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Amontillado can be produced in several different manners. A fino amontillado is a wine that has begun the transformation from a fino to an amontillado, but has not been aged long enough to complete the process. Amontillado del puerto is an amontillado made in El Puerto de Santa María. Naturally dry, they are sometimes sold lightly to medium sweetened but these can no longer be labelled as amontillado. On 12 April 2012, the rules applicable to the sweet and fortified denominations of origin Montilla-Moriles and Jerez-Xérès-Sherry were changed to prohibit sweet amontillado. They have to be labelled as Medium Sherry: Blend of Amontillado or suchlike.
The classification by sweetness is:
| Fortified Wine Type | Alcohol % ABV | Sugar content (grams per litre) |
|---|---|---|
| Amontillado | 16–17 | 0–5 |
| Medium | 15–22 | 5–115 |
Serving
Amontillado is usually served slightly chilled, and may be served either as an apéritif, or as an accompaniment to food such as chicken or rabbit. Classically it was served with a fine, or thin, soup, such as a beef consommé.
Storing
Due to its oxidative ageing and preparation, amontillado is more stable than fino and may be stored for a few years before opening. After opening, it can be kept for up to two weeks, if corked and refrigerated.
In popular culture
Amontillado is known outside of wine circles almost solely for its use in the title of Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado": Fortunato, connoisseur in wine, exclaims in disapproval "Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from sherry."
It is also used in works such as Isak Dinesen's Babette's Feast and Ben Bova's Grand Tour novel series.
In Lincoln Child's and Preston Douglass novel Cold Vengeance, Special Agent Pendergast enjoys amontillado while pondering his next move, at his Louisiana mansion, Penumbra.
In the animated comedy Archer, when Mallory Archer believes her resident scientist, Dr. Krieger, has kidnapped her granddaughter, she threatens to shoot him and watch him die while drinking amontillado.
In the "Fathers and Sons" episode of the American television series Frasier, Frasier Crane comments that he is fond of an "Andalusian amontillado."
In the " Twilight Zone" season five episode "The Jeopardy Room", a Russian defector is invited to drink Amontillado by his Russian pursuer.
References
- PLIEGO DE CONDICIONES DE LA DENOMINACIÓN DE ORIGEN «JEREZ-XÉRÈS-SHERRY»
- "Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía (BOJA)" (PDF). 12 April 2012. p. 52.
- How long can you store / drink a bottle of sherry?
- Poe, Edgar (1846). "The Cask of Amontillado". Godey's Lady's Book.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - Dinesen, Isak (1958). Anecdotes of Destiny. New York: Random House.
- Bova, Ben (1992). Mars. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-07892-5.
- Bova, Ben (1992). Venus. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-8125-7940-2.
- Bova, Ben (1992). Mars Life. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-7653-1787-7.
- "Fathers and Sons". Frasier. Season 10. Episode 22. 6 May 2003. NBC.