Sherry

Sherry is one of the great wines of the world, and still one of the most underrated. It comes from Jerez in sun-baked Andalusia, at the southern tip of Spain, where chalk-white albariza soil and the Palomino grape give a family of wines that spans bone-dry to lusciously sweet. Few wines offer this much character for the money, or sit so happily at the table.

Flor or air: the divide that shapes every style

Everything in Jerez comes down to how the wine ages. Fino and Manzanilla mature under a living veil of yeast called flor, which shields them from air and keeps them pale, dry and saline, all green almond and sea breeze. Manzanilla, raised by the coast at Sanlúcar, is the most delicate of the lot. Let the flor fade and oxygen take over and you reach Amontillado and the rare Palo Cortado, part biological and part oxidative, with a nutty, savoury depth. Oloroso never sees flor at all and ages openly into a rich walnut-and-dried-fig style. These are among the finest fortified wines made anywhere.

The solera system, and how to drink Sherry

Sherry is rarely the wine of a single year. Barrels are stacked in a solera, where older wine is refreshed with younger in a slow fractional blend, so every glass holds a little of many vintages. At the sweet end sits Pedro Ximénez, or PX, pressed from sun-dried grapes into a dark, syrupy wine of figs, molasses and coffee that belongs in our dessert wines. Serve Fino and Manzanilla properly cold, near 7°C, with olives, salted almonds, jamón and other tapas. Amontillado and Oloroso prefer cellar temperature and suit mushrooms, roast poultry and hard cheese. For more in the same vein, explore the wines of Spain.

Sherry FAQ

Is Sherry sweet or dry?

Both. Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado and dry Oloroso are fully dry, while PX and cream styles are sweet. New to Sherry? Start dry and chilled with tapas.

How long does an open bottle keep?

Dry Fino and Manzanilla are best within a few days, kept in the fridge, as the flor character fades quickly. Oxidative styles like Oloroso and PX will hold for weeks.

What sets Sherry apart from other fortified wines?

Flor and the solera. That veil of yeast and the fractional ageing give Jerez a freshness and complexity you will not find in other fortified wine, dry or sweet.