Many of you know about my infatuation with sherry. In fact, my love for dry sherry was the driving force behind Not Your Grandmother’s Sherry—Delicious Food Pairings with Dry Sherry, an article that won me a “pinch me, I’m dreaming” trip to Bordeaux hosted by the Millesima Blog Awards. The article focused on how perfectly dry sherry goes with everything—I’m talking Lays potato chips as well as fresh-off-the-boat sashimi.

An especially fascinating type of dry sherry is called en rama, a style I gravitate towards whenever I spot it on a wine list or a store’s shelf. The term “en rama” translates to “on the branch,” and denotes a sherry in its raw, most delicate state. These sherries are bottled straight from the cask, unfined and unfiltered. Drinking one is akin to imbibing directly from the barrel itself.

The Story

The en rama category is a fairly new development which came about as a reaction to the commercialization of sherry in the 1970s and ‘80s. During that time, dry fino and manzanilla sherries (the lightest, freshest styles) were standardized by being aggressively clarified to make them lighter in color and lower in alcohol.

In 1999, Bodegas Barbadillo, wanting to return to the old, pre-1970s style, released the first of its En Rama wine, a manzanilla. It was unfiltered, and therefore rounder and more complex. By the early 2000s, several sherry producers followed suit and the en rama category was born.

But it wasn’t until 2010 that the wine became known outside of Spain. In Decanter magazine, Sarah Jane Evans, MW, says that it was Gonzalez Byass winery, whose 2010 introduction to the market of its Tío Pepe Fino en Rama, that created a worldwide market for en rama wines.

Heading South in Spain

I became a fan of the en rama sherry during a visit to Jerez, Spain in 2015 where I visited several producers, including Bodegas Gonzalez Byass. It was an enchanting experience walking through Gonzalez Byass’s maze of centuries-old barrel rooms, with their high vaulted-ceilings and scents of almonds and fresh bread dough wafting through the air. And my first taste of an en rama wine was, in fact, straight from the barrel of this historic winery.

The afternoon with head winemaker Antonio Flores—including spilling sherry on my shoes as I tried to pour wine from the barrel into a glass—was an experience I’ll long remember. (See my sorry attempt at learning the art of a venenciador here).

Antonio Flores holding a venecia, an instrument used to take a small amount of wine from a cask for tasting. — **Gonzalez Byass winemaker Antonio Flores holding a *venecia*, an instrument used to take a small amount of wine from a cask for tasting.**

Tio Pepe’s Fino en Rama is unfiltered and unclarified, except for the use of a metal mesh to collect any large material. The wine’s distinctive character is provided by the flor, a protective layer of yeast that develops naturally in the cellar. Like a blanket on top of the liquid in the barrel, flor prevents oxidation and keeps the wine fresh, while imparting enticing aromas and flavors of nuts, yeast, dough, dried flowers and olive brine.

**You can see my reflection at the left, taking the photo of a glass-sided barrel used to show the flor, which will grow thicker over time.**

Tio Pepe Fino en Rama is bottled during the spring when flor growth is at its thickest. At this time of year, the wine is showing off its beautiful golden color, along with heightened flavors that won’t be diluted by filtration.

“The wine is intense yet fragrant, delicate yet pungent,” says Flores. “Our century old bodega has once again offered up the best of its terroir to produce an en rama wine that is all about this living flor that we have the privilege to work with.”

And it certainly is a privilege to enjoy a refreshing glass of Fino en Rama, shown below, with an assortment of nuts, cheese and fruits. The wine is also fantastic with—no surprise—Spanish hams and olives, as well as lightly fried vegetables and seafood, and fresh shellfish: briny oysters, clams, and mussels.

Fino en Rama sherry can go beautifully with just about anything—potato chips and sashimi, anyone?

Note: This bone-dry wine should be served chilled like a white wine and refrigerated after opening, in the unlikely event that there is any left over!