11/02/05 Oloroso Sherry

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and yesterday we discussed dry Sherry, the famous fortified wine of Spain. So on today's program we are going to explore Sherry a bit further by discussing sweet sherry. The only sherry that many of us know of, are the sweet cream Sherries, they have little of the sophistication of the sherry enjoyed in most of Spain. Yes, although the natives primarily drink drier styles of Sherry, there is excellent sweet sherry that should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, for many, the cheap imitations of sweet sherry are all that they have experienced, and it did not leave a good taste. An authentic Oloroso Sherry from Spain can be sublime. To make an Oloroso or sweet creamy style of sherry a winemaker decides well in advance. They may even dry the primary grapes Palomino and the exotic varietal called Pedro Ximenez (or PX for short). This Sherry is very different from the dry Fino styles that we discussed yesterday. Although Oloroso can be made rich and slightly dry, the most common are dessert style wines that are thick, rich, very dark and pleasingly sweet. They can age for a very long time. Think about one as a birth or wedding gift, meant to be opened in many years to come. For a simple dessert try them with a good quality vanilla ice cream and really wow your guests. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.