Sherry
A fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain.
Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidise as they age in barrel.
After fermentation is complete, the base wines are fortified with grape spirit in order to increase their final alcohol content, then aged, for a minimum of three years, in the solera system.
Fino (‘fine’ in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of Sherry.
Manzanilla is an especially light variety of Fino Sherry made around the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Manzanilla Pasada is a Manzanilla that has undergone extended ageing or has been partially oxidised, giving a richer, nuttier flavour.
Amontillado is a variety of Sherry that is first aged under flor and then exposed to oxygen, producing a sherry that is darker than a Fino but lighter than an Oloroso.
Palo Cortado is a variety of Sherry that is initially aged like an Amontillado, typically for three or four years, but which subsequently develops a character closer to an Oloroso. This either happens by accident when the flor dies, or commonly the flor is killed by fortification or filtration.
Oloroso (‘scented’ in Spanish) is a variety of sherry aged oxidatively for a longer time than a Fino or Amontillado, producing a darker and richer wine.
Jerez Dulce (Sweet Sherries) are made either by fermenting dried Pedro Ximénez (PX) or Moscatel grapes, which produces an intensely sweet dark brown or black wine, or by blending sweeter wines or grape must with a drier variety.
Cream is a type of sweet sherry first made in the 1860s by blending different sherries, usually including Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez.
The Solera System
