Sherry oloroso

Sherry Oloroso

 As I have already mentioned in the article dedicated to the Port wine, I appreciate the fortified wines, i.e. those to which distilled spirit or brandy is added in the fermentation process. In addition to the Port, these include Madeira wine, Sherry and Marsala wine. But that’s not the reason which prompted me to taste Oloroso sherry. Those of you who are familiar know that Irish and Scottish whiskey manufacturers use three different types of used barrels – Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry and Port wine casks, in which the whiskey matures entirely or in addition to the maturation which has been already started in other cask.


 As a concert, „Sherry“ has been introduced by the British, which interpreted  in their own way the Spanish „Xeres“ (Jerez), denoting the same name city of Jerez, in the province of Cadiz. The city itself was built upon the remains of the old Moorish city – Sherish, in whose area, still before the period of the Reconquista, has been grown grapes for the purpose of wine making. Who discovers it before the world, in its contemporary known form? The British, who else. The same, deprived of the opportunity to grow quality grapes, always have been looking toward the southern countries such as Spain and Portugal, whose climate conditions are perfect for the growth of the valuable grape varieties.
What is Sherry? This wine belongs to the category of the „fortified“ wines. Its taste and high alcohol content are result from the added alcohol, most often – brandy. This approach is provoked by purely practical considerations – preservation of the wine for a longer period of time. It should be noted that Sherry, in most of its variations is a dry wine, unlike the Port wine. By what is caused this dryness? The Port wine is sweet, because the alcohol is added at an early stage of fermentation, whereby the sugars contained in the grapes haven’t been converted into alcohol yet. By this manner, the taste is „canned“ and the final product is distinguished by sweetness, not typical for the Sherry / except the type Pedro Ximenez/. The fermentation process of Oloroso Sherry is almost the same, as the brandy /or alcohol/ is added at the end of the process or after its completion, when the sugars have taken earned rest. This pre-determines its dryness.

 There are several types of Sherry known to the world: Oloroso, Fino / produced by a specific type of yeast – „flor“, without the addition of alcohol/, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Tio Pepe /the driest sherry/, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel.


 After I pointed out the most important characteristics of the Sherry, it’s time to share my impressions of Oloroso. Its color is dark, almost like a walnut liqueur or rum.
The aroma is recognizable – brandy, raisins, plum or apricot jam, caramel sweetness. The taste is quite dry. At the sight of its deep color, I was expecting to be stricken by infinite sweetness, even though I knew about its dry „character“. Sweetness absent. Aftertaste – toasted nuts, slight honey and fades fairly quickly. I forbear to give an assessment, but I hope the experience with Sherry to be useful for me in the forthcoming meetings with whiskey. I know for sure that Sherry won’t replace the Port in my rating at the category „fortified wines“, but I recommend it to everyone who wants to know the full essence of whiskey and to understand, what on earth have in mind the tasters, by saying that they discover aroma or notes of Sherry in the Irish and Scottish drinks. In Bulgaria, Oloroso Sherry is relatively hard to find / I found it by chance in internet / on the price of 26 lv.