Main fortified wines:
Sherry
Port
Madeira
Tonight we will start with Sherry, these are fortified wines from the Sherry region of spain.
Some main categories I will mention in advance are body and dry-sweet scale.
Body, which is subdivided in Light, (Medium-Light), Medium, (Medium-Full), Full. These body ratings define how heavy and strong the flavor is. The stronger and more overpowering, the more full the wine is.
Dry-Sweet scale, which is subdivided in very dry, dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and very sweet. These define how much sugar is left in the wine after fermentation. The drier wines tend to pull more on your cheeks, and the sweeter wines tend to feel more syrup-like.
Tio Pepe Fino Muy Seco (Very Dry Wine) Extra Dry. Palomino fino. Made with the palomino grape, a high sugar, low acidity grape.
Reviews:
Lobster: This wine is a nice pale golden yellow, there is no sediment. very fast trails, on the nose it has very vague notes of caramel with some general tree fruits dominating it. On the tongue it is quite nutty, with some almost honey like aspects to it. It lingers around for about 5 or so seconds, It is not very acidic at all. Quite decent for a dry wine.
Partner: Very light gold colour. Clear, no debris. Closest thing I can describe the scent as is spirit gum. Tastes nutty and woodsey. Aftertaste of caramel.
Friend1: It's a nice pale golden colour. Fast trails. The scent gives me apple, caramel, and a vague sense of banana. The flavour is nutty and woodsy, with an aftertaste of caramel.
Friend2: A golden yellow look, this wine is lost, it has hints of apples and of caramel. The taste does not keep those hints and It instead tasted very nutty.
Reviews:
Lobster: This wine is a nice pale golden yellow, there is no sediment. very fast trails, on the nose it has very vague notes of caramel with some general tree fruits dominating it. On the tongue it is quite nutty, with some almost honey like aspects to it. It lingers around for about 5 or so seconds, It is not very acidic at all. Quite decent for a dry wine.
Partner: Very light gold colour. Clear, no debris. Closest thing I can describe the scent as is spirit gum. Tastes nutty and woodsey. Aftertaste of caramel.
Friend1: It's a nice pale golden colour. Fast trails. The scent gives me apple, caramel, and a vague sense of banana. The flavour is nutty and woodsy, with an aftertaste of caramel.
Friend2: A golden yellow look, this wine is lost, it has hints of apples and of caramel. The taste does not keep those hints and It instead tasted very nutty.
Gonzalez Byass San Domingo Pale Cream Sherry. This is a Sherry mixed with muscatel grape musk (The juice of a very sweet, high sugar, grape variety)
Reviews:
Lobster: golden color debris free wine with medium trails. On the nose I get notes of some sweet caramel-nuttyness, with maybe some banana hidden way in the back? It tastes fruity with some acidic honey to caramel flavors washing in after the fact, before melting away in a nutty honey in the back of the mouth. it lingers for about 15 seconds after putting down the drink, and finishes medium-light.
Partner: Bright gold colour, notes of dried fruit on the nose. Fruity, like a caramelized strawberry flavor. Sweet aftertaste
Friend1: Nice golden colour. It had nice, medium trails. On the nose I get nice notes of some dried fruits, with some nice woodyness. It tastes fruity, with some nice sweet caramel and nutty flavours. I also detect some banana and honey deeper down.
Friend2: This wine has a golden shine and smells with hints of nuts and some sweets. It tastes like honey and a sweet caramel like taste with a nutty aftertaste.
Reviews:
Lobster: golden color debris free wine with medium trails. On the nose I get notes of some sweet caramel-nuttyness, with maybe some banana hidden way in the back? It tastes fruity with some acidic honey to caramel flavors washing in after the fact, before melting away in a nutty honey in the back of the mouth. it lingers for about 15 seconds after putting down the drink, and finishes medium-light.
Partner: Bright gold colour, notes of dried fruit on the nose. Fruity, like a caramelized strawberry flavor. Sweet aftertaste
Friend1: Nice golden colour. It had nice, medium trails. On the nose I get nice notes of some dried fruits, with some nice woodyness. It tastes fruity, with some nice sweet caramel and nutty flavours. I also detect some banana and honey deeper down.
Friend2: This wine has a golden shine and smells with hints of nuts and some sweets. It tastes like honey and a sweet caramel like taste with a nutty aftertaste.
Vina AB Gonzalez Byass Jerex. Amontillado Fino. A lighter sherry made using Palomino grapes aged in two different ways, first under a veil of flor (A layer of wine yeast), and secondly without any protective layer, allowing it to start oxidising.
Reviews
Lobster: golden-orange-amber color, no sediment. Slow trails. Sweet hazelnut notes on the nose. tastes a bit watery, some sweets, some sours, some warmth. can not quite pinpoint what i am tasting. light body, lasts quite short.
Partner: Amber colour, smells nutty and also slightly like melon. Overall very faint scent. Tastes acidic and woodsy. Warm aftertaste, with a hint of ammonia, would not reccomend
Reviews
Lobster: golden-orange-amber color, no sediment. Slow trails. Sweet hazelnut notes on the nose. tastes a bit watery, some sweets, some sours, some warmth. can not quite pinpoint what i am tasting. light body, lasts quite short.
Partner: Amber colour, smells nutty and also slightly like melon. Overall very faint scent. Tastes acidic and woodsy. Warm aftertaste, with a hint of ammonia, would not reccomend
Alfonso Gonzalez Byass Jerex. Oloroso Seco. Once again a Sherry made using Palomino grapes, however this time without being aged under a veil of flor. It is fermented and then aged in a barrel with added alcohol to allow it to oxidize.
Reviews
Lobster: dark orange amber, slow trails, minor sediment. sweet on the nose, caramel-honey-date notes. a bit on the dry side,it is quite fruity. some berries, but like early in the season, not-quite ripe berries. medium body and lingers a little bit.
Partner: Dark amber, quite a bit of sediment. On the nose it's nutty with a hint of dates and orange. Tastes like caramel. Aftertaste of hazelnut.
Reviews
Lobster: dark orange amber, slow trails, minor sediment. sweet on the nose, caramel-honey-date notes. a bit on the dry side,it is quite fruity. some berries, but like early in the season, not-quite ripe berries. medium body and lingers a little bit.
Partner: Dark amber, quite a bit of sediment. On the nose it's nutty with a hint of dates and orange. Tastes like caramel. Aftertaste of hazelnut.
Nectar Gonzalez Byass Jerex. Nectar Cream. This is an Olorso Sherry with Pedro Xeminez grape musk added to it. An intensely sweet grape variety.
Reviews
Lobster: orange tawny brown with very minor sediment. very slow trails. very warm caramel on the nose with maybe some tropical fruits to sweeten it up some more. very sweet berries. grapes, and raisins. medium-full body, 15 seconds or so lasting. no acidity.
Partner: Warm golden brown colour, very light sediment. Smells like hazelnut and grape. Tastes fruity, like raisin, sweet nutty aftertaste.
Reviews
Lobster: orange tawny brown with very minor sediment. very slow trails. very warm caramel on the nose with maybe some tropical fruits to sweeten it up some more. very sweet berries. grapes, and raisins. medium-full body, 15 seconds or so lasting. no acidity.
Partner: Warm golden brown colour, very light sediment. Smells like hazelnut and grape. Tastes fruity, like raisin, sweet nutty aftertaste.
Solera 1847 Gonzalez Byass Jerex. Oloroso Dulce. This is an even sweeter, and more intense version of the Nectar Cream sherry.
Reviews
Lobster: dark brown-red. no sediment, medium-slow trails. Sweet raisin sorbet with blended date syrup notes. very sweet, mild acidity. very full, very sweet drink. fruity caramels. lasts a bloody long time.
Partner: Dark reddish brown, smells like caramelised berries, warm and sweet. Notes of chocolate and raisin. Very tasty
Reviews
Lobster: dark brown-red. no sediment, medium-slow trails. Sweet raisin sorbet with blended date syrup notes. very sweet, mild acidity. very full, very sweet drink. fruity caramels. lasts a bloody long time.
Partner: Dark reddish brown, smells like caramelised berries, warm and sweet. Notes of chocolate and raisin. Very tasty
A 10 year barrel-aged Late Bottled Vintage from 1998 (Grahams port). This bottle is a grape harvest from 1988 left to age in a barrel for a decade to achieve an incredibly complex flavor.
A Late Bottled Vintage from 1998 (Grahams port). This is a grape harvest from 1993 left to age in a barrel for five years before being bottled and sent out as a slightly better wine than the regular market tawny port.
A Late Bottled Vintage from 1984 (Grahams port). This is a grape harvest from 1979 left to age in a barrel for five years before being bottled and sent out as a slightly better wine than the regular market tawny port.
Sheperd's Red Port. I have no clue what this is, but it is neat, and should hopefully be interesting. Google did not aid me either.
Graham's extra dry port. A very low sugar port.
Smith Woodhouse Porto Fine Tawny Port
Sandeman Cream Sherry.
Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry. A complex blend of different sherry's including Pedro Ximenez and Muscatol Musk. It was aimed for the British market back in the 1790s and has since turned into an inconic wine.
Mystery Sherry.
Rosa Gonzalez Byass Jerex. Medium Amontillado Sherry.
Pineau des charentes MENUET. The french spin on fortified wine, made using grape musk (Grape juice) and Cognac, about 60% juice to 40% Cognac.
Moscatel, a muscat wine from the millenia old muscat grape variety (The same one Muscatol Musk is made from). This wie was also drank by the ancienty greeks and romans. It is intensely sweet.
Pavao Madeira. A cheap madeira wine. Madeira is a small portuguese island with a unique and complex, long lasting wine history. These winnes used to travel with ships on long journeys so that sailors could always have access to a nice, unspoilt wine.
Review aid: Note down the color and whether there are physical particles in the wine.
Swirl around the glass, note down the color and the trails (How fast the wine drips back down).
Take a deep sniff with your nose and note down what you smell. (Berry, Citrus, Dried Fruits, Tree fruits, Earthy, Woody, Spicy, Caramel, Floral, Vegetal, Animal, Nutty, Pungent, Oxidized, Chemical, Yeasty)
Take a sip and swish it back and forth in your mouth, swallow it, and wait. Take a second sip straight. Note down how it tastes (Berry, Citrus, Dried Fruits, Tree fruits, Earthy, Woody, Spicy, Caramel, Floral, Vegetal, Animal, Nutty, Pungent, Oxidized, Chemical, Yeasty)
Note down the texture, Body, Length of finish, and acidity.
Give the wine a grade between 50 (Godawful) and 100 (Best wine ever).
Now you, too, can be an obnoxiois wine snob.
Swirl around the glass, note down the color and the trails (How fast the wine drips back down).
Take a deep sniff with your nose and note down what you smell. (Berry, Citrus, Dried Fruits, Tree fruits, Earthy, Woody, Spicy, Caramel, Floral, Vegetal, Animal, Nutty, Pungent, Oxidized, Chemical, Yeasty)
Take a sip and swish it back and forth in your mouth, swallow it, and wait. Take a second sip straight. Note down how it tastes (Berry, Citrus, Dried Fruits, Tree fruits, Earthy, Woody, Spicy, Caramel, Floral, Vegetal, Animal, Nutty, Pungent, Oxidized, Chemical, Yeasty)
Note down the texture, Body, Length of finish, and acidity.
Give the wine a grade between 50 (Godawful) and 100 (Best wine ever).
Now you, too, can be an obnoxiois wine snob.