glace over chicken, pork or other meats. You can steam seafood like mussels and firm fleshed fish in it. Then, there are Sherry vinegars that make great dressings and marinades. Or you can use straight or reduced sherry in these. How about a nice cake, cookie, or mousse infused with sherry? The possibilities are begging to be explored. It’s one of my favorite cooking wines. And, note: you don’t have to buy the cheapo supermarket stuff labeled “cooking sherry”. Use the real stuff.
Drinking:
Being a wine of fine craftsmanship, Sherry makes for a great aperitif, dessert wine, or cocktail base. Drinking it on its own evokes scenes of Gentlemen of the gilded age in the smoking room coiffing snifters of Amontillado. Or, the wives of Victorian England sipping sherry over a game of bridge. But, you don’t have to dress up in ridiculous garb to explore the possibilities of sherry yourself. Winter is right around the corner. With temperatures dropping, it’s the perfect time to sip some sherry fireside in between brisk outdoor activities. But, that doesn’t mean sherry isn’t a flavor for all seasons. Let’s give vermouth a run for its money with some great cocktails. Here are a few to start with.
- Rebujito: 3 oz Dry Sherry, 6 oz Sprite or 7 up, 5 or 6 mint leaves, a slice of lemon. Muddle the mint and lemon, put in ice, add in the sherry and soda. Rim the glass with turbinado sugar and garnish with lemon and mint
- Cream Mojito: Muddle 6 mint leaves with a couple wedges each of lemon and lime and a tablespoon of sugar. Add in ice, 2 oz rum, 2 oz cream sherry, and 6 oz ginger ale. Stir to mix. Garnish with citrus and mint.
- Bizzy Izzy: 2 oz Oloroso Sherry, 1.5 ounce bourbon, 1 oz simple syrup made from sugar in the raw, 1 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz lemon juice, 4 oz soda water, pineapple and cherry garnish.