Sherries to explore (start here)

Quick picks with tasting cues, serving tips, and pairing ideas.

• Fino (dry, crisp, flor-aged)

  Light-bodied, bone-dry, savory and refreshing. Think green almond, chamomile, fresh dough, salty sea breeze. Serve cold (45 to 50°F). Perfect with olives, Marcona almonds, sushi, ceviche, fried seafood, and Spanish tapas.

  • Buy when you want: the cleanest, most “white wine” expression of Sherry
  • Look for: “En Rama” for a fuller, more intense, less-filtered version

• Manzanilla (Fino from Sanlúcar, even more coastal)

  Like Fino, but usually lighter, more floral, and more distinctly saline. Chamomile, lemon peel, sea spray. Serve cold. A dream with oysters, shrimp, anchovies, and potato chips.

  • Buy when you want: maximum freshness and salt
  • Upgrade: “Manzanilla Pasada” for a slightly richer, more mature style

• Amontillado (the bridge: flor then oxidation)

  Dry, amber, nutty and complex. Hazelnut, toasted almond, orange peel, caramelized mushroom. Serve cool (52 to 57°F). Great with roast chicken, consommé, aged cheeses, and artichokes.

  • Buy when you want: a dry Sherry that feels like a contemplative sipping wine
  • Food magic: anything tricky, like asparagus, mushrooms, and nutty sauces

• Palo Cortado (rare, elegant, paradoxical)

  Aromatically closer to Amontillado but with the depth and silky weight of Oloroso. Walnut, citrus oil, spice, leather. Serve cool (55 to 60°F). Incredible with jamón ibérico, rich poultry, foie gras, and aged hard cheeses.

  • Buy when you want: the “wow” bottle for someone who thinks Sherry is simple
  • Tip: if you see a good Palo Cortado, grab it

• Oloroso (dry or slightly sweet, fully oxidative)

  Deep, powerful, and aromatic. Walnut, toffee, tobacco, dried fig, warm spice. Serve cellar cool (57 to 62°F). Pair with braised meats, stews, mole, and blue cheese.

  • Buy when you want: richness and depth without sweetness (choose “Dry Oloroso”)
  • Note: some Oloroso is labeled “Medium” or “Cream” when sweetened

• Pedro Ximénez (PX) (lusciously sweet dessert Sherry)

  Pitch-black, raisiny, syrupy, wildly intense. Dates, figs, molasses, espresso, chocolate sauce. Serve slightly cool in small pours. Pair with vanilla ice cream, blue cheese, flan, or chocolate.

  • Buy when you want: dessert in a glass
  • Pro tip: PX on ice cream is one of life’s great shortcuts

• Moscatel (sweet, floral, sunlit)

  Sweet but often lighter and more aromatic than PX. Orange blossom, honey, apricot, marmalade. Serve cool. Pair with fruit tarts, almond pastries, or spicy food.

  • Buy when you want: sweet Sherry that feels more perfumed and lifted

Shop Sherry →

1) Origin story & why Sherry matters

Sherry is a wine culture older than most nations. Vines have been grown around Jerez for thousands of years, and the region has long been a crossroads of Mediterranean trade. The modern Sherry story, though, is defined by two major forces: fortification (adding grape spirit) and aging (especially the solera system). These techniques allowed Sherry to travel, survive long voyages, and develop layered complexity in barrel.

Today, Sherry is still a living tradition: a region that makes some of the world’s most distinctive wines using methods that exist nowhere else at this scale. If you love complexity, savory flavors, and history in a glass, Sherry is pure gold.

Key idea: Sherry is not one wine. It is a whole universe of styles, from briny and bone-dry to dark and sweet.

2) Location & the “Sherry Triangle”

Sherry comes from Andalucía in southern Spain, centered on three towns often called the Sherry Triangle: Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. These towns anchor production and aging, and they sit close to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Guadalquivir River.

That proximity to the ocean matters a lot. Coastal humidity supports flor, while warmer inland conditions encourage deeper oxidative aging. Sanlúcar, the most maritime of the three, is the home of Manzanilla and is famous for its extra-salty, extra-delicate expression of flor aging.

3) The secret weapon: Albariza soil

If there is one word to remember in Jerez, it is albariza. This bright, chalky, limestone-rich soil is the backbone of great Sherry. Albariza reflects sunlight, holds water like a sponge, and gives Palomino grapes the slow, steady ripening they need in a hot, dry climate.

The best vineyard zones are often called pagos (historic named sites). You will sometimes see pago names on labels, especially in more terroir-driven bottlings.

4) Sherry grapes (and what they do)

Sherry is not about aromatic grapes. It is about transformation through aging. That said, the grapes matter:

• Palomino Fino

  The main grape for dry Sherry. Neutral, subtle, and perfect for expressing flor, oxidation, and terroir. It becomes Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, and most Oloroso.

• Pedro Ximénez (PX)

  Used for intensely sweet Sherry. Grapes are typically sun-dried into raisins (asoleo) before fermentation, concentrating sugars into something decadent and dark.

• Moscatel

  Aromatic grape used for sweet Sherry with orange blossom and honeyed fruit character. Often grown closer to the coast.

There are also historic local varieties being revived (like Perruno and others), but Palomino remains the heart of dry Sherry.

5) How Sherry is made: the key concepts (simple version)

Sherry starts as a dry white base wine, typically fermented completely dry. From there, the winemaker decides its destiny.

• Fortification (adding grape spirit)

  The base wine is strengthened with neutral grape spirit. The final alcohol level determines the aging path: lower strength supports flor growth, higher strength prevents it.

• Flor (biological aging)

  Flor is a natural yeast layer that forms on the wine in partially filled barrels. It protects the wine from oxygen and changes the flavor, creating Fino and Manzanilla’s signature salty, yeasty, almondy profile.

• Oxidation (oxidative aging)

  Without flor, the wine slowly interacts with oxygen over years, deepening color and flavor. This is the world of Oloroso and the oxidative side of Amontillado and Palo Cortado.

• The Solera System

  Sherry is typically aged in a fractional blending system called a solera. Older wine is drawn from the bottom tier for bottling, then topped up with slightly younger wine, and so on up the stack. This creates consistency, complexity, and a house style.

In short: Sherry is the art of guiding a base wine through flor, oxygen, and time.

6) Every Sherry style explained (complete guide)

Here is the full lineup, from driest to sweetest, including the “in-between” categories you will actually see on shelves.

• Fino (dry)

  How it’s aged: under flor for the majority of its life.
  Tastes like: green almond, chamomile, fresh bread dough, salty minerality.
  Texture: light, snappy, cleansing.
  Pair with: olives, almonds, jamón, anchovies, sushi, tempura, fried seafood.

  Common label clues: “Fino,” “En Rama,” sometimes a single bodega name only.

• Manzanilla (dry)

  What it is: a Fino aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
  Tastes like: lighter, more floral, intensely saline. Chamomile and sea spray are classic cues.
  Pair with: shrimp, oysters, clams, ceviche, potato chips, anything briny.

  Sub-style: Manzanilla Pasada is older, slightly richer, more savory.

• Amontillado (dry)

  How it’s aged: starts under flor, then transitions to oxidative aging after flor fades or the wine is fortified higher.
  Tastes like: hazelnut, toasted almond, dried herbs, orange peel, umami broth.
  Texture: medium-bodied, elegant, complex.
  Pair with: roast poultry, consommé, mushrooms, aged cheeses, artichokes.

  Why people love it: it has both the lift of flor and the depth of oxidation.

• Palo Cortado (dry)

  What it is: the most mysterious classic style. Traditionally a wine that begins life like a flor-aged Sherry, but naturally shifts toward oxidative character, then is aged oxidatively like Oloroso while keeping Amontillado-like perfume.
  Tastes like: walnut, citrus oil, spice, leather, fine caramel, savory depth.
  Texture: silky, layered, “best of both worlds.”
  Pair with: jamón ibérico, rich poultry, duck, truffles, aged cheeses.

  Expect: higher price and limited availability, especially for older bottlings.

• Oloroso (dry, sometimes sweetened)

  How it’s aged: fully oxidative from the start (no flor).
  Tastes like: walnut, toffee, tobacco, dried fruit, spice, leather, cocoa.
  Texture: full-bodied and warming.
  Pair with: braises, stews, mole, roasted meats, blue cheese.

  Note: “Oloroso” can be bottled dry, or used as the base for sweetened styles (Medium and Cream).

• Dry Sherry with age statements (VOS and VORS)

  Some Sherries are labeled by average age certification: VOS (average 20+ years) and VORS (average 30+ years). These can apply to Amontillado, Palo Cortado, and Oloroso. Expect profound concentration and depth.

• Pale Cream (sweet)

  What it is: typically a sweetened Fino-style base (light, pale, gently sweet).
  Tastes like: soft citrus, honeyed almond, light floral sweetness.
  Serve: well chilled, often as an aperitif.

• Medium (off-dry to sweet)

  What it is: usually a sweetened Amontillado-style base, sometimes Palo Cortado-based, blended with sweet wine.
  Tastes like: nutty caramel, orange peel, toffee, gentle sweetness.

• Cream (sweet)

  What it is: traditionally a sweetened Oloroso base, blended with PX for richness.
  Tastes like: toffee, raisins, walnuts, milk chocolate, holiday spice.
  Serve: slightly cool, with dessert or blue cheese.

• Pedro Ximénez (PX) (sweet)

  How it’s made: PX grapes are sun-dried to concentrate sugars, then fermented and aged oxidatively.
  Tastes like: raisin, fig, molasses, espresso, chocolate, date syrup.
  Pair with: ice cream, chocolate desserts, blue cheese, flan.

• Moscatel (sweet)

  What it is: sweet Sherry made from Moscatel grapes, often offering more floral lift than PX.
  Tastes like: orange blossom, honey, apricot, marmalade, spice.
  Pair with: fruit desserts, almond pastries, spicy cuisine.

• Bonus category: “En Rama” (style descriptor)

  En Rama is not a separate Sherry type, but a bottling approach: minimally filtered, more intense, often more textural. You will mostly see it on Finos and Manzanillas. It is a fantastic way to experience Sherry at its most vivid.

• Bonus category: Vintage Sherry (Añada)

  Most Sherry is solera-aged, but some producers release vintage-dated Sherries aged without fractional blending. These are rarer and can be extraordinary, especially as oxidative wines.

Takeaway: If you learn just three: Fino/Manzanilla (flor and freshness), Amontillado (bridge), Oloroso (oxidation and depth). Everything else starts to make sense from there.

7) Climate & why flor thrives here

Jerez has a hot Mediterranean climate with Atlantic influence. Summers are warm and bright, but ocean breezes and humidity play a crucial role in bodega aging. Flor needs moisture and stable cellar conditions, which is why Sherry bodegas are often built with high ceilings, thick walls, and ventilation designed to keep temperatures moderate.

Two winds shape the region: Poniente (cool, humid, Atlantic) and Levante (hot, dry, inland). Their tug-of-war influences everything from vineyard stress to flor strength.

8) How to serve Sherry (and keep it fresh)

• Temperature matters

  Finos and Manzanillas should be served cold, like crisp white wine. Amontillado and Palo Cortado do well cool but not icy. Oloroso can be slightly warmer.

• Glassware

  Skip the tiny “sherry copita” if you can. A small white wine glass is better. It lets the aromas open up and makes Sherry feel like serious wine, because it is.

• How long does an open bottle last?

  Fino and Manzanilla: treat like fresh white wine. Refrigerate and aim to finish within a week (sooner is better for peak snap).
  Amontillado and Palo Cortado: typically several weeks refrigerated.
  Oloroso and sweet Sherries: often a month or more, sometimes longer, due to oxidative stability and sugar.

• Buy smaller bottles for exploration

  If you are Sherry-curious, half bottles are a great way to taste more styles without pressure.

9) Flavor map: what Sherry tastes like (so you can shop smart)

Flor-aged dry Sherries (Fino, Manzanilla): salty, almondy, yeasty, chamomile, lemon peel, fresh dough, sea breeze. They are refreshing and savory, not sweet.

Hybrid Sherries (Amontillado, Palo Cortado): nutty and complex, with both lift and depth. Expect hazelnut, citrus oil, umami, and warm spice.

Oxidative Sherries (Oloroso): deep and rich. Walnut, toffee, dried fig, tobacco, leather, cocoa, baking spice.

Sweet Sherries (PX, Moscatel, Cream): dessert flavors. Raisins, molasses, honey, orange blossom, chocolate sauce. Sweet, but ideally balanced by acidity and bitterness.

10) Producers & label clues (how to choose great bottles)

Sherry labels can be confusing at first, but once you know what to look for, you can shop like a pro.

• Look for style first

  Start with “Fino,” “Manzanilla,” “Amontillado,” “Palo Cortado,” “Oloroso,” “PX,” or “Moscatel.” That tells you the aging path and what the wine will feel like.

• Then look for “En Rama” (if you want intensity)

  Especially great for Finos and Manzanillas. More texture, more aroma, more personality.

• Then look for age indicators

  VOS and VORS are good shortcuts to older, more concentrated wines. Not every great Sherry needs these, but they help when you want something special.

• Trust your food cravings

  Sherry is one of the best food wines on the planet. If you know what you are eating, the bottle choice becomes easy. Seafood and salty snacks? Fino or Manzanilla. Roast chicken or mushrooms? Amontillado. Steak or stew? Oloroso. Dessert? PX.

Fun fact

Flor is alive. It is a community of yeast that actually consumes alcohol and glycerol, which is one reason Fino and Manzanilla feel so bone-dry and light in texture. You are tasting a wine shaped by biology, not just chemistry.