Two Bottles of Amontillado

“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” —Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado”

Do you remember the Edgar Allan Poe short story where the vengeful narrator, promising a sample of his newly acquired cask of Amontillado, lures his victim into the dank catacombs and entombs him behind a brick wall? It is a very succinct story that epitomizes the darkest side of Poe. I love this story and include it in the survey of American literature course I sometimes teach, and this last week marked its inclusion on my reading schedule. Furthermore, it also marked that time of year when I actually go out and purchase a bottle of Amontillado for myself.

Based on its availability, I do not suspect many people regularly enjoy Amontillados in the Fargo-Moorhead area, but I thought I would use this opportunity to perhaps satisfy any curiosities as to what makes this kind of wine so enjoyable that it is worth being entombed alive for.

Amontillado is actually a kind of sherry that ranges between two ends of the spectrum; Fino marks the lighter, younger varieties and Oloroso the darker, aged varieties. Amontillados fall somewhere in between. However, a true amontillado is more than an age and color distinction.

With the combination of flor yeast and fortification at various stages in the aging process, Amontillados are a style of sherry that, with the help of oxidization through porous oak casks, develops into a kind of wine that is nearly twice the alcohol content and tastes nothing like what most people think of when considering ordinary wine.

I was able to track down two different Amontillados in Fargo-Moorhead, both at Happy Harry’s in north Fargo. The first is an Amontillado Valdespino, which is produced and bottled by A.R. Valdespino. This bottle costs a little more than $20 and has an ABV of 18 percent. The second bottle I picked up is a Hartley & Gibson’s Amontillado Sherry, which is produced and bottled by B. Vergara. This bottle was closer to $15, and it has a slightly higher ABV at 19 percent. Both bottles are from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, which is not uncommon for sherry.

As far as the noses are concerned, the Valdespino smells a bit fresher, where the Hartley & Gibson’s comes across as musty, not unlike soy sauce. However, both have caramel notes and seem more like something I might cook with. Their flavors are also similar, but again, I feel that the Valdespino is more flavorful as the other tends to be muted by its musty essence. The flavors remind me a lot of the woody tones of green olives and green olive pits, and actually, olives are the perfect compliment to a glass of amontillado. The flavors of the two play well together. 

Due to the higher alcohol content and strong flavors, Amontillados make for a nice slow drink that can be served straight, chilled, or on the rocks. I can understand why people enjoy the occasional glass. Similar to the way you might enjoy a nice scotch from time to time, you can also have an enjoyable experience with a glass of Amontillado. I encourage you to savor the unusual flavors and experience a drink you might not ordinarily try. This is the sort of a glass to bring those long afternoons to a close; it will clear your head.  So, cheers, and as Montresor would say, I drink to your long life.