02 · Topic hub · Reference

Sherry

Fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso. Flor, solera, and why Jerez remains underrated.

7 Guides
4 Sub-themes
Latest: 24 May 2026
Jump to: Start hereGrapesRegionsStyles & method

1 · Start here

1 piece
Editorial brutalist illustration of a sherry bota with grape spirit pouring into a barrel, halftone patterns and oxidising gold

Why is sherry fortified? Chemistry, history, and why it's still wine

Why is sherry fortified? Mitad y mitad, ABV targets per style, the British sea trade and the chemistry. Plus: is unfortified sherry still sherry?

Start here 11 May

2 · Grapes

1 piece
Editorial brutalist illustration of three grape clusters above white albariza soil under the Andalusian sun

Sherry grapes: Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel

The three sherry grapes Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel, their role in Marco de Jerez and which style each one makes.

Grapes 11 May

3 · Regions

1 piece
Brutalist illustration of the sherry triangle with white albariza chalk soil, three monolithic town silhouettes and Atlantic wind lines

The Sherry Triangle and albariza: where sherry actually comes from

The sherry triangle between Jerez, Sanlúcar and El Puerto. Marco de Jerez DOP, white albariza chalk and Atlantic winds, in one guide.

Regions 11 May

4 · Styles & method

4 pieces
Editorial brutalist illustration of a white yeast layer on sherry inside an American oak butt, fragments and geometric shapes in burgundy and cream

Flor: the yeast that makes fino and manzanilla

Flor sherry yeast lives as a white veil on fino and manzanilla. How this biofilm works, why it dies above 17% ABV, and what it does to flavour.

Styles & method 11 May
Editorial brutalist illustration of stacked sherry casks in a Jerez bodega with the solera on the floor and criaderas above

Solera and criadera: the aging system that makes sherry unique

How the solera system in Jerez gives sherry its signature consistency, with criaderas, saca, rocío, the angels' share and VOS/VORS certification explained.

Styles & method 11 May
Editorial brutalist illustration of a Consejo Regulador seal: a fragmented triangle of chalk-white albariza stone, cut by a numbered back-label band, with silhouettes of solera barrels at the corners

The Consejo Regulador: what the DOP Jerez-Xérès-Sherry guarantees

What does the consejo regulador sherry actually do? Three DOPs, grapes, age categories and the 2022 reform explained.

Styles & method 11 May
Brutalist editorial illustration of a sherry barrel cut through chalk-white albariza soil with flor yeast as a geometric layer on top

What is sherry: a wine, not a separate category

What is sherry? A white wine from Andalusia, made from Palomino, Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel. Not a separate category. Just wine.

Styles & method 11 May

5 · Glossary

12 terms
Concept

Albariza

White chalky soil across Marco de Jerez, made of fossil diatoms, that holds rainwater deep and reflects sunlight back onto the vines.

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Almacenista

Small, artisanal bodega de crianza y almacenado in Marco de Jerez that ages sherry and sells it in bulk to large houses. Iconic via the Lustau Almacenista range since 1981.

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Amontillado

Sherry that starts life as a fino under flor and then, after the yeast dies off, finishes maturing oxidatively to amber and nutty.

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Añada

Vintage sherry from a single harvest year, without solera blending. Rare, recently re-permitted within DO Jerez. Williams & Humbert, Tradición, González Byass.

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Consejo Regulador

Official regulatory body of DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and DO Manzanilla; audits provenance, production, age claims and certification.

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Cream Sherry

Sweet sherry based on Oloroso with added Pedro Ximénez. Sugar 115-140 g/l. Iconic example: Harveys Bristol Cream from the 1860s.

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Criadera

A single row of butts within a solera system holding wine of similar average age; topped up from the criadera above (younger).

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El Puerto de Santa María

Coastal town between Jerez and Sanlúcar, the third corner of Marco de Jerez. Sherry style sits between inland Jerez and maritime Sanlúcar.

→ Technique

En Rama

Sherry bottling with minimal or no filtration. Literally 'from the branch'. Keeps flor flakes and turbidity. Pioneer release: Barbadillo Solear Pasada en Rama (1999).

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Fino

Pale, bone-dry sherry aged biologically under a living veil of flor yeast in half-filled butts at Jerez or El Puerto.

→ Technique

Flor

Living yeast veil of Saccharomyces strains that forms on fino and manzanilla and shields the wine from oxidation during biological ageing.

→ Region

Jerez de la Frontera

Capital of the sherry region. One of three corners of Marco de Jerez (with Sanlúcar and El Puerto). Inland, hotter and drier than the coast.

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All terms →

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This is the reference. For reviews, opinion and podcast conversations about sherry: see the blocks below.

About sherry, not in the Library

Reviews, opinion and market news under Articles. 5 pieces.