On the Sherry trail article series introduces the noble and historic wine, sherry, and the three cities where it is produced. Not forgetting tasting or buying tips. Join us on a journey into the rich world of sherry.
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The warmest cellars in the Sherry Triangle
El Puerto de Santa Maria is the southernmost tip of the Sherry Triangle, just over ten kilometers northeast of Cadiz, the region’s capital. Being on the Atlantic coast, its climate is as humid as Sanlucar de Barrameda, but El Puerto is almost at sea level, so it’s even a couple of degrees warmer in the cellars than other sherry towns.
The little extra heat gives El Puerto sherry its characteristic fruity roundness. This is very noticeable in their Fino. They are rounded and easy to enjoy, quite the opposite of what Jerez likes to do. My host, Ivan Llanza from Osborne, tells me that there is an old saying: “Manzanilla from Sanlucar, Fino El Puerto and Oloroso from Jerez!”
History of Osborne
Thomas Osborne Mann founded the cellar in 1772. His genius was to serve sherry to royalty across Europe. The blue-bloods took the brand on board and soon Osborne’s brand had a royal stamp attached to it. And who among the normal bunch wouldn’t want to live like a king – even for a day? Osborne quickly bought more space in a part of town known as El Puerto de Santa Maria sherry port, and today there are a few blocks of halls and basements!
Osborne is a €250 million a year family business and it’s clear that you don’t make that money on sherry and brandy alone. The company’s tentacles are spread across Rioja wines, Montecillo being a good example, and Rueda and Ribera del Duero under the Señorio del Cid brand.
There are 17 restaurants in Osborne and products such as olive oil and the popular Cinco Jotas ham are produced on the farm. Abroad, Osborne owns vodka brands in Russia and Poland. In addition to these, it produces gin, anise, rum and even energy drinks.
Osborne’s Bullseye would be the horror of the day
Originally made in 1956 for the Veterano brandy, the bull symbol is very familiar throughout Spain. Driving by car, you can’t help but notice the black 14-metre silhouette standing majestically on the tops of the hills. There are currently 90 bulls, mostly in Andalusia, but there are also a few from as far away as Mexico and mysteriously one in Copenhagen ( a long story).
Antique wine, new patterns
Ivan tells us that they were thinking hard about how to introduce young people to sherry (there would be some chewing on Days in this sentence too). So they’ve been working with bartenders to develop sherry drinks. Here’s one of them:
Mojito del Sur
- ice in the bottom of a ball glass
- juice of half a lemon
- a few mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- a few drops of angostura (or replace with orange peel)
- a splash of Seven up or Sprite
- a generous splash of medium or semi-dry sherry
Osborne wine tasting
Fino Quinta
Rich and bready on the nose. Very interesting. Subtle citrus and gunpowder. Balanced, fresh and soft on the palate. Pleasant and really good Fino.
Bailen Oloroso
Dried fruit and almond on the nose. Elegant. Intense flavor. A touch of raisins. Long and spicy aftertaste.
10RF medium
Flavor with a full and rich nutty aroma. Liqueur and coffee. Semi-dry, smooth and easy wine.
Santa Maria Cream
A restrained nose of raisin and flowers. Sweet, broad and uncomplicated Cream.
Pedro Ximenez 1827
Sweet plum and coffee on the nose. Sweet, long and smoothly aromatic PX.
Other articles on the Sherry Trail
Manzanilla – Sanlucar de Barrameda
Text and photos: Janne Suomi
Last Updated on February 21, 2023 by Flavorado
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