amontillado means A pale, dry sherry from Montilla.
Why “amontillado” is a great word
A pale, dry sherry of amber hue and complex nuttiness, originating from Montilla, Spain. From Spanish 'amontillado', from 'a' (a preposition meaning 'to' or 'from', from Latin 'ad') + 'Montilla' (the town in Andalusia, Spain) + '-ado' (a suffix forming adjectives), first attested in English 1815-1825. Unlike the delicate, biologically-aged veil of a fino or the dark, deliberate opulence of an oloroso, an amontillado occupies a middle passage: it begins under flor but matures oxidatively, a wine of transformation that has shrugged off its protective yeast to breathe and deepen in the cask. It is the color of old piano keys, the ghost of almonds in a dry glass, the scent of old wood in a silent room. It is the taste of absence made elegant, a liquid record of patience witnessing its own becoming.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish amontillado.
noun
- A pale, dry sherry from Montilla.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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