Running from the 4th to the 10th of November, Sherry Week is an international celebration of Andalucia's signature fortified wine. We are huge fans of Sherry in all its forms here at Butlers, but understand that it can be a little confusing with its range of styles and sweetness levels! This little guide is here to help you tell your Palo Cortado from your Pedro Ximenez and find the right sherry for you.

The Place, The Grapes and The Process

The region known as the 'Sherry Triangle', encompassing Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda is an area of chalky vineyard planted almost exclusively to the Palomino Fino grape. Palomino is naturally quite a neutral-tasting variety, low in both sugar and acidity - the flavour and character of Sherry is almost all down to what happens after the grapes have been processed.

Sherry is fortified, which means the abv is raised through the addition of grape spirit, to between 15-20%. For all of the dry styles of Sherry this is done after fermentation is complete (we will get on to Pedro Ximenez later).

After fortification the ageing process begins, in barrels filled to only 5/6ths full. This is done in a Solera system, a complicated method in which wines from many years are slowly blended together by moving a portion of each barrel into the next on a periodic basis. This slow blending helps to ensure a balanced final product with complex character.

Each style of Sherry has nuances to its ageing process that give them their unique character, which I will detail in the next segment:

Fino and Manzanilla

The lowest in alcohol percentage of the dry styles (15-16%), Fino and Manzanilla are defined by the character of flor ageing. Flor is a film of yeast that grows on the surface of the wine, protecting it from oxidation and giving it's own unique character - typically yeasty bread dough notes, browned apple and almond.

Fino is the name for this style aged in Jerez, whereas Manzanilla is aged in Sanlucar de Barrameda. Sanlucar is right on the coast and has a cooler climate which develops a thicker layer of flor, giving very dry wines with a saline character

Alvaro Domecq Manzanilla La Jaca 75cl - £22.50

With salty green olive and crisp apple notes, alongside richer nuances of bread crust and a bone dry finish, this is the perfect pairing for anchovies or Iberico ham.

Valdespino Inocente Fino 75cl - £22.35

From a single vineyard (Macharnudo Alto) and with an average age of 10 years in the solera, this is a richer Fino than most. Aroma of Marcona almonds and buttered sourdough, with some fleshy apple fruit on the palate, this is seriously worth savouring!

Amontillado and Palo Cortado

I have grouped these two together because they both combine flor-ageing with oxidative ageing, although in slightly different fashions. Amontillado begins life as a Fino, fortified to around 15.5% and aged under flor before a second fortification to 18-19% kills off the flor, before additional ageing with the presence of oxygen. This produces a complex, rich yet dry wine with a balance between nuttiness and green apple freshness.

A Palo Cortado is a Fino or Amontillado where the flor has died naturally, this is rare, the style represents less than 2% of Sherry production. At the point where the flor is no longer protecting the wine from oxygen, the cask is fortified to around 19% to prevent complete oxidation. Typically they verge a little richer than Amontillado, with more walnut and toffee character, while staying lighter in body than an Oloroso.

Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado 75cl - £24.50

Lovely developed and savoury Amontillado, with smoked nut and dried apricot aromas and a dry and minerally palate. Pairs stunningly with hard cheeses.

Lustau Peninsula Palo Cortado 37.5cl - £21.95

Dry, concentrated and complex, with an average age of 12 years. Dark chocolate, earthy spice and orange peel notes and an incredibly long finish. Lovely before or after dinner,

Oloroso

The boldest and darkest of the dry sherries, Oloroso is fortified straight to 18-21% before ageing, preventing flor from ever developing and exposing it to oxygen for the entire ageing. This produces a wine with intense nutty character, often with a slight grip or bitterness on the palate.

Alvaro Domecq Oloroso Alburejo 75cl - £28.50

Averaging 15 years of age, this displays the deep mahogany colour of maturity and a bold and complex aroma of raisins, burnt toffee, sandalwood and walnut. Full-bodied, yet totally dry on the palate, this makes for fun food pairings with game dishes or strong cheeses.

The Sweet Stuff - PX and Cream

To talk about sweet 'Sherry' we have to introduce a new grape, and a new location. The wines of Montilla-Moriles are often grouped with Sherry, despite being a different region, inland and to the east. Here they grow the Pedro-Ximenez variety, which is largely used to make the eponymous sweet wine. 

Pedro-Ximenez is produced by drying the harvested grapes in the sun until they are extremely desiccated raisins, giving incredibly syrupy juice when pressed. Fermentation is stopped at around 2% by fortification to 17-20% before ageing in a solera in the same fashion as Sherry.

Cream Sherry is made by blending sweet Pedro Ximenez with dry aged Sherry (usually Oloroso or Amontillado). You may remember seeing ' Oloroso Dulce' or 'Rich Oloroso' in the past, these names have now been outlawed by the Consejo overseeing the region to avoid confusion with the dry styles of the same name.

Toro Albala Don PX Cosecha 2019 37.5cl - £18.95

Toro Albala produce a rare vintage PX, rather than ageing in the solera. The result wine is extraordinarily sweet, textured like syrup with notes of fig, raisin and caramel. One of the few sweet wines that can pair with Christmas pudding, or popularly drizzled on vanilla ice cream.

Lustau East India Solera 50cl - £18.99

With this rich Cream sherry, Lustau have attempted to recreate the style that would have been taken on ships in the colonial era - a blend of 80% Oloroso and 20% PX from 12 year old soleras, then combined in a different solera for an additional 3 years. Rich notes of prune, orange peel and praline with a full but balanced sweetness on the palate. Heaven with blue cheese!