El Maestro Sierra Fino 37.5cl Sherry 2024

This is a characterful, assertive organic and vegan Fino from Bodega Maestro Sierra, from Jerez, Adalusia, Spain has more weight and complexity than many commercial examples - a true representation of artisan sherry-making. In brief, Fino uses fresh Palomino grapes, ferments dry, and ages under protective flor yeast rather than oxidatively, creating completely opposite styles. Fino sherry production steps in detail at note end if required.

Grape: 100% Palomino Fino

Alc;  fortified to 15%

The Fino is aged in a solera of six scales, quite a high number for Jerez. Aging time varies- between 4-6 years under flor.

Tasting: Appearance: Pale straw-yellow color, Nose: Wild yeast and pastry dough aromas with ocean brine. Aromas of sea salt, Marcona almonds, and pastry dough. Rich nose with intense flor, cashew and walnuts, hints of toasted pumpkin seeds, some ripe apple, and briney olive juice. Palate: Dry with delicious, delicate salinity, nutty notes, and a silky mouthfeel. Dense and full with bright fruit and a salty component.  Broader and more richly textured than most Finos or Manzanillas, with rounded, savoury aromas and flavours of nuttiness alongside tangy salinity with a spicy textured finish.

Serve well chilled

Food Pairings: Garlic flavoured savoury foods, salty nuts or dark chocolate. Also excellent with olives, almonds and dried sundried tomatoes.

The wine ages under a thick layer of flor - a naturally occurring film of yeast that forms on the surface of the wine in the barrel. Required for the wine to be stored at 15% alcohol (flor cannot survive at higher levels)The flor protects the wine from oxidation and gives Fino its characteristic dry, fresh, nutty character.

This fino wine is bottled straight off the lees with only minimal cold stabilization, giving it an almost en rama (unfiltered) character. El Maestro Sierra clearly mentions the date of bottling on the back label.

The bodega is one of the last still working entirely by hand without electric pumps, using traditional tools like the canoa, jarra, sifón, and rocíador to move wine. All coopering and barrel repair is done in-house with no new barrels used. The soleras at El Maestro Sierra are easily over 60 years old and some may be close to 100 years old.

Critic tasting note:-Guia Penin; "Colour: bright yellow. Nose: balanced, spicy, dried herbs, pungent. Palate: rich, full, fine bitter notes. " - 

Bodega history and background:

El Maestro Sierra was founded in 1830 by José Antonio Sierra, a master cooper who had originally operated a barrel-building business when sherry production was still dominated by wealthy aristocratic families. José Antonio Sierra overcame significant obstacles, and succeeded in establishing his winery and eventually becoming one of the most respected almacenistas (stockholders) of high-quality sherry in Jerez.

From 1976 until 2020, the bodega was protected by Doña Pilar Pla Pechovierto, who inherited the business after her husband's early death, resulting in her becoming one of the first women to run a Sherry house. Bodega Maestro Sierra obtained its first bottling permit for an almacenista house. Her decendents continue the tradition to this day.

Bodega Maestro have been buying their grapes from the same suppliers for many decades and these growers are known as having the best and oldest parcels within Jerez Superior.

Because the business moved slowly for decades, the stocks at El Maestro Sierra are among the oldest and most undisturbed in Jerez

The wines are all made in super old barrels, moved using manual siphoning, settled by time, bottled unfiltered and unsulphured. The labels feature a fox being chased by a hunt, which the bodega said represents Maestro Sierra who have been pursued by the larger sherry houses. Some of their practices (and the resulting wines) sit outside the normal rules for sherry, but the Consejo Regulador recognises the unique nature of the wines and grants them exceptions.Genuine treasures of the wine world. Available also in half bottles/35cl of the classic range of Amontillado and PX;whilst the Amoroso is available in 75cl bottle size.

Maestro Sierra Fino Sherry - Production Steps

1. Grape Harvest

100% Palomino Fino grapes are harvested in early autumn from vineyards in the Jerez region, picked when ripe but not overripe to maintain acidity.

2. Pressing & Fermentation

The grapes are pressed and the juice ferments completely to dryness (all sugars converted to alcohol), producing a dry white wine of around 11-12% alcohol.

3. Classification

After fermentation, the young wines are evaluated and classified. The lightest, most delicate wines are selected for Fino production and marked for biological aging.

4. Fortification

The wine is fortified with grape spirit to exactly 15% alcohol - this precise level is crucial because:

• It's strong enough to preserve the wine
• It's weak enough to allow flor yeast to survive and thrive

5. Flor Development

Once in barrel, a thick layer of flor (a film of native yeast) naturally forms on the wine's surface. This living layer:

• Protects wine from oxygen contact
• Feeds on glycerol and residual sugars
• Creates the characteristic dry, nutty, tangy flavors
• Requires cool, humid conditions to survive

6. Solera Aging

At Maestro Sierra, the Fino enters a solera system with 6 scales (rows of barrels):

• Solera (bottom row): oldest wine, ready for bottling
• 1st-6th Criaderas (upper rows): progressively younger wines

The process:

• A portion is drawn from the solera for bottling
• It's replenished from the 1st criadera above
• Each criadera is replenished from the one above it
• Fresh wine enters the top (6th) criadera

This creates continuous blending and consistency while maintaining average age.

7. Manual Handling

At Maestro Sierra specifically:

• No electric pumps are used - all traditional and done by hand
• Wine is moved using traditional tools: canoa (canoe-shaped pourer), jarra (pitcher), sifón (siphon), rocíador (sprayer)
• This gentle handling preserves the flor and wine quality

8. Aging Duration

The wine ages under flor for approximately 4-6 years in total through the solera system, developing complexity while maintaining freshness.

9. Bottling

• Wine is drawn from the solera (oldest barrels)
• Minimal filtration - bottled almost en rama (straight from the cask with minimal intervention)
• Bottled with only light cold stabilization to preserve character
• Bottling date marked on back label so consumers know freshness

10. Result

A pale, bone-dry sherry at 15% alcohol with:

• Fresh, yeasty aromas
• Salty, nutty flavors (almonds, walnuts)
• Crisp acidity
• Delicate yet complex character