When you think of having a glass of Sherry, you may have images of your grandparents sipping out of tiny little glasses late at night. I distinctly remember my grandmother having a glass of Sherry before bed for "medicinal" purposes. She claimed it cured her arthritis as well as giving her a good night's sleep. Sometimes she wouldn't finish her glass and I would breathe in the last drops of the nutty-smelling alcohol. It was a warm smell that I would later catch on my grandmothers breath as she kissed me goodnight. Sherry is a wonderful after dinner drink, or as my grandparents enjoyed it, a nice way to end a day before bed.

The two predominant types of Sherry are Fino (very dry with a lighter-body) and Oloroso (still dry, but much richer in both flavor and body). If the winemaker is going for Fino, alcohol is added (fortification) until it reaches just over 15%; however, if Oloroso is the goal then alcohol is added to reach an 18% alcohol content. Now the fun begins, while the wines remain in their casks they are permitted contact with air in the top portion of the cask. A layer of yeast, called "flor" forms a coating on the surface of the Sherry, keeping the wine from over oxidizing- these wines will become Finos as their lower alcohol content is what allows the yeast to grow in the first place. Olorosos on the other hand, do not support the growth of flor due to their higher alcohol content. Olorosos are permitted to oxidize intentionally, producing a darker, and richer wine, with more body than a Fino.

Sherry has a long history of serving the likes of Christopher Columbus to Shakespeare, and has recently been previewing new spotlights for its stellar value and food-friendly behavior in our modern world of wine.

"This is very old wine. I hope you will like it."

Count Dracula in Dracula (1931)