Clarifying the mirky world of Sherry
With World Sherry Day on May 26th, we thought it would be a great idea to put together a basic guide to one of our favorite wine regions. Sherry is made in the south of Spain, near Cadiz, in an area known as the Sherry Triangle. The main grape grown in these chalky soils is Palomino, although others like Pedro Ximenez and Muscat are also used to craft some of the wines.
Sherry is defined by how it is made, more so than any other wine style in the world. None of its key winemaking techniques, such as the Solara system, biological aging or oxidative aging, are unique to Sherry production but they are probably the most recognizable examples of them and fundamental to understanding what the wine tastes like.
To make a sherry you must start by creating a base wine. These wines are usually fermented to around 11-12% abv before they are fortified up to around 15% to 18% abv, depending on the style of sherry. The wine will then go through one of two (or maybe even both) types of aging processes, either biological or oxidative aging, within a solera system.
Biological aging
Sherries that go through biological aging have a thick layer of yeast, known as flor, that ferments on top of the wine. This layer of flor provides protection for the wine against oxygen, allowing the resulting sherries to taste lighter and fresher, such as Fino and Manzanilla, than those made using oxidative aging. Amontillado first goes through biological aging before then going through an additional oxidative aging process.
Oxidative aging
Oxidative aging takes place without the influence of flor, allowing oxygen to interact with the wine as it matures. These wines are typically fortified to a slightly higher abv than the lighter biological sherries (closer to 17%abv rather than around 15% abv). This style tends to be richer and spicier because of the oxidative aging process. They are also capable of aging for longer periods of time and will stay in good shape for weeks after opening the bottle at home, unlike biologically aged sherries that will oxidize in the same way a normal white wine would.
The Solara System
The Solara system is made up of a series of butts (refering to barrels not bottoms!) which are filled and blended as the sherry ages (these are also known as Criaderas in Spanish). As wine is taken out of the bottom of the solera system, to bottle the sherry before selling it, with more wine being added by moving the sherry from one level of criadera into another, blending it with some of the wine already in that part of the system. This results in a non-vintage product, as younger wines are blended with older wines right the way through the aging process, up until bottling.
From the Dutch Wikipedia.
On top of the 2 main methods of maturing sherry there are several different styles that sherry can be made in, which can become confusing so here is a simple breakdown of the main Sherry wine style:
Sherry styles
Fino – A light, dry & fresh style that will be pale in colour and will typically have flavours such as citrus, almonds, bread & herbs. These wines are made to be drunk young.
Manzanilla – Very similar to Fino but with a touch more salinity. Made only in the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Amontillado – Amber in colour with a mix of the flavours found in dry Fino’s and the richer oxidative styles. These wines can age for a long time but will lose their fresher flavours over time.
Oloroso – Brown in colour, often dry and with rich flavours such as toffee, leather, spices and walnuts. These wines will remain good, even weeks after opening thanks to the oxidative aging process.
Palo Cortado – A rare style of sherry that is similar to an oloroso or an amontillado.
Pale Cream – These sherries are like Fino’s but have usually been sweetened prior to the aging process.
Medium Sherry – Have a blend of both biological and oxidative sherry flavours but will have been sweetened prior to the aging process.
Cream Sherry – Cream sherries have similar flavours to oxidative aged sherries but are sweeter in style and sweetened in the same way as medium sherries.
Pedro Ximenez (PX) – Dark brown in colour and lusciously sweet in style they have pronounced notes of dried fruits, coffee and liquorice.
Muscat – Similar in style to Pedro Ximenez but with more of a citrus peel character to the wine.
Finally, there are a couple of useful abbreviations that relate to aged sherries; VORS – which indicates the blend is at least 30 years old, & VOS – which indicates the blend is at least 20 years old. Only Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso and PX can qualify to use these aging classifications.
Hopefully this little blog has helped you understand a bit more about the mysterious world of Sherry and will inspire you to try something new. To see what Sherry we have in stock click here. Below are a few of our personal favorites:
Puerto Fino - 37.5cl, Lustau, Jerez, Spain £12.95
Aged following a biological aging in the cool and humid air of the port town of El Puerto de Santa María, where the flor grows in ideal environmental conditions. Pale straw colour, dry, light and smooth. Clean and fresh, with a slight taste of tangy yeast.
Manzanilla La Goya - 37.5cl, Delgado Zuleta, Jerez, Spain £8.95
Delgado Zuleta is family owned and the oldest bodega in the area (since 1744). It is classic, yet modern, and combines tradition and technology. Made from Palamino Fino grapes this dry sherry offers chamomile and almond aromas with a complex palate that finishes with a salty tang.
Los Arcos Dry Amontillado Sherry – 75cl, Lustau, Jerez, Spain £24.95
Aged for equal periods under “flor” and in contact with the oxygen, this dry Amontillado acquires a genuine, rich and nutty flavour through years of ageing. Amber in colour, with hazelnut aromas on the nose. Light, soft and round on the palate, with a long aftertaste.
Palo Cortado Wellington VOS 20-year-old - 50cl, Bodegas Hidalgo, Jerez, Spain £39.95
Aged in American oak barrels for more than twenty years according to the traditional system of criaderas and soleras. This is a delicious Palo Cortado sherry that is smooth and round, with notes of bruised apples, citrus peel, toasted nuts and hints of smoke.
El Candado Pedro Ximenez - 37.5cl, Valdespino, Jerez, Spain £17.95
Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in Jerez, with a history of Sherry production going back six centuries. El Candado is made from Pedro Ximenez grapes which once harvested are left out in the sunshine for at least two weeks. Notes of honey, dried figs, dates, pine nuts and vanilla.