Jerez and Sherry – Part 2: Sherry winemaking and styles

Unveiling the secrets of Sherry winemaking: the ageing process, the Solera system and the styles you can find on the market (spoiler: the majority are dry!)

If God had not made Sherry, how imperfect his work would have been

Benito Perez Galdos

In my heart, I share the sentiment expressed by the famous Spanish novelist, Benito Perez Galdos. Sherry is an overlooked and often misunderstood wine. It has a long tradition supported by passionate winemakers. A truly delicious wine, Sherry can be produced in different styles. It is also food-friendly and versatile.

For all those reasons I decided to write a mini-series dedicated to Jerez and Sherry here on Wine and Other Stories. In my first article dedicated to Jerez and Sherry, I dealt with the region’s glorious history, geography and local grape varieties. In this second part, I will focus on the Sherry winemaking process along with the different types of Sherry styles available on the market.

Winemaking

Although Galdos praised God for Sherry, we really need to thank the people of Jerez for the artisanship behind this wine. The Sherry winemaking process is what distinguishes this style from any other wine. I’ll give you a complete overview here. While I will focus on dry Sherry (as in most cases, this is the only serious Sherry you can drink), I will also briefly cover the sweet styles.

As always, harvest marks the beginning of the winemaking process. Between August and September the grapes (mostly palomino fino, as I explained in my previous article) are picked and vinified as quickly as possible to avoid oxidation. Typically, fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats to produce a dry base wine which is neutral in flavour.

Around January, the first classification takes place. This is an important moment. Depending on various circumstances the wine can go in one of two completely different directions. The two directions are biological ageing and oxidative ageing. 

In both cases, the base wine is fortified (although in different ways) and aged in used wood casks called butts. Generally, butts have a capacity of 600 litres and are made from American oak (Spain has a love affair with American wood!). New oak is avoided since it would impart its own flavours to the wine – something that Jerez’s winemakers tend to avoid.

Fortification in Sherry envisages the addition of a strong grape spirit (96% abv) which is neutral in flavour. The spirit used for Sherry is very high in alcohol and therefore winemakers need to add only small quantities of it – compared to other fortified wine styles (Port for example).

For dry Sherry, fortification takes place when the base wine has terminated its fermentation process. At that point, all the sugar has been converted into alcohol resulting in a totally dry wine.

Even though dry styles make up the vast majority of Sherry, sweet styles do exist. Roughly speaking, a sweet style can be produced in two ways:

• Without blending (Vinos Dulces Naturales): either fortification takes place before fermentation has exhausted all the sugar, or overripe/sun-dried berries are used to start fermentation. In the latter, the sugar content is so high that the yeasts struggle to complete fermentation so this process naturally stalls part way through (the wine is fortified afterwards anyway)
• With blending: sweet Sherry wines can also be produced by adding concentrated grape must (cheaper sweet Sherry versions are made this way) or the intensely sweet pedro ximenes grape 

After fortification, the “Sherry-to-be” is put in butts for ageing. As I mentioned before this ageing process can be one of two types: biological or oxidative.

Biological ageing

The keyword for Sherry destined for biological ageing is elegance. At its base, these wines already exhibit elegance, so the Sherry winemaking process is only intended to preserve and refine that quality. Usually these wines come from the best and lightest Albariza soil and are either made from free-run juice or the first fraction of the pressing (there the liquid is clean, pure and less coarse). 

Wines destined for biological ageing are fortified at 15-15.5% abv to allow the formation of the flor – a layer of indigenous yeasts that forms on top of every barrel. Flor is the key of biological ageing. It’s a living organism that appears spontaneously on the surface of the wine. Flor needs particular humidity levels and it feeds off oxygen, alcohol and nutrients in the wine. For this reason, barrels that contain wine covered by flor are filled to around 5/6 of their entire capacity.

Flor has several effects on the resulting styles of Sherry:

• Forming a thick layer on each cask, it protects the wine from oxidation
• Consuming alcohol, it generates wines that are lighter in body
• Producing a compound called acetaldehyde, it imparts characteristic flavours of brine olives, tangy and rancio (it’s a good thing!)

Being a living organism, flor is very sensitive to temperature and humidity fluctuations. In hot conditions, it tends to shrink and ultimately die. However, in the winter months, flor becomes thicker. This sensitivity accounts for the differences in style between Fino and Manzanilla Sherry (see below).

The first stage of biological ageing is critical. The winemaker periodically monitors the flor to ensure that it is in a good state. If it’s not, two options are available. The first is to re-fortify the wine and subject it to oxidative ageing, the other is to discard it altogether.

The wines undertaking biological ageing become Fino (or Manzanilla) Sherry. Amontillado Sherry starts its process with biological ageing, but halfway through it undergoes oxidative ageing.

Oxidative ageing

During the first classification, sturdier and fuller bodied base wines are generally chosen to undergo oxidative ageing. These wines usually come from heavier, clay-based soils and during the pressing stage they are obtained from later fractions. Free juice is avoided (that is destined for biological ageing); the fractions used are coarser, more astringent and full-flavoured.

Wines are deliberately oxidised during maturation in barrels. For this reason, these wines are fortified to around 17-18% abv. The alcohol level is high enough to kill the yeasts forming the flor. As a result, wine destined to oxidative ageing do not rely on the flor for its evolution. Further, as these wines are naturally sturdier, the first period of maturation is not as critical as those destined for biological ageing.

The Solera system

Regardless of the outcome of the first classification, after the base wine has been fortified and left to rest for a few months, the core Sherry winemaking process begins. Maturation in the so-called Solera system. 

The Solera system is a method of fractional blending where older wine is mixed with a younger one and the liquid is constantly moved across different groups of barrels. Each group of butts is called a criadera, while the last group is called solera. The word solera comes from the Spanish suelo (floor), since traditionally the butts containing the oldest wine sat on the floor of the Jerez’s bodegas.

Although it hardly happens in practice, it might be helpful to imagine a Solera system as being made up of several stacked rows of butts. Each row is a criadera, which contains wines that gradually get older as you move from the top to the bottom. The bottom row (solera) contains the oldest blend. The youngest wine is on the first (and highest) row of the solera system and is called sobretabla. 

When a producer wants to bottle some Sherry, they operate as follows:

• The winemaker takes an equal portion of wine from each butt of the solera (the last group of butts)
• The solera butts are not fully emptied; normally not more than 1/3 of capacity of the barrel is taken at any given time
• The butts of the solera layer are replenished with liquid drawn from the first criadera (the next level in the Solera system)
• An equal portion of wine is taken from each barrel of the first criadera and mixed with what remains in the barrel of the solera level; rocio is the technical term used to indicate the replenishment of barrels in one level with the wines from the next younger criadera
• Now the barrels of the first criadera needs to be replenished. As before, the next level in the Solera system (the second criadera) is used to replenish the first criadera
• The replenishment process follows the same pattern over and over again up to the sobretabla level

The number of criaderas in a Solera system varies. Smaller Soleras can have 3 or 4 levels (or criaderas) whereas bigger ones can have up to 14! From an illustrative point of view it’s useful to imagine all the criaderas stacked in the same building. As indicated before, in reality, this almost never happens. First, it would be impractical, especially for the biggest Solera systems. Second, spreading the different criaderas over different buildings is a form of insurance. For example, is unlikely that a catastrophic event will affect all of the buildings all at once!

Even though the criaderas of a Solera system are spread across different buildings, the Sherry bodegas still look like imposing constructions. The Sherry bodegas are tall buildings with high ceilings. They are grand in architecture and bear a closer resemblance to cathedrals rather than wineries.  Designed to avoid direct sunlight, they maintain the optimal temperature and humidity so crucial in Sherry winemaking. 

The maturation process in the Solera system has a number of consequences on the resulting Sherry wine:

• The continuous blending of older and younger wines makes it impossible to determine the exact age of Sherry. That being said, sometimes you can still find an indication of age on a Sherry label. However, this is only in relation to the aromatic profile associated with that particular age bracket. For example, a “15 years old Amontillado” shows aromas and evolution of a wine matured for 15 years. In practice, due to the characteristics of the Solera system, the wine is not actually 15 years old since its exact age is impossible to determine
• The Solera system mechanism of constantly adding new wine is essential for wines undergoing biological ageing. In those cases, the flor requires constant feeding in terms of nutrients and alcohol – both of which are provided by the continuous addition of younger wines
• The Solera system produces consistent wines: the wines produced every year taste the same. Of course, a precondition of this uniformity is that the young wine introduced into the Solera system must be consistently of good quality
• The blend between older and younger wines also has a stylistic impact. Sherry wines always display tertiary aromas coming from extended maturation (this is due to the oldest wines in the blend) combined with more fresh and lively notes (coming from the youngest wines)
• Sherry can be bottled using the wine from a single Solera system or (more often) from a blend of wines coming from different Soleras

Different styles of Sherry

Depending on the nature of the maturation process (biological vs oxidative), sweetness level and winemaking procedures adopted, Sherry wines can be categorized in different styles. With regard to the maturation process, Sherry can be:

• Biologically aged: Fino, Manzanilla, Pale Cream
• Biologically and oxidatively aged: Amontillado and Medium
• Oxidatively aged: Oloroso, Pedro Ximenes, Moscatel (Vinos Dulces Naturales), Cream

In terms of residual sugar and winemaking techniques used to achieve sweetness, the wines can be classified as the following:

• Dry Sherry (Vino Generoso): Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso
• Naturally sweet (Vinos Dulces Naturales): Pedro Ximenes, Moscatel
• Sweetened blends (Vino Generoso de Licor): Pale Cream, Medium, Cream

In the remaining part of my article, I will go through each of the aforementioned styles, explaining typical aromatic profiles and characteristics.

Style / Characteristics	Fino - Manzanilla	Amontillado	Palo Cortado	Oloroso	Pedro Ximénez (PX)
Maturation type	Biological	Biological first, then oxidative	Can vary, but always a portion of oxidative	Oxidative	Oxidative
Colour	Lemon/Straw, pale intensity	Topaz to amber, pale to medium intensity	Chestnut or mahogany, medium intensity	Amber or mahogany, medium intensity	Ebony, very deep intensity
Typical flavours	Citrus fruit, almond, dried herbs, tangy, salty water, green olives, bread dough	Hazelnuts, dried herbs, tobacco, tangy, salty water	Hazelnuts, walnuts, dried herbs, tobacco, tangy, yeasty aromas	Leather, toffee, caramel, walnut, smoked wood	Very concentrated, molasses, dried fruit, dates, honey, grape syrup
Body	Light to medium	Medium to full	Full	Full, warm and powerful	Very full
Sweetness level	Dry	Dry	Dry	Dry	Intensely sweet
Food pairings	Seafood, fish, fried food, sour dishes, almonds, poultry	Complex seafood dishes, toasted nuts, smoked/barbecued food, hot spice booster	Red meat, game, complex and spicy (non-sweet) dishes	Red meat and game, complex and intense dishes (non-sweet)	Complex cheese, intense dessert, dark chocolate

Fino / Manzanilla

Fino and Manzanilla are technically two different styles but they are very similar in nature. They both undergo biological ageing, meaning their flavours are profoundly affected by the flor formed during the maturation process.

Wines made in the historical town of Sanlucar de Barrameda can be labeled as Manzanilla (or its full name: Manzanilla de Sanlucar de Barrameda). Sanlucar de Barrameda is a coastal town, as such the climate is cooler with greater humidity. Consequently, the flor layer for Manzanilla is thicker than for Fino Sherry. This accounts for some minor differences between Manzanilla and Fino. Manzanilla is slightly lighter in alcohol and more acidic, displaying greater integration due to the slower maturation process.

That being said, Fino and Manzanilla are in practice very similar in style which can be summarised as follows:

• Lemon/straw hue, pale intensity of colour
• Aromas of citrus fruit, almond, dried herbs
• The flor imparts tangy aromas of salty water, green olives, brine, bread dough
• Completely dry, fresh, light to medium in body
• When it comes to food pairing, the proverb says: if it swims, pair it with fino
• Matching foods include: seafood, fish, fried food, sour dishes, nuts/almonds, poultry

Some Fino / Manzanilla display a “en rama” wording on their labels. The expression means that the wines have undergone minimal filtration before being bottled.

Pale Cream

When a Sherry is biologically aged and sweetened after fermentation (by adding concentrated grape must) the result is a Pale Cream wine. This has the following characteristics:

• Lemon/straw hue, pale intensity of colour
• Citrus aromas, hazelnuts, bread dough
• Light and fresh on the palate
• Delicate sweetness
• Food-pairing suggestions: terrines and patés, fruit sauces, oriental dishes

Amontillado

Amontillado Sherry undergoes both biological and oxidative ageing. The wine starts its evolution biologically and therefore it is initially protected by the flor. At some point during its evolution, the biological process is stopped by re-fortification at 17% abv. The high alcohol content kills the flor and the ageing process continues oxidatively. As a result, Amontillado are interesting wines since they combine characteristics from both ageing processes. Amontillado has the following features:

• From topaz to amber in colour
• Aromas of hazelnuts, aromatic herbs, tobacco
• Still some tangy aromas from biological ageing
• Completely dry, elegant, medium to full in body
• If it flies, drink it with Amontillado: according to Sherry folklore the best food pairings are with poultry and game birds
• Other foods to match include: complex seafood dishes, toasted nuts/almonds, smoked/barbecued food, hot spice booster

Medium

Medium Sherry is obtained by sweetening Amontillado after the maturation process. When concentrated grape must is used the result is an inexpensive (and often dull) sweet wine. However, some premier examples exist – for which PX is used as a sweetening agent.

The classical profile of a Medium Sherry is as such:

• Amber in colour
• Amontillado-like aromatic profile (hazelnuts, dried herbs, tobacco)
• Sweet notes of pastries and cooked apples
• Medium-sweet to sweet, medium to full in body
• Food-pairing suggestions: patés, sweet and sour food, fruit sauces, oriental dishes

Oloroso

Oloroso Sherry only undergoes an oxidative maturation process. The flor and its aromas are never part of this style. Oloros wines display all the characteristics (colour, body and flavour profile) of a deliberately oxidised style. As these wines mature in the Solera system, their oxidative character becomes more pronounced and a slow evaporation takes place. As a result, Oloroso wines generally display great concentration of flavours and a final alcohol content of 23-24% abv. A typical Oloroso’s profile can be summarised as follows:

• Rich amber or mahogany hue, medium intensity of colour
• Oxidative aromas of leather, toffee, caramel, walnut, smoked wood
• Warm and round on the palate, powerful and complex
• In spite of the sweet suggestions on the nose, the wine is completely dry on the palate
• Full bodied, structured and well-rounded
• If it runs, drink it with Oloroso: typical food suggestions include red meat and game, along with complex and intense non-sweet dishes

Cream

This sweet Sherry is produced by adding a sweetening component to Oloroso wine. For inexpensive wines, concentrated grape must is used. Alas, these wines are usually cloying and disappointing. You’d be better off saving your money for something better. Premium Cream Sherry can be found – where the intensely sweet Pedro Ximenes (PX) is added instead. In the best Cream Sherry, the oxidative notes of Oloroso beautifully mingle with the dried fruit notes conferred by PX. Classic Cream Sherry have the following features:

• Chestnut brown, dark mahogany
• Oxidative aromas of Oloroso (leather, toffee, walnuts, smoke)
• Some dried fruit notes (especially when PX is used)
• Warm on the palate, full-bodied
• Inexpensive examples can be cloying with less balance
• Premium wines display more balance and integration
• Always sweet
• Food pairing suggestions: Compex terrines, intense desserts, sweet and sour food

Palo Cortado

This is a rare style that is difficult to pin down. The Sherry DO appellation defines Palo Cortado in terms of aromatic profile and not by a specific winemaking process. As a result, Palo Cortado can be made in different ways. Either it can originate from a Fino that gradually loses its flor or it can start from some Oloroso casks that display certain characteristics. 

Palo Cortado combines the finesse and aromatic character of an Amontillado on the nose, with the structure and body of an Oloroso on the palate. In practice, it can be very difficult to tell Palo Cortado apart from Amontillado or Oloroso. Nevertheless, Palo Cortado is often a good quality Sherry and worth trying. Its stylistic profile can be summarised as follows:

• Chestnut or mahogany colour
• Delicate bouquet of an Amontillado, with notes of hazelnuts, walnuts, dried herbs, tobacco combined with some tangy and yeasty aromas
• Ample palate, round and full-bodied
• Pair it with red meat, game, complex and spicy (non-sweet) dishes

Pedro Ximenes (PX)

This luscious and intensely sweet style bears the name of the grape variety it is made from (pedro ximenez). It’s produced by sun-drying grapes before fermentation to concentrate sugar, flavours and acidity. The wine is fortified after fermentation to 17% abv.

The style profile of Pedro Ximenes consists of the following:

• Dark ebony colour, almost black and impenetrable
• Extremely rich and concentrated profile on the nose, with notes of molasses, dried fruit and dates accompanied by nuances of honey and grape syrup
• Thick and very full-bodied on the palate
• Exceptionally sweet and luscious (PX are among the sweetest wines in the world)
• PX is so powerful and intense that you will barely taste anything shortly after sipping it. If you are tasting a number of wines, make sure PX is the last wine you try!
• Food suggestions include: complex cheese, intense dessert, dark chocolate

Moscatel

Moscatel Sherry is very similar to PX and produced the same way. Since muscat is an aromatic varietal, the resulting wines retain some of the original grape flavours. In terms of stylistic profile, Moscatel has the following qualities:

• Chestnut to dark mahogany colour
• Rich aromatic profile, exhibiting notes of dried fruit, honey, citrus fruit and some floral nuances
• Sweet and full bodied
• Food suggestions include: complex cheese, intense dessert and pastries, dark chocolate

Sherry with indication of age

The Sherry DO allows the producer to provide an indication of age on a Sherry wine’s label when certain conditions are met. As mentioned before, indications of age are general and are based upon the characteristics that a wine with roughly that age are thought to exhibit. 

Today there are four indications of age recognised by the Sherry regulations:

• 12 years old
• 15 years old
• VOS (Vinum Optimum Signatum, or Very Old Sherry) indicating an average age of 20 years
• VORS (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum, or Very Old Rare Sherry) when the average wine age is 30 years

Afterthoughts

I hope you enjoyed my little “ode to Sherry” here on Wine and Other Stories. In my first part of mini-series I explored the history, geography and grape varieties of the region. In this second article, I dealt with the complex and intriguing Sherry winemaking process and detailed the different Sherry styles available on the market.

Sherry is a wonderful wine however it can be difficult to approach at first. The reason is twofold. Firstly, the Sherry winemaking process and the multitude of its diverse styles are not easy to grasp immediately – as you probably noticed from the length of this article (and I have only scratched the surface of the topic!). Secondly, Sherry is perhaps an acquired taste. At the beginning you are not sure what you are drinking and why. 

If you start to explore Sherry, my advice is to approach it with patience and an open mind. If you are not sure whether you like it, savour a few examples. Try different styles. Pair it with several kinds of food, and notice how Sherry can complement a meal. Give Sherry time. It’s a style that grows on you (at least that happened to me). Hopefully in no time you will agree with me and Benito Perez Galdos!