Amontillado

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 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, 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 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.