While I was looking through photos of past wine trips, I came across pictures of the Andalucia region in southern Spain.  This is where you’ll find the “Sherry Triangle,” not to be confused with the Bermuda Triangle!

Three places that sherry is produced to make up the “triangle” are Sanlucar de Barrameda and Puerto de Santa Marie, on the coast, and Jerez, which is inland.

I was intrigued by the mystical winemaking term flor that is essential in the making of certain types of sherry.

Flor is a film of yeast on the surface of the wine that acts as a cover to seal out air in the barrels, avoiding infection by bacteria and yeasts that tend to spoil it.  The barrels are filled only 5/6 full of
young wine to deliberately allow room for flor development.  This yeast development gives the wine a distinctive fresh taste with residual flavors of fresh bread!  Depending on the development of the wine, it may be aged entirely under the veil of flor to produce a fino sherry, or manzanilla sherry, or it may be fortified to limit the growth of flor, allowing it to oxidize, producing an amontillado or oloroso sherry.

A demonstration of serving sherry directly from the barrel with a “venencia” was one of the trip's
highlights.  I bought a venencia to take home with me.  Unfortunately, even after years of practice I still can’t get the sherry to fill the glass!

VENENCIA:  A cup attached to a long handle which is thrust into a small hole in the barrel of sherry and then lifted above the head and poured into the small glass.  Harder than you think!

Marie Griffin, Wine Supervisor, North-west Florida

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinemarieg