Well this is just a bit tough this. Normally at this stage of the week I like to write a little bit about how a wine is made. Or maybe what it may or may not taste like and why. Problem with Fino Sherry is that it’s a really complicated production method, and the taste of the thing is just, well, a bit hard to describe for me.
I should probably say that it’s not like it’s not nice. It is. It’s just that you’ll smell it in the glass and get one thing. Then you’ll drink it and be a bit like “well, I wasn’t expecting that!” Look, just try it and you’ll see what I mean.
The main flavours in Fino Sherry come from a biological reaction when the base wine is left to mature in a Solera System made up of these big barrels called Criaderas. What they do is leave a bit of air at the top which allows a layer of gunk to form (it’s actually strains of yeast called the flor) that feeds off the alcohol and oxygen to make carbon dioxide and this thing called acetaldehyde. It’s this acetaldehyde that gives Fino its special flavour.
The layer of flor is what stops the Fino from oxidizing in the barrel. If the flor isn’t too strong, the wine can oxidise and then it’s used to produce other forms of sherry. Fino is made to express just the acetaldehyde flavours.
The funny thing about this acetaldehyde is that the taste it leaves behind is kind of weird. I can’t drink it on its own. If you put food with it though you just kind of get it.
I’ll give you some food pointers tomorrow. Trust me you’ll love it when matched up!
Cheers
Other posts in NWTW Week 22
#NWTW Week 22: Fino Sherry from Jerez
#NWTW Week 22: Where’s Sherry From?
Photo References
The Criadera in all its glory!
A Great Blog From My Friend Zelda With More Info On Sherry Production
