Sherries – darker and richer

Following on from Jancis’ recent Pale, dry sherry – which is best? come the notes below from a recent gathering of Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez wines. They were all from the upper echelons of sherry classification, being either at least 15 years old, 20 years old (aka VOS), 30 years old (VORS), a given single vintage (Añada) or from particularly ancient and cherished stock, known as Reliquia.

The quality was generally very high, as you might expect. The best category for me on the day were the Olorosos, especially those which had a little balancing sweetness to give...