Wines in Sanlúcar:
Sherry wine
The main types of sherry are "fino", "amontillado" and "oloroso", made from "palomino fino" grapes, the undisputed queen in the area.
"Manzanilla" shares the same type of elaboration and variety as fino but is exclusively produced in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, where it has its own appellation.
And "palo cortado" is, in short, a sherry that combines the best virtues of amontillado and oloroso, a mysterious and captivating wine.
These five wines are dry, wines that history has made famous for the aperitif, but that we should not keep away from the table. Their great acidity, refreshing capacity and complexity make them very versatile wines, easy to pair with all kinds of dishes, especially traditional Andalusian cuisine.
Among the sweet wines, there are two types: "PX" (Pedro Ximénez) and "muscatel", wines made, as their names indicate, with Pedro Ximénez or muscatel grapes. Next to them, there are also the fortified liqueur wines, a blend of dry sherry and concentrated must: "pale cream" (finos or manzanillas at the base), "medium" and "cream" (amontillados or olorosos, of medium or high sweetness).
Classification of Sherry wines
Finos and manzanillas, organic aging wines
The "finos" and "manzanillas" of Jerez are light dry white wines of biological aging. Biological aging (as opposed to oxidative aging) means that the wine is aged in the absence of oxygen, protected by a layer of yeasts (fungi) known as "flor", which only appears if a series of conditions are met: the barrels cannot be completely filled in order to maintain an air chamber, an alcohol content of around 15 degrees is necessary, and certain conditions of humidity and temperature, the exceptional uniqueness of the climate of Jerez and Sanlúcar. Since palomino grapes do not allow this level of alcohol to be reached naturally, wine alcohol is added to the wine until the necessary alcohol content is obtained. This is why we speak of fortified wines. The biological aging is prolonged for at least two years through the traditional system of soleras and criaderas, in never new American oak casks until the desired fino or manzanilla is obtained. Finos and Manzanillas are cheerful wines, straw yellow or pale golden in color, with sharp aromas, notes of bread dough and country herbs, light body and almond flavor; manzanillas are usually more floral, with notes reminiscent of chamomile, and have a more delicate and saline character than finos. Some are bottled unfiltered or en rama, obtaining finos and manzanillas in their pure state, persistent and with many more nuances. A system of categorization is also used.
Amontillados and oloroso, oxidative aging wines
Sherry "Amontillados" are also dry whites, subtle but much more complex than the finos, because their production combines a period of aging under flor with a period of oxidation. Initially born as finos, their biological aging is stopped by adding alcohol until they reach 17-18º; at that moment, the barrels are completely filled and an oxidative aging process begins. When the flor disappears, the wine begins to darken, acquiring its particular amber color and hazelnut flavor, with notes of aromatic plants, black tobacco, fine woods and a characteristic caramel touch. It is a dry wine, with great acidity and concentration of aromas, a lot of flavor but with a still light body, and sometimes still retains some saline touches from its fino stage. Its equivalent in Sanlúcar is the "manzanilla pasada". They are the wine to choose as the second step of learning in this exciting world.
"Olorosos" are round wines, with great structure and complexity, aged only with oxidative aging, without flor. As their name indicates, they are fragrant wines, dark amber to mahogany in color depending on their age, full-bodied, unctuous, extremely generous and rich but soft on the palate, with toasted notes, vegetables, noble woods, blond tobacco, leaves and nuts, and in some cases with notes of truffle and leather. Olorosos and palos cortados are true meditation wines.
PX and muscatels, sweet liqueurs
The Pedro Ximénez sweets or simply PX are wines made from sun-raisined pedro ximénez grapes. They are sweet liqueur wines, topped up to 15-18º alcohol and aged in barrels without filling them completely, thus developing an oxidative character like the others in the area. While their peers made from Muscat raisins exhibit the typical, exuberant aromas of the variety, the PXs are dominated by raisin aromas and are dark mahogany in color.