11/01/05 Fino Sherry

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and yesterday we answered email questions about Sherry. Therefore, on today's program we are going to explore Sherry a bit further. Sherry is the most famous fortified wine from Spain. Sherry is a fortified wine that gains its most notable characteristic by deviating from the normal winemaking process. When table wines are made the winemakers work very hard to keep the oxygen out of the wine. However, when sherry is made the wine barrels are only partially filled and the oxygen is allowed contact with the wine. This lends it a slightly oxidized quality that is desirable in sherry. There are three main types of dry sherry Fino, which is lighter in color and more delicate. Another type of Fino is Manzanilla, which is made like the regular Fino accept that it is moved to a climate that is cooler and damper. The result is a wine that has different characteristics an almost briny quality reminiscent of the ocean. The third style of Fino is Amontillado. If it is authentic, it has been aged in cask eight additional years longer than a Fino and it exhibits richness in its golden color, its fuller body and the nutty aromas that have been acquired during the aging process. Join us tomorrow as we explore the sweeter side of the fortified wine Sherry. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.