Valdespino "Solera 1842" Oloroso Dulce VOS Sherry (1x50cl)

This is sherry from Jerez, not a table wine, and it comes in a 50cl bottle. Three things on the label are worth unpacking. Oloroso is a sherry style aged in contact with air rather than under a layer of flor, which is why it ends up darker and nuttier. "Dulce" tells you it has been sweetened rather than left bone dry. VOS is an official age designation, meaning the wine averages at least 20 years old.

And the 1842 is not a harvest year. A solera is a fractional-blending system where older and younger wine are continually mixed, so the date refers to when the solera was laid down. Serve it after dinner in small measures, lightly chilled — it is the kind of bottle that comes out at the end of a long meal, and it makes an unusual gift for someone who thinks they have tried everything.

Tasting notes

Sweetened oloroso usually shows dried fruit, walnut and caramel notes with a rich texture and a long, savoury-sweet finish.