Fino and Manzanilla sherry

I have been doing blind tastings of Finos and Manzanillas (exam time again) and have been having a hard time distinguishing between the two. My tasting notes for the finos list descriptions for the nose like salty, yeasty, tart apples, lightly toasted almonds, lemon peel, and pears with the palate notes pretty much the same. For Manzanillas, I have for the nose descriptions like tart apple, slight salt, mineraly, iodine and for the palate notes like raw almonds, bready, tart apples, lemon peel and the like. The tasting notes for the finos and manzanillas are thus pretty close really and had a very hard time distinguishing between the two as a result. The only real difference from the notes was that the fino might show some pear as fruit and also lightly toasted nuts, whereas the manzanillas were on the apple side and raw nuts. (The color can be darker in the finos too, but this also didn't really seem to be a certain clue as to the identity.) If anyone has some tips on finos vs. manzanillas, it would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks!
Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

I am by no means an expert on wine or sherry...but I do drink Fino often. Recently, I decided to try some Manzanilla so I bought a bottle instead of my regular Fino. I thought they tasted quite different. However, I would have a hard time telling you the exact flavors that were different. I feel the Fino has a lot more flavor...maybe like you said, more toasted nuts, while the Manzanilla was less toasty. The Manzanilla I had was much paler than the Fino and much weaker. If I had to describe tastes and smells of Fino I would say definitely toasted almonds and maybe toasted pecans, pears and also dried apricot. The Manzilla would be raw almonds, lemon, apples, ginger. If I had to say what the difference was, I would probably say that the Fino is much more nutty and toasty with more of a baked/dried fruit component and the Manzanilla is much fresher, lighter, and less nutty. Hopefully, someone else with more experience with both can help you. GL!

It's really helpful to hear other folks' experiences! (Forgot to say which sherries I had tasted...the Finos were Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe, Valdespino Innocente and Domecq La Ina. The Manzanillas were Lustau Papirusa and Barbadillo Solear.)
cheers, Bonnie