Sherry Fino 'Puerto Fino' Emilio Lustau
Sherry “Puerto Fino” by Emilio Lustau winery is a dry fortified wine from Spain, born from Palomino grapes and aged according to the Solera Method in American oak barrels located in a port town, near to the sea. It smells like dried fruits, spices and sea water and the taste is dry, savory and very fresh
The “Puerto Fino” by Emilio Lustau is a renowned expression of Sherry Fino from Jerez de la Frontera, a Spanish fortified wine with a very dry taste and a fresh, briny character, so much so that it is labeled with a bilingual description as “muy seco - very dry.” Traditionally, it is served chilled as an aperitif, paired with snacks, appetizers, and tapas featuring cured meats or cheeses. Due to its dry and saline aromatic profile, it can also be excellently paired with seafood-based entrées, shellfish, sushi, and sashimi.
The Sherry Fino “Puerto Fino” owes its name to the uniqueness of the place where the aging takes place: the port town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, near Jerez de la Frontera, known by historians as the departure point chosen by Christopher Columbus for his second voyage to the Americas. Immersed in the humid and salt-laden climate of the Atlantic coast, this fortified wine is aged using the Solera Method in American oak barrels for an average of 5 years. The particular climatic conditions, the draining of the barrels, and the long aging time create the conditions for the formation and development of a layer of flor yeast on the surface of the wine, capable of protecting it from oxidation. This phenomenon is responsible for the typical aromas of walnut husk, spices, and dried fruit that characterize this label.
The “Puerto Fino” by Emilio Lustau is a classic and well-crafted interpretation of Sherry Fino, able to enhance and make known to the general public the potential of the type and the particular aging with flor yeast in a maritime port context. The result is surprising and deeply identity-forming: aromas of dried and toasted fruit, spices, and walnut husk intertwine with marine and briny nuances, with subtle hints of dried chamomile flowers and light traces of citrus. The sip is dry, clear, decisive, and incisive, animated by freshness and minerality. It is rightly defined on the label as “very dry,” and this is its strength, the quality that allows it to accompany and enhance many dishes based on fish, seafood, cheeses, or cured meats.