Amontillado

Amontillado

What it is

The name means in the manner of Montilla, the neighbouring region whose wines aged without a flor veil. An amontillado begins as a fino, then the veil is killed — by a further dose of spirit, or simply by starving it — and the wine spends years exposed to air, so it carries the yeast notes of its first life and hazelnut oxidation from its second.

In the kitchen

It is dry, however deep it smells; taste before you sweeten anything it goes into. A spoonful in a finished consommé, or in a sauce built on jamón bones, does more than a whole glass boiled in from the start.

Goes with

Serrano ham Iberian pork (bellota) Button mushroom Almond Onion Chicken

Same species

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP Armagnac Banyuls Brandy de Jerez Champagne vinegar Cognac

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Drink in moderation.