🍷 Sherry

Sherry (Jerez-Xérès-Sherry) is a protected designation of origin for wine from southern Spain: ten municipalities of the province of Cádiz plus Lebrija, centred on Jerez de la Frontera. It is made mainly from Palomino and aged in oak casks of up to 1,000 litres for an average of at least two years, at 14–22% alcohol. ²³

The land of albariza. The hills are gentle, with slopes of 10–15%. Near the Guadalquivir lie marshes, remains of the ancient Lacus Ligustinus, and near Puerto Real salt flats and tidal creeks. The main soil is albariza, a soft white marl with 25–40% calcium carbonate, clay and silica from the shells of diatoms and radiolarians of an Oligocene sea. It holds moisture well, and rainfall is about 600 l/m² a year, mostly in November, December and March. The dry, hot levante blows from inland and the humid poniente from the ocean. ²

Grapes and yields. The permitted varieties are Palomino (Palomino Fino), Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Alejandría, Beba, Perruno and Vigiriega. Yields are capped at 11,428 kg/ha, and 100 kg of grapes may give no more than 70 litres of wine. Before fermentation, especially for sweet wines, bunches are often dried in the sun, a practice called asoleo. The specification calls «vara y pulgar» pruning a local contribution to viticulture. The best vineyards are listed by the Consejo Regulador as «Jerez Superior». ²

Under flor and in the air. Biological ageing happens under a veil of flor, a film of yeasts on the wine's surface. Oxidative ageing happens without flor, under the direct action of oxygen. Biological ageing needs mild temperatures and high humidity in the bodegas, and the humid poniente helps. Fino may be aged anywhere in the area except Sanlúcar de Barrameda. ² The EU keeps the name «vino generoso» for dry PDO liqueur wines developed wholly or partly under flor and matured on average two years in oak. ⁶

Criaderas and solera. The casks stand in rows by age. Part of the wine is regularly drawn from each one (the «saca») and topped up with younger wine (the «rocío»), and the last row, the solera, supplies the wine for bottling. The alternative is the static añada system, where each vintage ages on its own. The specification links the rise of the solera to demand for consistent wine, and the frequent sacas and rocíos favoured biological ageing. Many bodegas built in the 18th and 19th centuries are designed to give the wine the best microclimate. ²

From fino to Pedro Ximénez. Dry «vinos generosos» have no more than 4 g/l of sugar: fino 14–17% alcohol, amontillado 16–22%, oloroso and palo cortado 17–22%. Naturally sweet Pedro Ximénez is made from at least 85% raisined-grape must and has at least 212 g/l of sugar; Moscatel has at least 160 g/l. Blends based on dry wines are pale dry (4–50 g/l), pale cream (50–115 g/l), medium (4–115 g/l) and cream (115–140 g/l). ²

What the label says. Look for the name Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. Since 2026 sherry may be sold as “wine” without fortification or as liqueur wine. ¹² A liqueur wine has 15–22 % actual alcohol. ⁷ Ages of 12, 15, 20 (VOS) or 30 years (VORS) may be stated only if certified. “En rama” means no stabilisation other than filtration. Sherry may be bottled only within the area of origin. ²

Four centuries of fame. The specification traces the region's rules from the 16th-century ordinances of the Jerez vintners' guild to Spain's first designation-of-origin regulation in January 1935. ² In 1587 Francis Drake seized 3,000 kegs of sherry at Cádiz, and it became fashionable at the court of Elizabeth I. Shakespeare often mentioned sherry, in the 1840s it made up a fifth of the value of Spain's exports, and in 1894 phylloxera reached the region. ⁵ The EU has protected the name since 13 June 1986. ³

Why it matters to you. Fino and manzanilla are served at 5–7 °C, oxidative styles at 12–14 °C and VOS and VORS at about 15 °C. An opened fino keeps a week in the fridge, other styles up to two months. The Consejo Regulador recommends a large glass filled to a third rather than a small copita. ⁴