Sherry is a fortified wine made by adding grape spirits after
ferementation. The name sherry comes from the English attempt to
say Jerez, the southwest coastal region of Spain where Sherry is
made. Sherry comes in two basic styles, fino and olorosso. The
fino style is pale colored, crisp and dry, while olorosso is
much darker and nuttier, and can range from dry to sweet. The
primary grape involved in sherry is Palomino, which now
represents about 95% of the plantings in Jerez. It grows
particularly well on the famous white, porous albariza soil
found there. The differing factor in fino and olorosso is their
exposure to oxygen. A fino sees no oxygen during and after
fermentation since a layer of yeasty foam, called flor
(pronounced floor), forms on the surface of the wine. When flor
develops, it protects the fermenting wine from any oxygen.
Olorosso, however, is purposefully prevented from developing a
layer of flor, thus allowing oxygen to mix with the wine.
Exposure to oxygen gives olorosso style Sherry it's