Discover fortified wines

Fortified wines are the great unknown in the world of wine. Despite their rich and impressive nuances, these complex wines go very unnoticed.

While it is true that these special wines have a great presence in Andalusia, in the rest of the country they are still not very popular.

If you want to know what these real jewels are for our palate, we invite you to stay with us.

What are fortified wines?

Fortified wines are those to which a certain amount of alcohol is added, called a fortified wine. The initial aim was to increase the shelf life of these wines. They come from the Jerez, Montilla-Moriles, Condado de Huelva and Málaga designations of origin.

Although they are usually served very cold, it should be pointed out that, at fridge temperatures, these wines do not give the best of themselves, so it is preferable to drink them at temperatures ranging from 10-12 ºC so that they offer their best aroma and flavour.

Discover which are the fortified wines

Now let’s find out what the fortified wines are, let’s go!

Manzanilla

They are made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Thanks to its proximity to the sea, it has some very peculiar characteristics, such as a certain touch of saltiness. They are usually very dry and golden wines with notes of almonds. They are perfect for pairing with pickles, gazpachos, salmorejo, fried fish, etc.

Finos

They are produced in the Jerez and Montilla-Moriles areas through biological ageing. It has a unique pale golden colour. Like the previous ones, they are very dry wines with an almond aroma. They are perfect for tasting with cured sausages, especially Iberian ham, as well as seafood and fish.

Amontillados

On the other hand, we have the amontillados, wines that began their production process under biological aging and ended with oxidative. They are very dry, have a golden tone with amber hues. They offer balsamic aromas. They combine very well with cured and smoked cheeses, vegetables and pâtés.

Pedro Ximénez

These sweet wines are made from grapes of the same name. The grapes are subjected to a process of raisining in the sun in order to concentrate their sugar, hence their unique aroma of raisins. It is a wine that pairs perfectly with desserts, cheesecakes, almond cakes, chocolates and fruit compotes. It has also become very popular for preparing meat sauces.

Oloroso

These wines of oxidative aging have an amber color and notes of wood and raisins. This is a somewhat complex and unique wine that pairs perfectly with cured cheeses, cured sausages, game dishes, as well as with meat stews.

Palo cortado

This wine of oxidative aging is considered the best among the fortified wines. They are dry wines, with a mahogany tone and an aroma of wood and hazelnuts. It combines the characteristics of oloroso and amontadillo wines, which makes it an ideal wine for pairing with an infinite number of stews, especially meat ones.

Cream

Last but not least, we find the creams, a combination of the olorosos and the Pedro Ximénez, achieving a wine with a certain creamy texture and sweet flavor that is presented as a great option to pair with desserts.