Sherry is a type of wine originally produced in and around the town of Jerez, Spain; and hence in Spanish it is called "Vino de Jerez". By law, Sherry must come from the triangular area of the province of Cádiz between Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. However the name "Sherry" is used as a semi-generic in the United States where it must be labeled with a region of origin such as American Sherry or California Sherry. In earlier times sherry was known as sack (a rendering of sec, "dry").
Sherry is a fortified wine, made in Spain from three types of grapes: Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, and Muscat (Moscatel). Sherry-style wines made in other countries often use other grape varieties.
Sherry differs from other wines because of how it is treated after fermentation. After fermentation is complete, it is first fortified with brandy and then if destined to be fino style a yeast called flor is allowed to grow on top. Oloroso style is fortified to a strength where the flor cannot grow. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, all natural sherries are dry; any sweetness is applied later.
In contrast, Port Wine is fortified half way through fermentation, stopping fermentation so not all the sugars are allowed to turn into alcohol and so leaving a sweet wine.
The Sherry is fortified using destillado, made by distilling wine, usually from La Mancha. This is mixed with a 50/50 mix of alcohol and mature Sherry known as mitad y mitad so the effects of the strong alcohol does not shock the young Sherry and spoil it.
Aging
Immediately after fermentation, the wine is sampled and the first classification is performed. The casks are marked with the following symbols according to the potential of the wine:
- / a single stroke indicates a wine with the finest flavour and aroma, suitable for Fino or Amontillado. These wines are fortified to about 15% alcohol to allow the growth of flor.
- /. a single stroke with a dot indicates a heavier, more full-bodied wine. These wines are fortified to about 17.5% alcohol to prevent the growth of flor, and the wines are aged oxidatively to produce Oloroso.
- // a double stroke indicates a wine which will be allowed to develop further before determining whether to use the wine for Amontillado or Oloroso. These wines are fortified to about 15% alcohol.
- /// a triple stroke indicates a wine that has developed poorly, and will be distilled.
The wine is filled into 600-litre American or Canadian oak casks, which are slightly more porous than French or Spanish oak. The casks, or butts, are filled five-sixths full, leaving "the space of two fists" empty at the top to allow flor to develop on top of the wine.
Sherry is then aged in the solera system where new wine is put into wine barrels at the beginning of a series of 3 to 9 barrels. Periodically, a portion of the wine in a barrel is moved into the next barrel down, using tools called the canoa (canoe) and rociador (sprinkler) to move the wine gently and avoid damaging the layer of flor in each barrel. At the end of the series only a portion of the final barrel is bottled and sold. Depending on the type of wine, the portion moved may be between 5 and 30 percent of each barrel. This process is called "running the scales," because each barrel in the series is called a scale.
So the age of the youngest wine going into the bottle is determined by the number of barrels in the series, and every bottle also contains some much older wine.
Styles