View source for Sherry

{{Short description|Spanish fortified wine from white grapes}}
{{about|the type of wine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox wine region
| name = Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DOP
| image = DO Jerez location.svg
| caption = Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DOP in the [[province of Cádiz]] in the region of [[Andalucía]]
| official name = D.O.P. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry<ref name="gobes">{{Cite web |title=Denominación de Origen Protegida "Jerez-Xérès-Sherry" |url=https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/alimentacion/temas/calidad-agroalimentaria/calidad-diferenciada/dop/vcprd/DOP_jerez.aspx |access-date=10 January 2020 |website=mapa.gob.es}}</ref>
| other name =
| type = {{Lang|es|[[Denominación de Origen|Denominación de Origen Protegida]]}} (DOP)
| year = 1932
| country = Spain
| sub regions = 
| climate region =
| planted = 
| vineyards = {{convert|6989|ha|acres|0}}
| grapes =
| varietals =
| wine produced = 384,350 hectolitres
| wineries = 
| comments = Data for 2016 / 2017 for Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Manzanilla S.B. DOPs
}}
[[Image:Del Duque Amontillado Sherry.jpg|thumb|A glass of [[Amontillado]] sherry with [[olives]]]]

'''Sherry''' ({{langx|es|Jerez}} {{IPA|es|xeˈɾeθ|}}) is a [[fortified wine]] produced from white grapes grown around the city of [[Jerez de la Frontera]] in [[Andalusia]], [[Spanish wine|Spain]]. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the [[Palomino (grape)|Palomino]] grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as [[Manzanilla (wine)|Manzanilla]] and [[fino]], to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to [[Redox|oxidise]] as they age in barrel, such as [[Amontillado]] and [[oloroso]]. Sweet [[dessert wine]]s are also made from [[Pedro Ximénez]] or [[Moscatel]] grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based sherries.

Under the official name of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, it is one of Spain's wine regions, a {{Lang|es|[[Denominación de Origen|Denominación de Origen Protegida]]}} (DOP). The word ''sherry'' is an [[anglicisation]] of Xérès (Jerez). Sherry was previously known as ''[[sack (wine)|sack]]'', from the Spanish ''saca'', meaning "extraction" from the [[solera]]. In Europe, "sherry" has [[protected designation of origin]] status, and under [[Law of Spain|Spanish law]], all wine labelled as "sherry" must legally come from the [[Sherry Triangle]], an area in the province of [[Cádiz (province)|Cádiz]] between Jerez de la Frontera, [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]], and [[El Puerto de Santa María]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quality Control – Vintage Direct |url=http://www.nicks.com.au/index.aspx?link_id=76.1232 |access-date=10 January 2015 |archive-date=10 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910165009/http://www.nicks.com.au/index.aspx?link_id=76.1232 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1933 the Jerez {{Lang|es|[[denominación de origen]]}} was the first Spanish ''denominación'' to be officially recognised in this way, officially named ''D.O. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry'' and sharing the same governing council as ''[[Manzanilla (wine)|D.O. Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foods and Wines from Spain. Everything you should know about Spanish food, Spanish wine and gastronomy from Spain. |url=https://www.foodswinesfromspain.com/spanishfoodwine/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2009 |website=foodswinesfromspain.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629020200/http://www.winesfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageGen/0%2C3346%2C1549487_4946338_4944445_1071_-1%2C00.html}}</ref>

After [[Fermentation (wine)|fermentation]] is complete, the base wines are fortified with grape [[Distilled spirit|spirit]] to increase their final [[Alcohol by volume|alcohol content]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Classification and Fortification |url=http://www.sherry.org/EN/clasificacion.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110202702/http://www.sherry.org/EN/clasificacion.cfm |archive-date=10 January 2015 |access-date=10 January 2015 |website=sherry.org |publisher=Regulatory Council of Sherry Wines}}</ref> Wines classified as suitable for aging as fino and Manzanilla are fortified until they reach a total alcohol content of 15.5 percent by volume. As they age in a barrel, they develop a layer of [[flor]]—a [[yeast]]-like growth that helps protect the wine from excessive oxidation. Those wines that are classified to undergo aging as oloroso are fortified to reach an alcohol content of at least 17 per cent. They do not develop flor and so oxidise slightly as they age, giving them a darker colour. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, most sherries are initially dry, with any sweetness being added later. Despite the [[List of common misconceptions|common misconception]] that sherry is a sweet drink, most varieties are dry.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lyons |first=Will |date=August 12, 2015 |title=The Aperitif for Every Season |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-aperitif-for-every-season-1439381596 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813224148/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-aperitif-for-every-season-1439381596 |archive-date=August 13, 2015 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dao |first=Dan Q |date=June 29, 2023 |title=A Guide to Sherry Varieties: Everything You Need to Know About Spain's Famed Fortified Wine |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/sherry-101-an-introduction-to-the-hippest-old-person-drink-around |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224021540/https://www.seriouseats.com/sherry-101-an-introduction-to-the-hippest-old-person-drink-around |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |access-date=June 26, 2024 |website=[[Serious Eats]]}}</ref> In contrast, [[port wine]] is fortified halfway through its fermentation, which stops the process so that not all of the sugar is turned into alcohol.

Wines from different years are aged and blended using a [[solera]] system before bottling so that bottles of sherry will not usually carry a specific vintage year and can contain a small proportion of very old wine. Sherry is regarded by some wine writers<ref>Eric Asimov, [http://events.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/reviews/09wine.html?ref=dining "For Overlooked Sherries, Some Respect"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701075830/http://events.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/reviews/09wine.html?ref=dining |date=1 July 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', 9 July 2008.</ref> as "underappreciated"<ref>Karen MacNeil (2001), ''The Wine Bible'' (Workman Publishing, {{ISBN|978-1-56305-434-1}}), 537: "the world's most misunderstood and underappreciated wine".</ref> and a "neglected wine treasure".<ref>[[Jancis Robinson]], [http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a2008090551.html Sherry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514113934/http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a2008090551.html |date=14 May 2011 }} (5 September 2008): "The world's most neglected wine treasure".</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Sherry}}
[[Image:Sherry de la Frontera 1775.jpg|thumb|Sherry of 1775 – the oldest wine in the [[Massandra Winery]] collection, [[Crimea]]]]
[[Image:ValdiviaJerez52.jpg|thumb|Three levels of sherry [[solera]]]]
Jerez has been a centre of [[viniculture]] since wine-making was introduced to Spain by the [[Phoenicians]] in 1100 BCE. The practice was carried on by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] when they took control of Iberia around 200 BCE. The [[Moors]] conquered the region in 711 CE and introduced [[distillation]], which led to the development of [[brandy]] and fortified wine.

During the [[Moors|Moorish]] period, the town was called ''Sherish'' (a transliteration of the Arabic [[wikt:شريش|شريش]]), from which both ''sherry'' and ''Jerez'' are derived. Wines similar in style to sherry have traditionally been made in the city of [[Shiraz]] in mid-southern Iran, but it is thought unlikely that the name derives from there.<ref>Maclean, Fitzroy. ''Eastern Approaches''. (1949). Reprint: [[The Reprint Society|The Reprint Society Ltd.]], London, 1951, p. 215</ref><ref name="fisher">{{Cite book |last=William Bayne Fisher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2pO-mttL50C |title=The Cambridge History of Iran |date=1 October 1968 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-06935-9 |page=25 |access-date=25 August 2011}}</ref>
Wine production continued through five centuries of Muslim rule. In 966, [[Al-Hakam II]], the second [[Caliphate of Córdoba|Caliph of Córdoba]], ordered the destruction of the vineyards, but the inhabitants of Jerez appealed on the grounds that the vineyards also produced raisins to feed the empire's soldiers, and the Caliph spared two-thirds of the vineyards.

In 1264 [[Alfonso X of Castile]] took the city. From this point on, the production of sherry and its export throughout Europe increased significantly. By the end of the 16th century, sherry had a reputation in Europe as the world's finest wine. [[Christopher Columbus]] brought sherry on his voyage to the New World and when [[Ferdinand Magellan]] prepared to sail around the world in 1519, he spent more on sherry than on weapons.

By the time of the sixteenth century Cadiz became one of the most important Spanish seaports. In 1587 Spain was [[Spanish Armada|preparing an armada]] from there to invade England. [[Francis Drake]], in a preemptive strike, [[Singeing the King of Spain's Beard|sacked Cadiz]] that same year. After destroying the fleet, Drake brought back 2,900 barrels of sherry that had been waiting to be loaded aboard Spanish ships.<ref name="The Story of Wine">{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Hugh |title=The story of wine |publisher=Octopus Publishing Group |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84000-972-9 |edition=New illustrated |location=London}}</ref> This helped popularize sherry in the British Isles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Juan P. Simó |date=28 November 2010 |title=Me habré bebido El Majuelo |url=http://www.diariodejerez.es/article/jerez/847168/me/habre/bebido/majuelo.html |access-date=25 August 2011 |website=diariodejerez.es |language=es}}.</ref>

In the following centuries sherry was a major wine export to the United Kingdom, and thus many English companies and styles developed. Many of the Jerez cellars were founded by British families. In 1894 the Jerez region was devastated by the insect [[phylloxera]]. Whereas larger vineyards were replanted with resistant vines, most smaller producers were unable to fight the infestation and abandoned their vineyards entirely.<ref name="unwin">{{Cite book |last=Unwin |first=Tim |title=Wine and the vine: an historical geography of viticulture and the wine trade |publisher=Routledge |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-415-03120-2 |edition=1st |location=London |page=297}}</ref>

==Types==
* '''[[Fino]]''' ('delicate' in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. The wine is aged in barrels under a cap of [[flor]] [[yeast (wine)|yeast]] to prevent contact with the air.
* '''[[Manzanilla (wine)|Manzanilla]]''' is an especially light variety of fino sherry made around the port of [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]].
* '''[[Manzanilla (wine)#Special types of Manzanilla|Manzanilla Pasada]]''' is a Manzanilla that has undergone extended aging or has been partially oxidised, giving a richer, nuttier flavour.
* '''[[Amontillado]]''' is a variety of sherry that is first aged under flor and then exposed to oxygen, producing a sherry that is darker than a Fino but lighter than an Oloroso. Naturally dry, they are sometimes sold lightly- to medium-sweetened (though these may no longer be labelled as Amontillado).<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2012 |title=Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía (BOJA) |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/boja/boletines/2012/71/d/updf/d17.pdf |page=52 |number=71}}</ref>
* '''[[Palo Cortado]]''' is a variety of sherry that is initially aged like an Amontillado, typically for three or four years, but which subsequently develops a character closer to an Oloroso. This either happens by accident when the flor dies or commonly the flor is killed by fortification or filtration.
* '''[[Oloroso]]''' ('scented' in Spanish) is a variety of sherry aged oxidatively for a longer time than a Fino or Amontillado, producing a darker and richer wine. With [[alcohol level]]s between 18 and 20%, Olorosos are the most alcoholic sherries.<ref name="Sotheby pg 325">T. Stevenson ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' pg 325 Dorling Kindersley 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-7566-1324-2}}</ref> Like Amontillado, naturally dry, they are often also sold in sweetened versions called '''Cream''' sherry (first made in the 1860s by blending different sherries, usually including Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez).
* '''Jerez Dulce''' ('''sweet sherries''') are made either by fermenting dried [[Pedro Ximénez]] ('''PX''') or [[Muscat of Alexandria|Moscatel]] grapes, which produces an intensely sweet dark brown or black wine, or by blending sweeter wines or [[grape must]] with a drier variety.

On 12 April 2012, the rules applicable to the sweet and fortified Denominations of Origen [[Montilla-Moriles]] and Jerez-Xérès-Sherry<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2011 |title=Pliego de Condiciones de la Denominación de Origen "Jerez-Xérès-Sherry" |trans-title=Specification of Conditions for the Designation of the Origin of "Jerez-Xérès-Sherry" |url=http://www.sherry.org/documentacion/Pliego%20de%20Condiciones%20Jerez%20301111.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511012129/http://www.sherry.org/documentacion/Pliego%20de%20Condiciones%20Jerez%20301111.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2013 |website=sherry.org |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture (Spain)|Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries]]}}</ref> were changed to prohibit terms such as "Rich Oloroso", "Sweet Oloroso" and "Oloroso Dulce".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía (BOJA) Página núm. 52 BOJA núm. 71 Sevilla, 12 de abril 2012 – The Andalusia Government Official Bulletin Number 71, Page 5 |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/boja/boletines/2012/71/d/updf/d17.pdf}}</ref> Such wines are to be labelled as "Cream Sherry: Blend of Oloroso / Amontillado" or suchlike.

[[Image:CataJerez.jpg|thumb|300px|A tasting of sherries]]

The classification by sweetness is:

{|class="wikitable"
!Fortified Wine Type!!Alcohol % ABV !!Sugar content<br />(grams per litre)
|-
|Fino||15–17||0–5
|-
|Manzanilla||15–17||0–5
|-
|Amontillado||16–17||0–5
|-
|Palo Cortado||17–22||0–5
|-
|Oloroso||17–22||0–5
|-
|Dry||15–22||5–45
|-
|Pale Cream||15.5–22||45–115
|-
|Medium||15–22||5–115
|-
|Cream||15.5–22||115–140
|-
|Dulce / Sweet||15–22||160+
|-
|Moscatel||15–22||160+
|-
|Pedro Ximénez||15–22||212+
|-
|}

==Trademark protection ==
[[Image:Sherry Regulate Council - pic 2.jpg|thumb|Jerez Wine Regulatory Council]]
[[Image:Etiqueta DO Jerez.jpg|thumb|DO sherry]]
Spanish producers have registered the three names ''Jerez'' / ''Xérès'' / ''sherry'', and so may prosecute producers of similar fortified wines from other places using any of the same names. In 1933, Article 34 of the Spanish ''Estatuto del Vino'' (Wine Law) established the boundaries of sherry production as the first [[Spanish wine]] ''denominación''. Today, sherry's official status is further recognized by wider [[QWPSR|EU legislation]], under which "sherry" sold within the EU must come from the triangular area of the province of [[Cádiz (province)|Cádiz]] between [[Jerez de la Frontera]], [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]], and [[El Puerto de Santa María]]. In the US, the name "sherry" is used as a [[semi-generic]], and it must be labeled with a region of origin such as American sherry or California sherry; such wines cannot be legally exported to the EU.

Both Canadian and [[Australian wine]]makers now use the term '''Apera''' instead of sherry,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fairfax Regional Media |date=19 January 2009 |title=Apera it is as sun sets on sherry |url=http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/42870/apera-it-is-as-sun-sets-on-sherry/ |access-date=10 January 2015 |website=The Border Mail}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Where did the term 'Apera', which has replaced the term for 'Sherry' made in Canada, come from? |work= Wine Spectator |date= 21 January 2015 |url=https://www.winespectator.com/articles/where-did-the-term-apera-which-has-replaced-the-term-for-sherry-made-in-canada-come-from-51122}}</ref> while consumers still use the term sherry.

==Production==
===Climate===
The Jerez district has a predictable climate, with approximately 70 days of rainfall and almost 300 days of sun per year. The rain mostly falls between the months of October and May, averaging {{cvt|600|mm|0}}. The summer is dry and hot, with temperatures as high as {{cvt|40|C}}, but winds from the ocean bring moisture to the vineyards in the early morning and the clays in the soil retain water below the surface. The average temperature across the year is approximately {{cvt|18|C}}.

===Soil===
There are three [[List of vineyard soils|types of soil]] in the Jerez district for growing the grapes for sherry:<ref name="MacNeil pg 438">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 438 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref>
* ''[[Albariza]]'': the lightest soil, almost white, and best for growing Palomino grapes. It is approximately 40 percent chalk, the rest being a blend of clay and sand. Albariza preserves moisture well during the hot summer months.
* ''Arenas'': yellowish soil, also 10 percent chalk but with a high sand content.
* ''Barros'': dark brown soil, 10 percent chalk with a high clay content.

The ''albariza'' soil is the best for growing the Palomino grape, and by law, 40 percent of the grapes making up a sherry must come from ''albariza'' soil. The ''barros'' and ''arenas'' soil is mostly used for Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes.

The benefit of the ''albariza'' soil is that it can reflect sunlight back up to the vine, aiding it in [[photosynthesis]]. The nature of the soil is very absorbent and compact so it can retain and maximize the use of the little rainfall that the Jerez region receives.<ref name="MacNeil pg 438" />

===Grapes===
Before the [[phylloxera]] infestation in 1894, there were estimated to be over one hundred varieties of grape used in Spain for the production of sherry,<ref>T. Stevenson, ed. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' (3rd Edition)</ref> but now there are only three white grapes grown for sherry-making:
* [[Muscat (grape and wine)|Moscatel]]: used similarly to Pedro Ximénez, but it is less common.
* [[Palomino (grape)|Palomino]]: the dominant grape used for dry sherries. Approximately 90 per cent of the grapes grown for sherry are Palomino. As [[varietal]] [[table wine]], the Palomino grape produces a wine of very bland and neutral characteristics. This neutrality is actually what makes Palomino an ideal grape because it is easily enhanced by the sherry winemaking style.<ref name="MacNeil pg 438" />
* [[Pedro Ximénez]]: used to produce sweet wines. When harvested these grapes are typically dried in the sun for two days to concentrate their sugars.

Sherry-style wines made in other countries often use other grape varieties.

===Fermentation===
The Palomino grapes are harvested in early September, and [[pressed (wine)|pressed]] lightly to extract the [[must]]. The must from the first pressing, the ''primera yema'', is used to produce Fino and Manzanilla; the must from the second pressing, the ''segunda yema'', will be used for Oloroso; the product of additional pressings is used for lesser wines, distillation, and [[Sherry vinegar|vinegar]]. The must is then fermented in stainless steel vats until the end of November, producing a dry white wine with 11–12 per cent alcohol content. Previously, the fermentation and initial aging were done in wood; now it is almost exclusively done in stainless steel, with the exception of one or two high-end wines.

===Fortification===
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:
{|border="0" cellpadding="2"
|-
!/
|a single stroke indicates a wine with the finest flavour and aroma, suitable for Fino or Amontillado. These wines are fortified to about 15 per cent 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 per cent alcohol to prevent the growth of flor, and the wines are aged oxidatively to produce Oloroso.
|-
!//
|a double stroke indicates a wine that will be allowed to develop further before determining whether to use the wine for Amontillado or Oloroso. These wines are fortified to about 15 per cent alcohol.
|-
!///
|a triple stroke indicates a wine that has developed poorly and will be [[Distillation|distilled]].
|}

The sherry is [[Fortified wine|fortified]] using ''destilado'', made by distilling wine, usually from [[La Mancha]]. The distilled spirit is first mixed with mature sherry to make a 50/50 blend known as ''mitad y mitad'' (half and half), and then the ''mitad y mitad'' is mixed with the younger sherry to the proper proportions. This two-stage procedure is performed so the strong alcohol will not shock the young sherry and spoil it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerez de la Frontera Sherry Wine Tours from Seville &#124; Spanish Fiestas |url=https://www.spanish-fiestas.com/jerez-sherry-wine-tours/ |website=spanish-fiestas.com|date=8 October 2020 }}</ref>

===Aging===
[[Image:FLOR-ValdiviaJerez59.jpg|thumb|Sherry barrel with transparent front so visitors can see the natural development of ''flor'']]
The fortified wine is stored in 500-litre casks made of North American [[oak (wine)|oak]], which is 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 barrel]]s at the beginning of a series of three to nine 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 five and thirty percent of each barrel. This process is called "running the scales" because each barrel in the series is called a scale. Thus, the age of the youngest wine going in the bottle is determined by the number of barrels in the series, and every bottle also contains some much older wine than is stated. Sherry is aged in the solera for a minimum of two years.<ref>https://www.sherry.wine/sites/default/files/pliego_de_condiciones_de_la_do_jerez-xeres-sherry.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621152250/http://www.sherry.wine/sites/default/files/pliego_de_condiciones_de_la_do_jerez-xeres-sherry.pdf |date=21 June 2017 }}, art. C3 c)</ref> A large solera system may consist of scales that require more than one barrel to hold. The word 'solera' means 'on the ground'; this refers to the stacking system that was, and sometimes still is, used, with the youngest barrels at the top and the oldest scale, also somewhat ambiguously called 'the solera', at the bottom. Of late, sherry producers and marketers have been bottling their wines ''en rama'', with only a light filtration, and often a selection of a favored barrel from a larger solera.  Such sherries can be considerably more complex in flavour than the standard bottlings, and, according to many, are worth seeking out.<ref>Liem, Peter and Barquín, Jesús, Sherry, Manzanilla, and Morilla, a guide to the traditional wines of Andalusia, New York: Mantius, 2012.</ref> In order to allow the sale of reliable average age-dated sherries, the regulating council has set up a system that accurately tracks the average age of the wines as they move through their solera. Two average age-dated categories are recognized:  VOS ('Vinum Optimum Signatum' – 20 years old average age minimum) and VORS ('Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum' – 30 years old average age minimum).<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 February 2015|title=Age statements: VOS / VORS sherry|url=https://www.sherrynotes.com/2015/background/vos-vors-sherry-age/|access-date=4 July 2016|website=sherrynotes.com}}</ref>

[[File:Garvey-VORS-PedroXimenex-Jerez P1080824.JPG|thumb|right|30-year-old sherry]]

Sherry-seasoned casks are sold to the [[Scotch whisky]] industry for use in aging [[whisky]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Types of Sherry Cask Used To Make Whisky, And Their Effect on Flavour |url=https://topwhiskies.com/blogs/whisky-blog/sherry-casks-effect-whisky-flavour |access-date=26 July 2022 |website=TopWhiskies}}</ref> Other spirits and beverages may also be aged in used sherry casks. Contrary to what most people think, these sherry-seasoned casks are specifically prepared for the whisky industry, they are not the same as the old (and largely inactive) butts used for the maturation of sherry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2016 |title=Sherry and oak |url=https://www.sherrynotes.com/2016/background/sherry-and-oak/}}</ref>

==Storing and drinking==
Once bottled, sherry does not generally benefit from further aging and may be consumed immediately, though the sherries that have been aged oxidatively may be stored for years without noticeable loss in flavour. Bottles should be stored upright to minimize the wine's exposed surface area. As with other wines, sherry should be stored in a cool, dark place. The best fino sherries, aged for longer than normal before bottling, such as Manzanilla Pasada, will continue to develop in the bottle for some years.

Fino and Manzanilla are the most fragile types of sherry and should usually be drunk soon after opening, in the same way as unfortified wines. In Spain, Finos are often sold in half bottles, with any remaining wine being thrown out if it is not drunk the same day it is opened.<ref name="MacNeil pg 447">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 447 Workman Publishing 2001. {{ISBN|978-1-56305-434-1}}</ref> Amontillados and Olorosos will keep for longer, while sweeter versions such as PX, and blended cream sherries, are able to last several weeks or even months after opening since the sugar content acts as a preservative.

[[File:Venenciadora serving Sherry.jpg|thumb|A ''venenciadora'' pours sherry drawn from a cask (or "butt") into a ''catavino'' (2007)]]

[[File:El arte de venenciar.ogg|thumb|The art of ''venenciar'']]

Sherry is traditionally drunk from a ''[[Sherry glass|copita]]'' (also referred to as a ''catavino''), a special tulip-shaped sherry glass. Sampling wine directly from a sherry butt may be performed with a characteristic flourish by a ''venenciador'', named after the special cup (the ''[[venencia]]'') traditionally made of silver and fastened to a long whale whisker handle. The cup, narrow enough to pass through the [[bung hole]], withdraws a measure of sherry which is then ceremoniously poured from a head height into a ''copita'' held in the other hand.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Julyan |first=Brian K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EH_dVAApBMC&dq=venenciador+taste&pg=PA214 |title=Sales and Service for the Wine Professional |date=26 December 2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=9781844807895 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Various types are often mixed with lemonade (and usually ice). This [[long drink]] is now called [[Rebujito]]. A similar drink in the [[Victorian era]] was the [[sherry cobbler]], shaken and served over shaved ice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Time for a Drink: Sherry Cobbler |url=http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/08/sherry-cobbler-cocktail-recipe.html |access-date=10 January 2015}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Uncorking Old Sherry MET DP818491.jpg|thumb|''[[Uncorking Old Sherry]]'' by [[James Gillray]], 1805.]]
Many literary figures have written about sherry, including [[William Shakespeare]], [[Benito Pérez Galdós]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Literatura del Jerez: Benito Pérez Galdós y el Jerez |trans-title=Sherry Literature: Benito Pérez Galdós and Sherry |url=http://www.jerezdecine.com/perezgaldos.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713102057/http://www.jerezdecine.com/perezgaldos.htm |archive-date=13 July 2011 |website=jerezdecine.com |language=es}}</ref> and [[Edgar Allan Poe]] (in his story "[[The Cask of Amontillado]]").

Brothers [[Frasier Crane|Frasier]] and [[Niles Crane]] frequently consume sherry on the TV sitcom ''[[Frasier]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What kind of sherry did Frasier drink? |url=http://worldofbooze.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/what-kind-of-sherry |access-date=10 January 2015 |website=Henry's World of Booze|date=3 November 2010 }}</ref>

In the UK television show ''[[Yes Minister]]'', [[Jim Hacker]] frequently drinks sherry with [[Sir Humphrey Appleby]] and [[Bernard Woolley]] in his office.

Sherry, and Amontillado specifically, is heavily featured in season 3, episode 10 of ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]''.

Sherry is frequently mentioned in the novel ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'', and plays an important role in the narrative: the spy Jim Prideaux is alerted to the presence of a double agent within his division when Russian [[KGB]] agents are able to correctly identify the brand of sherry that was consumed during a secret meeting of [[MI6]] personnel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=le Carré |first1=John |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |date=1975 |publisher=Pan Books |location=London & Sydney |isbn=0330244078 |page=254 }}</ref>

In John Mortimer's long-running ''[[Rumpole of the Bailey]]'' book and television series, Horace Rumpole continually complains about how various family doctors are served sherry by his wife Hilda when they visit. For example, in 'Rumpole and the Boat People':
 
{{Blockquote|Dr MacClintock, the slow-speaking, Edinburgh-bred quack to whom my wife, Hilda turns in times of sickness, took a generous gulp of the sherry she always pours him when he visits our mansion flat, (It's lucky that all his N.H.S. patients aren't so generous or the sick of Gloucester Road would be tended by a reeling medico, yellow about the gills and sloshed on amontillado.)}}

The historic sherry cellars have given rise to a breed of Spanish dog, the [[Ratonero Bodeguero Andaluz|Andalusian wine-cellar rat-hunting dog]], and [[Osborne bull|iconic bull posters]] used to advertise sherry.

The film ''[[Withnail and I]]'' features a much-quoted scene where the two protagonists are offered sherry by the lecherous Uncle Monty.

==Related products==
* [[Brandy de Jerez]]
* [[Classification of wine#Other styles|Cooking sherry]]
* [[Harvey's Bristol Cream]]
* [[Sherry vinegar]]

==References==
{{Portal|Wine|Drink}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |last=Jeffs |first=Julian |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL8908486M/Sherry |title=Sherry |date=1 September 2004 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley |isbn=978-1-84000-923-1 |edition=5th rev. |location=London |ol=8908486M |access-date=25 August 2011}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Sherry}}
* [https://www.sherry.wine/ Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Manzanilla DOP official website]
* [https://www.sherrynotes.com Website about sherry, with interactive timeline, sherry production process diagram]

{{Alcoholic beverages}}
{{Spanish wine regions}}
{{Wine by country}}
{{Culture of Andalusia}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Sherry| ]]
[[Category:Jerez de la Frontera]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Spain]]
[[Category:Appellations]]
[[Category:Wine classification]]
[[Category:Spanish inventions]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]