Osborne Sherry Golden is a rich, full-bodied, spicy-sweet sherry.
The world-famous wine owes its name to the Andalusian city of Jerez, which eventually became "Sherry" in English. The grapes grow on white limestone soils, called "Albarizas," in a triangle between the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
After pressing and fermentation in modern stainless steel tanks and the addition of wine alcohol up to an alcohol content of approx. 15% vol, the traditional aging of the wines begins in approx. 600-liter wooden barrels, the "butts." These are only two-thirds full, and a protective layer of yeast, called "flor," quickly forms on the wine, which protects the young wine from oxidation and is crucial for the formation of the Sherry-typical aromas.
During storage according to the so-called "Solera system," the barrels are continuously topped up with wine from younger vintages after about a third has been removed from beneath the protective yeast layer. In this way, the best wines pass through many rows of barrels over several years. At the same time, a consistently uniform end product is created through the constant blending of old and younger wine.
A portion of the young wines is prevented from further fermentation early on by the addition of wine alcohol. This results in sweet wines for the production of semi-dry and sweet Sherry variants through blending. Another portion is allowed to ferment completely and is stored after the addition of wine alcohol at about 18% vol, so that no "flor" of yeast can form. These wines oxidize during barrel aging into dark-gold, dry "Amontillados" or "Olorosos" and thus contribute to the great variety of Sherry styles by being mixed with one another.
