Barbadillio Dry Oloroso Sherry

I'm as ignorant as most Americans about Sherry. But I am learning. When I ordered a glass of Manzanilla Sherry at a restaurant in Spain, the waiter cautioned me that "the wine will not be sweet." In fact, many wines with Sherry on the label sold in the United States are sweet and bear no resemblance to the wines of Jerez (or Sherry), some of which are sweet and others, like this wine, very dry.

Oloroso means aromatic, and this wine is richly scented, a result of long aging under oxidative conditions. Walnuts, hazelnuts, toffee and orange peel. I love the complexity and richness. Similarly rich on the tongue and very smooth. It's lovely on its own but also good to accompany a wide variety of dishes. Tonight, it matches up well with a dish containing roasted vegetables (Brussels sprouts, onions, potatoes), bratwurst, walnuts and almonds in a sauce of Dijon  mustard and honey. Oh yes, a cascade of flavors and smells in the food and in the wine.

I paid $12.99 for this bottle of dry OIoroso. If I had paid three times that much, I would not have felt cheated.