Sherry styles explained. From bone-dry Fino to sticky-sweet PX.

The Sherry Triangle

Sherry comes from Andalusia in the southwest corner of Spain. It can only be made in a defined area and must be aged in one of three towns that form the Sherry Triangle: Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. Host Peter Richards MW lived in Andalusia for a month at 16 and still remembers its bright light, intense smells and vivid flavors, all of which he finds captured in a glass of Sherry. Shakespeare's Falstaff was a fan too.

The best vineyards grow on albariza, a white, crumbly, chalky soil that reflects the sun and holds moisture through the long, hot summers. Three grapes are used. Palomino makes the dry styles; it is fairly neutral, with low acidity, but ideal for aging. Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel are used for naturally sweet wines, often from grapes dried in the sun to concentrate their sugar.

Two routes: flor or oxygen

Contrary to what many people think, most Sherry is dry. After fermentation the Palomino wine is fortified and put into oak butts that are not filled to the top. At around 15% alcohol, a layer of yeast called flor grows on the surface and protects the wine from oxygen. This is biological aging, and it gives Fino and Manzanilla: pale, dry, crisp, yeasty and nutty. Manzanilla is the same style aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, close to the sea, and tends to be more delicate and salty, with a note of chamomile, which is what the name means.

Fuller wines are fortified to around 18%, which stops flor from forming. Exposed to air, they undergo oxidative aging and become Oloroso: darker, richer and dry, with toasted nuts, dried fruit, tobacco and leather. Amontillado starts under flor and then ages oxidatively, combining both worlds. Palo Cortado is a rare in-between style with some of the richness of Oloroso and some of the crispness of Amontillado. You will also learn about En Rama Sherry, bottled with minimal filtration, and the age categories VOS (20 years average) and VORS (30 years).

Sweet Sherry and Cream

Naturally sweet Sherries are made mainly from PX, with Moscatel in smaller amounts. The grapes are usually dried in the sun for days, then fortified early so that much of their sugar remains. The best are almost black, with figs, dates, chocolate, coffee and licorice. Cream Sherry is a blend, typically an Oloroso sweetened with PX. Cheap versions gave Sherry its old-fashioned image, but as this episode shows, there is far more to discover.

Serving matters. Co-host Fredrik Lindfors, Best Sommelier of the Nordics, recommends Fino and Manzanilla well chilled, around 7 to 10°C, in a white wine glass, and Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Oloroso at around 12 to 14°C.

The experiment: how a solera works

Every Sherry is aged in a solera, a system of fractional blending. Using a stack of glass vessels, a few straws and some coconut powder standing in for flor, Peter and Fredrik show how wine is drawn from the oldest tier, the solera, and topped up from the younger tiers above, called the criaderas, or nurseries. Find out why this keeps the house style consistent, how it feeds the flor, and why a bottle can contain a tiny fraction of very old wine. There is also an attempt with a venencia, the long cup used to pour Sherry from the cask, which does not go quite to plan.

Food pairings and blind tastings

Sherry is one of the most food-friendly wines there is. A La Gitana Manzanilla is paired with mojama, salt-cured tuna, with fennel, apple and toasted almonds. Later a tournedos with mushrooms, soy, miso and hazelnuts shows how well an old Oloroso handles umami. The hosts also taste Tío Pepe En Rama.

In the blind tastings, wines from Lustau's Almacenista range and El Maestro Sierra are in the line-up. See how the hosts use color, nuttiness and hints of flor to work out the style. The episode helps you prepare for WSET Level 3, and it might just make you a Sherry lover.