Facts you may not know about mosto and Sherry wine
Villaluenga del Rosario and its exquisite Payoyo cheese
11 June, 2018
Sherry wine is famous worldwide, outside of Spain it is known as Sherry or simply as Jerez, both wine and city are identified so much as part of a whole that both words have become interchangeable, often the city being called Sherry and the wine Jerez. This interchange may cause for the other two more important towns in the production of Sherry, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, to be overlooked or less known to visitors, though they are considered within the denomination of origin Sherry. This very well-known Spanish wine variety, with over 3000 years of history, has many singularities, which we would like to tell you all about.
Solera system
Sherry wine ages differently than other wines or liquors do, which fills it with its particular and recognisable taste. The process to achieve the singular flavour isa studied and complex mixing of different age wines in the barrel. This technique when used with other wine varieties does not deliver the same results, as it is not only the Solera System that makes the Sherry unique, the location of vineyards and the type of grape are also indispensable.
Liquors’ barrels
The Sherry barrels have become extremely valuable, not only for their essential role in the making of Sherry, but also due to their use to age some of the best liquors in the world. This phenomenon, quite common for malt whiskey, incorporates flavour and quality to such liquors. Some well-known brands using Sherry barrels are The Macallan 10, Glenfiddich 12 and 18 years and Glenmorangie 12.
The young Sherry wine, the grape must
Tempranillos, a young wine with a less refined taste, exist in most denominations of origin. When we talk about Sherry, the young wine is named must grape or mosto. The Sherry mostois very exclusive due to its very limited production and the best places where to have a tasting are ventas(inns) or mostos, ventas that specialise in serving grape must accompanied by some of the most traditional dishes in the area.
Sherry’s preservation
One of the advantages of Sherry is how long the keep all its flavour after the bottle has been corked, which it is okay to consume after a few days or even weeks. In occasions when left over, it can be used in cooking, making of an everyday recipe something special. Perhaps its intense flavour is what has made it an exceptional ingredient to make exquisite any ordinary dish.
England and Sherry
The link between Sherry and England came to be after the attack of Francis Drake in 1587 of the city of Cádiz, where he gathered the treasure 3,000 barrels of Sherry he gifted Queen Elizabeth with. Since then, England became the biggest consumer of Sherry in the world. This historic event and the love of Sherry in the UK are the cause of a curious occurrence, some long established wineries in Jerez were funded by British families; some examples are Garvey and Gordon.
