As you like it. Medium Sweet Sherry.

(Traducción para International Sherry Week 2014 del post  publicado el 26 de Marzo de 2013)
http://devinosque.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/as-you-like-it-medium-sweet-sherryun.html

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As You Like It Medium Sweet: A sweet amontillado?

Type: Medium Sweet Amontillado Blend

20.5% ABV

Williams & Humbert cellars

D.O. Jerez

Last week, I was invited to a sampling of Champagne-Sherry that was celebrated in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the "Palacio Ducal de los Duques de Medina Sidonia" (Ducal Palace of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia). The event focused on six champagne producers with six emblematic cellars of "Marco de Jerez", plus one from Montilla-Moriles:  excellent champagnes, excellent wines from "Marco de Jerez", relics and wines that you don't see every day.

One of the curiosities that we had the fortune to taste was this "As You Like It" from Williams & Humbert cellars; a true rarity that was kept in these old cellars of Jerez. It's a sweet Amontillado of more than 30 years maturation. The brand is registered by Williams & Humbert, and it hadn't been bottled until some months ago.

According to journalist Pepe Ferrer, (@FerrerPepe) in the beginning of the 20th century it was common for English families that lived in Jerez, especially for women, to add some sugar to those extremely dry Amontillados, which were difficult to drink for those who weren't used to them. The question was "how much sugar?"... and the answer: "as you like it."Back in the day, the cellar put aside some 27 wine skins of Amontillado to make a blend, and they almost forgot about it.It's a wine with great complexity, due to the addition of the 30-year-old Amontillado's expressiveness, richness of sweet notes, notes of burnt caramel, and vanilla... the result is a complete wine. It has a very noticeable 20.5% alcohol level  - I won't deny it - but it's well integrated.

Only 2,400 bottles from this harvest have seen the light of day.

It's a difficult wine to label nowadays, since the mixed wines, the famous "creams", tend to be made with "olorosos" and not Amontillados, but everything is possible and has already been done in the world of sherry...