Most casual wine drinkers associate Sherry as the drink of choice for the comically pompous Crane brothers from the 90s sitcom “Frasier.” But, truth be told, Sherry has a far more illustrious history that is often overlooked due to its decline in commercial popularity in the United States.   

Sherry is a fortified wine originating in the Mediterranean coastal town of Jerez in southern Spain. Fortified wines, such as Sherry, are produced by adding spirits (typically brandy) to the wine to raise the alcohol content of the wine to a point where yeast and bacteria cannot survive. The resulting drink is safe to consume and less likely to degrade over extended periods of time despite inadequate storage conditions.

This fact was of primary importance to the explorers and world travelers of previous eras as they would desire to bring their wines with them on their long journeys in the intense environs of their ship’s cargo holds. While regular wines would easily spoil in these scenarios, fortified wines could withstand the extremes and last the duration of even the most arduous trips. Thus, the geographical location of Jerez is significant due to its convenient position along the trade route, facilitating the demand of Sherry to stock the adventurers’ ships in route to the Far East and other remote destinations.   

Sherry wine is mainly comprised of the local Spanish grape varieties Palomino, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel. It is crafted only in a dry style unlike other fortified wines that are made in a sweet style, such as Port, or styles such as Madiera and Marsala. To create a fortified wine in a dry style, the spirits must be introduced to the wine after it has fermented to dry. This means allowing the yeast to completely consume the sugars in the grape juice so that the resulting wine is not sweet when the brandy is added.

Sherry is generally divided into two types – Fino Sherry and Oloroso Sherry. As a consumer, this point becomes quite relevant in the wine shop. Fino Sherry is considered higher quality and has a corresponding price range associated with it. Finos are paler in color, lighter in body and lower in alcohol content. They feature definitive nutty aromas and ripe apple flavors. Olorosos are darker and fuller with higher alcohol levels and rich caramel notes.  

One of the more unique aspects of Sherry that differentiates it from traditional wine production is that once fortified, it is aged in a complex system of barrels known as a Solera. Large oak casks resting horizontally are stacked atop each other in rows. The oldest Sherry resides in the bottom row and newer Sherries in decreasing age fill the rows above with the youngest Sherry occupying the top row. Every vintage, a portion of the lowest (oldest) row is removed and bottled for consumption. A share of the next oldest Sherry takes its place in the bottom row with each row above contributing some contents to the row directly below it. Brand new Sherry is added to the barrels on the top level. This fractional removal and blending of the Sherry during its multi-year migration through the rows allows the collective age of the Sherry to increase. So, labels on higher end Sherries are likely to designate the age of the Solera as opposed to highlighting the year of the vintage of that particular Sherry. 

So, if you are looking to add something different to your tasting repertoire, diversify your wine collection with some of Spain’s most historic fortified wines. That way if you ever host the Cranes for dinner, you can happily inquire, “Sherry, Niles?”