58-549: Amontillado ( Spanish pronunciation: [amontiˈʎaðo] ) is a variety of sherry wine characterised by being darker than fino sherry, but lighter than oloroso sherry. Amontillado wine is named after the Montilla municipality, in Andalusia, Spain , where the style of sherry originated in the 18th century; commercially, the name "Amontillado" is used as a measure of colour to label any style of sherry that lay between
116-466: A solera system before bottling so that bottles of sherry will not usually carry a specific vintage year and can contain a small proportion of very old wine. Sherry is regarded by some wine writers as "underappreciated" and a "neglected wine treasure". Jerez has been a centre of viniculture since wine-making was introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians in 1100 BCE. The practice was carried on by
174-491: A breed of Spanish dog, the Andalusian wine-cellar rat-hunting dog , and iconic bull posters used to advertise sherry. The film Withnail and I features a much-quoted scene where the two protagonists are offered sherry by the lecherous Uncle Monty. 36°41′02.2″N 6°7′34.5″W / 36.683944°N 6.126250°W / 36.683944; -6.126250 Anglicisation Anglicisation or Anglicization
232-441: A darker colour. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, most sherries are initially dry, with any sweetness being added later. Despite the common misconception that sherry is a sweet drink, most varieties are dry. In contrast, port wine is fortified halfway through its fermentation, which stops the process so that not all of the sugar is turned into alcohol. Wines from different years are aged and blended using
290-504: A divided linguistic geography, as the people of the countryside continued to use forms of Norman French , and many did not even know English. English became seen in the Channel Islands as "the language of commercial success and moral and intellectual achievement". The growth of English and the decline of French brought about the adoption of more values and social structures from Victorian era England. Eventually, this led to
348-595: A large part of the country's population due to language revival measures aimed at countering historical anglicisation measures such as the Welsh not . In the early parts of the 19th century, mostly due to increased immigration from the rest of the British Isles, the town of St Helier in the Channel Islands became a predominantly English-speaking place, though bilingualism was still common. This created
406-646: A light filtration, and often a selection of a favored barrel from a larger solera. Such sherries can be considerably more complex in flavour than the standard bottlings, and, according to many, are worth seeking out. In order to allow the sale of reliable average age-dated sherries, the regulating council has set up a system that accurately tracks the average age of the wines as they move through their solera. Two average age-dated categories are recognized: VOS ('Vinum Optimum Signatum' – 20 years old average age minimum) and VORS ('Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum' – 30 years old average age minimum). Sherry-seasoned casks are sold to
464-628: Is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as Manzanilla and fino , to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidise as they age in barrel, such as Amontillado and oloroso . Sweet dessert wines are also made from Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based sherries. Under
522-520: Is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England . It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English or place adopts the English language or culture; institutional, in which institutions are influenced by those of England or the United Kingdom ; or linguistic , in which a non-English term or name is altered due to
580-601: Is an amontillado made in El Puerto de Santa María . Naturally dry, they are sometimes sold lightly to medium sweetened but these can no longer be labelled as amontillado. On 12 April 2012, the rules applicable to the sweet and fortified denominations of origin Montilla-Moriles and Jerez-Xérès- Sherry were changed to prohibit sweet amontillado. They have to be labelled as Medium Sherry: blend of Amontillado or suchlike. The classification by sweetness is: Amontillado
638-426: Is characterized by nutty aromas, tobacco, aromatic herbs and often sturdy, polished notes of oak. The fusion of two different ageing processes gives Amontillado wines a specific flavour. Amontillado can be produced in several different manners. A fino amontillado is a wine that has begun the transformation from a fino to an amontillado, but has not been aged long enough to complete the process. Amontillado del puerto
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#1732801472831696-582: Is complete, the base wines are fortified with grape spirit to increase their final alcohol content . Wines classified as suitable for aging as fino and Manzanilla are fortified until they reach a total alcohol content of 15.5 percent by volume. As they age in a barrel, they develop a layer of flor —a yeast -like growth that helps protect the wine from excessive oxidation. Those wines that are classified to undergo aging as oloroso are fortified to reach an alcohol content of at least 17 per cent. They do not develop flor and so oxidise slightly as they age, giving them
754-448: Is intentionally killed by additional fortification, or is allowed to die off through non-replenishment. Without the layer of flor, amontillado must be fortified to approximately 17.5% alcohol so that it does not oxidise too quickly. After the additional fortification, Amontillado oxidises slowly, exposed to oxygen through the slightly porous American or Canadian oak casks, and gains a darker colour and richer flavour than fino. Amontillado
812-553: Is mostly used for Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes. The benefit of the albariza soil is that it can reflect sunlight back up to the vine, aiding it in photosynthesis . The nature of the soil is very absorbent and compact so it can retain and maximize the use of the little rainfall that the Jerez region receives. Before the phylloxera infestation in 1894, there were estimated to be over one hundred varieties of grape used in Spain for
870-484: Is stated. Sherry is aged in the solera for a minimum of two years. A large solera system may consist of scales that require more than one barrel to hold. The word 'solera' means 'on the ground'; this refers to the stacking system that was, and sometimes still is, used, with the youngest barrels at the top and the oldest scale, also somewhat ambiguously called 'the solera', at the bottom. Of late, sherry producers and marketers have been bottling their wines en rama , with only
928-664: Is usually served slightly chilled and may be served either as an apéritif or as an accompaniment to food such as chicken or rabbit. Classically it was served with a fine, or thin, soup, such as a beef consommé . Due to its oxidative aging and preparation, amontillado is more stable than fino and may be stored for a few years before opening. After opening, it can be kept for up to two months, if corked and refrigerated. Julian Jeffs (1 September 2004). Sherry (5th rev. ed.). London: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1-84000-923-1 . Retrieved 25 August 2011 . Sherry Sherry (Spanish: jerez [xeˈɾeθ] )
986-899: The Danish city København ( Copenhagen ), the Russian city of Moskva ( Moscow ), the Swedish city of Göteborg ( Gothenburg ), the Dutch city of Den Haag ( The Hague ), the Spanish city of Sevilla ( Seville ), the Egyptian city of Al-Qāhira ( Cairo ), and the Italian city of Firenze ( Florence ). The Indian city of Kolkata used to be anglicised as Calcutta , until the city chose to change its official name back to Kolkata in 2001. Anglicisation of words and names from indigenous languages occurred across
1044-616: The English-speaking world in former parts of the British Empire . Toponyms in particular have been affected by this process. In the past, the names of people from other language areas were anglicised to a higher extent than today. This was the general rule for names of Latin or (classical) Greek origin. Today, the anglicised name forms are often retained for the more well-known persons, like Aristotle for Aristoteles, and Adrian (or later Hadrian ) for Hadrianus. During
1102-573: The Romans when they took control of Iberia around 200 BCE. The Moors conquered the region in 711 CE and introduced distillation , which led to the development of brandy and fortified wine. During the Moorish period, the town was called Sherish (a transliteration of the Arabic شريش ), from which both sherry and Jerez are derived. Wines similar in style to sherry have traditionally been made in
1160-497: The Scotch whisky industry for use in aging whisky . Other spirits and beverages may also be aged in used sherry casks. Contrary to what most people think, these sherry-seasoned casks are specifically prepared for the whisky industry, they are not the same as the old (and largely inactive) butts used for the maturation of sherry. Once bottled, sherry does not generally benefit from further aging and may be consumed immediately, though
1218-486: The Sherry Triangle , an area in the province of Cádiz between Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda , and El Puerto de Santa María . In 1933 the Jerez denominación de origen was the first Spanish denominación to be officially recognised in this way, officially named D.O. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry and sharing the same governing council as D.O. Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda . After fermentation
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#17328014728311276-462: The Welsh educational system . English "was perceived as the language of progress, equality, prosperity, mass entertainment and pleasure". This and other administrative reforms resulted in the institutional and cultural dominance of English and marginalisation of Welsh, especially in the more urban south and north-east of Wales. In 2022, the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities warned that
1334-649: The bung hole , withdraws a measure of sherry which is then ceremoniously poured from a head height into a copita held in the other hand. Various types are often mixed with lemonade (and usually ice). This long drink is now called Rebujito . A similar drink in the Victorian era was the sherry cobbler , shaken and served over shaved ice. Many literary figures have written about sherry, including William Shakespeare , Benito Pérez Galdós , and Edgar Allan Poe (in his story " The Cask of Amontillado "). Brothers Frasier and Niles Crane frequently consume sherry on
1392-409: The mitad y mitad is mixed with the younger sherry to the proper proportions. This two-stage procedure is performed so the strong alcohol will not shock the young sherry and spoil it. The fortified wine is stored in 500-litre casks made of North American oak , which is more porous than French or Spanish oak. The casks, or butts , are filled five-sixths full, leaving "the space of two fists" empty at
1450-403: The segunda yema , will be used for Oloroso; the product of additional pressings is used for lesser wines, distillation, and vinegar . The must is then fermented in stainless steel vats until the end of November, producing a dry white wine with 11–12 per cent alcohol content. Previously, the fermentation and initial aging were done in wood; now it is almost exclusively done in stainless steel, with
1508-503: The Boat People': Dr MacClintock, the slow-speaking, Edinburgh-bred quack to whom my wife, Hilda turns in times of sickness, took a generous gulp of the sherry she always pours him when he visits our mansion flat, (It's lucky that all his N.H.S. patients aren't so generous or the sick of Gloucester Road would be tended by a reeling medico, yellow about the gills and sloshed on amontillado.) The historic sherry cellars have given rise to
1566-564: The British Isles became increasingly anglicised. Firstly, the ruling classes of England, who were of Norman origin after the Norman Conquest of 1066, became anglicised as their separate Norman identity, different from the identity of the native Anglo-Saxons , became replaced with a single English national identity . Secondly, English communities in Wales and Ireland emphasised their English identities, which became established through
1624-601: The Channel Islands and Britain, but also provide economic prosperity and improved "general happiness". During the 19th century, there was concern over the practise of sending young Channel Islanders to France for education, as they might have brought back French culture and viewpoints back to the Islands. The upper class in the Channel Islands supported anglicising the Islands, due to the social and economic benefits it would bring. Anglophiles such as John Le Couteur strove to introduce English culture to Jersey . Anglicisation
1682-543: The Channel Islands's culture becoming mostly anglicised, which supplanted the traditional Norman-based culture of the Islands. From 1912, the educational system of the Channel Islands was delivered solely in English, following the norms of the English educational system . Anglicisation was supported by the British government , and it was suggested that anglicisation would not only encourage loyalty and congeniality between
1740-539: The EU must come from the triangular area of the province of Cádiz between Jerez de la Frontera , Sanlúcar de Barrameda , and El Puerto de Santa María . However, the name "sherry" is used as a semi-generic in the United States where it must be labeled with a region of origin such as American sherry or California sherry. However, such wines cannot be exported to the EU. Both Canadian and Australian winemakers now use
1798-679: The Jerez cellars were founded by British families. In 1894 the Jerez region was devastated by the insect phylloxera . Whereas larger vineyards were replanted with resistant vines, most smaller producers were unable to fight the infestation and abandoned their vineyards entirely. On 12 April 2012, the rules applicable to the sweet and fortified Denominations of Origen Montilla-Moriles and Jerez-Xérès-Sherry were changed to prohibit terms such as "Rich Oloroso", "Sweet Oloroso" and "Oloroso Dulce". Such wines are to be labelled as "Cream Sherry: Blend of Oloroso / Amontillado" or suchlike. The classification by sweetness is: Spanish producers have registered
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1856-501: The TV sitcom Frasier . In the UK television show Yes Minister , Jim Hacker frequently drinks sherry with Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Woolley in his office. Sherry, and Amontillado specifically, is heavily featured in season 3, episode 10 of Monty Python's Flying Circus . Sherry is frequently mentioned in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy , and plays an important role in
1914-428: The categories of fino and oloroso . In American literature, Amontillado sherry features in the title of the short story " The Cask of Amontillado " (1846), by Edgar Allan Poe . An Amontillado sherry begins as a fino, fortified to approximately 15.5% alcohol with a cap of flor yeast limiting its exposure to the air. A cask of fino is considered to be amontillado if the layer of flor fails to develop adequately,
1972-481: The city of Shiraz in mid-southern Iran, but it is thought unlikely that the name derives from there. Wine production continued through five centuries of Muslim rule. In 966, Al-Hakam II , the second Caliph of Córdoba , ordered the destruction of the vineyards, but the inhabitants of Jerez appealed on the grounds that the vineyards also produced raisins to feed the empire's soldiers, and the Caliph spared two-thirds of
2030-584: The continued prominence of the Welsh language and customs within them. However, other scholars argue that industrialisation and urbanisation led to economic decline in rural Wales, and given that the country's large towns and cities were anglicised, this led to an overall anglicisation of the nation. The Elementary Education Act 1870 and the Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889 introduced compulsory English-language education into
2088-529: The cultural influence of the English language. It can also refer to the influence of English soft power , which includes media, cuisine, popular culture, technology, business practices, laws and political systems. Anglicisation first occurred in the British Isles , when Celts under the sovereignty of the king of England underwent a process of anglicisation. The Celtic language decline in England
2146-554: The emigration of Anglophones to Welsh-speaking villages and towns was putting the Welsh language at risk. During the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a nationwide effort in the United States to anglicise all immigrants to the US . This was carried out through methods including (but not limited to) mandating the teaching of American English and having all immigrants change their first names to English-sounding names. This movement
2204-445: The end of the series, only a portion of the final barrel is bottled and sold. Depending on the type of wine, the portion moved may be between five and thirty percent of each barrel. This process is called "running the scales" because each barrel in the series is called a scale. Thus, the age of the youngest wine going in the bottle is determined by the number of barrels in the series, and every bottle also contains some much older wine than
2262-454: The exception of one or two high-end wines. Immediately after fermentation, the wine is sampled and the first classification is performed. The casks are marked with the following symbols according to the potential of the wine: The sherry is fortified using destilado , made by distilling wine, usually from La Mancha . The distilled spirit is first mixed with mature sherry to make a 50/50 blend known as mitad y mitad (half and half), and then
2320-528: The land the English settled was not intensively used or densely populated. The culture of settling English populations in Wales and Ireland remained heavy influenced by that of England. These communities were also socially and culturally segregated from the native Irish and Welsh, a distinction which was reinforced by government legislation such as the Statutes of Kilkenny . During the Middle Ages , Wales
2378-431: The most fragile types of sherry and should usually be drunk soon after opening, in the same way as unfortified wines. In Spain, Finos are often sold in half bottles, with any remaining wine being thrown out if it is not drunk the same day it is opened. Amontillados and Olorosos will keep for longer, while sweeter versions such as PX, and blended cream sherries, are able to last several weeks or even months after opening since
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2436-532: The narrative: the spy Jim Prideaux is alerted to the presence of a double agent within his division when Russian KGB agents are able to correctly identify the brand of sherry that was consumed during a secret meeting of MI6 personnel. In John Mortimer's long-running Rumpole of the Bailey book and television series, Horace Rumpole continually complains about how various family doctors are served sherry by his wife Hilda when they visit. For example, in 'Rumpole and
2494-487: The official name of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, it is one of Spain's wine regions, a Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP). The word sherry is an anglicisation of Xérès (Jerez). Sherry was previously known as sack , from the Spanish saca , meaning "extraction" from the solera . In Europe, "sherry" has protected designation of origin status, and under Spanish law , all wine labelled as "sherry" must legally come from
2552-687: The power of the Welsh Tudor dynasty in the rest of England. Scholars have argued that industrialisation prevented Wales from being anglicised to the extent of Ireland and Scotland, as the majority of the Welsh people did not move abroad in search of employment during the early modern era, and thus did not have to learn to speak English. Furthermore, migration patterns created a cultural division of labour, with national migrants tending to work in coalfields or remain in rural villages, while non-national migrants were attracted to coastal towns and cities. This preserved monocultural Welsh communities, ensuring
2610-401: The production of sherry, but now there are only three white grapes grown for sherry-making: Sherry-style wines made in other countries often use other grape varieties. The Palomino grapes are harvested in early September, and pressed lightly to extract the must . The must from the first pressing, the primera yema , is used to produce Fino and Manzanilla; the must from the second pressing,
2668-563: The settlement of various parts of Wales and Ireland between the 11th and 17th centuries under the guidance of successive English kings. In Wales, this primarily occurred during the conquest of Wales by Edward I , which involved English and Flemish settlers being "planted" in various newly established settlements in Welsh territory. English settlers in Ireland mostly resided in the Pale , a small area concentrated around Dublin . However, much of
2726-427: The sherries that have been aged oxidatively may be stored for years without noticeable loss in flavour. Bottles should be stored upright to minimize the wine's exposed surface area. As with other wines, sherry should be stored in a cool, dark place. The best fino sherries, aged for longer than normal before bottling, such as Manzanilla Pasada, will continue to develop in the bottle for some years. Fino and Manzanilla are
2784-434: The sugar content acts as a preservative. Sherry is traditionally drunk from a copita (also referred to as a catavino ), a special tulip-shaped sherry glass. Sampling wine directly from a sherry butt may be performed with a characteristic flourish by a venenciador , named after the special cup (the venencia ) traditionally made of silver and fastened to a long whale whisker handle. The cup, narrow enough to pass through
2842-426: The term Apera instead of sherry, while consumers still use the term sherry. The Jerez district has a predictable climate, with approximately 70 days of rainfall and almost 300 days of sun per year. The rain mostly falls between the months of October and May, averaging 600 mm (24 in). The summer is dry and hot, with temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F), but winds from the ocean bring moisture to
2900-489: The three names Jerez / Xérès / sherry , and so may prosecute producers of similar fortified wines from other places using any of the same names. In 1933, Article 34 of the Spanish Estatuto del Vino (Wine Law) established the boundaries of sherry production as the first Spanish wine denominación . Today, sherry's official status is further recognized by wider EU legislation , under which "sherry" sold within
2958-426: The top to allow flor to develop on top of the wine. Sherry is then aged in the solera system where new wine is put into wine barrels at the beginning of a series of three to nine barrels. Periodically, a portion of the wine in a barrel is moved into the next barrel down, using tools called the canoa (canoe) and rociador (sprinkler) to move the wine gently and avoid damaging the layer of flor in each barrel. At
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#17328014728313016-507: The vineyards in the early morning and the clays in the soil retain water below the surface. The average temperature across the year is approximately 18 °C (64 °F). There are three types of soil in the Jerez district for growing the grapes for sherry: The albariza soil is the best for growing the Palomino grape, and by law, 40 percent of the grapes making up a sherry must come from albariza soil. The barros and arenas soil
3074-740: The vineyards. In 1264 Alfonso X of Castile took the city. From this point on, the production of sherry and its export throughout Europe increased significantly. By the end of the 16th century, sherry had a reputation in Europe as the world's finest wine. Christopher Columbus brought sherry on his voyage to the New World and when Ferdinand Magellan prepared to sail around the world in 1519, he spent more on sherry than on weapons. Sherry became very popular in Great Britain, especially after Francis Drake sacked Cadiz in 1587. At that time Cadiz
3132-589: Was an essential element in the development of British society and of the development of a unified British polity. Within the British Isles , anglicisation can be defined as influence of English culture in Scotland , Wales , Ireland , the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands . Until the 19th century, most significant period for anglicisation in those regions was the High Middle Ages . Between 1000 and 1300,
3190-700: Was gradually conquered by the English. The institutional anglicisation of Wales was finalised with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 , which fully incorporated Wales into the Kingdom of England . This not only institutionally anglicised Wales, but brought about the anglicisation of the Welsh culture and language. Motives for anglicising Wales included securing Protestant England against incursions from Catholic powers in Continental Europe and promoting
3248-650: Was known as Americanization and is considered a subset of Anglicization due to English being the dominant language in the United States. Linguistic anglicisation is the practice of modifying foreign words, names, and phrases to make them easier to spell, pronounce or understand in English . The term commonly refers to the respelling of foreign words, often to a more drastic degree than that implied in, for example, romanisation . Non-English words may be anglicised by changing their form and/or pronunciation to something more familiar to English speakers. Some foreign place names are commonly anglicised in English. Examples include
3306-565: Was mostly complete by 1000 AD, but continued in Cornwall and other regions until the 18th century. In Scotland , the decline of Scottish Gaelic began during the reign of Malcolm III of Scotland to the point where by the mid-14th century the Scots language was the dominant national language among the Scottish people . In Wales , however, the Welsh language has continued to be spoken by
3364-490: Was one of the most important Spanish seaports, and Spain was preparing an armada there to invade England. Among the spoils Drake brought back after destroying the fleet were 2,900 barrels of sherry that had been waiting to be loaded aboard Spanish ships. This helped popularize sherry in the British Isles. Because sherry was a major wine export to the United Kingdom, many English companies and styles developed. Many of
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