Sherry: The World's Most Underrated Wine

If there is one wine that serious wine lovers consistently nominate as the world's most underrated, it is Sherry. Made in the sun-baked chalky albariza soils around Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain, Sherry offers a range of styles — from some of the most refreshing and bone-dry whites in the world to some of the most intensely sweet and complex — that no other wine region on earth can match.

And yet Sherry remains stubbornly overlooked by the general wine-drinking public, associated in many minds with dusty bottles on grandmothers' sideboards. This is one of wine's great injustices — and one that we at Blanco & Gomez have been trying to correct for years.

How Sherry is made

Sherry is a fortified wine — meaning grape spirit is added to the base wine to raise its alcohol level. But what makes Sherry unique is what happens next: the wines are aged in a solera system, a complex arrangement of barrels through which wine is progressively blended across multiple vintages, creating a continuity and consistency that is unmatched in winemaking.

The key to Sherry's extraordinary diversity is flor — a naturally occurring layer of yeast that forms on the surface of certain wines in barrel, protecting them from oxidation and imparting a distinctive saline, nutty character. Wines that develop flor become Fino and Manzanilla; those that don't become Oloroso. And between these two poles lies a spectrum of styles that can spend anywhere from three to sixty or more years in barrel.

The styles of Sherry

Fino — The driest and most delicate style, aged entirely under flor in Jerez. Pale, crisp, saline, and with a distinctive almond and chamomile character. Must be served very cold and consumed quickly once opened. The ideal aperitif wine and an extraordinary partner for seafood, jamón, and olives.

Manzanilla — Fino aged in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the proximity to the sea creates a particularly thick and active flor. Manzanilla is noticeably more saline and maritime in character than Jerez Fino — one of the world's most distinctive and refreshing wines.

Amontillado — A Fino that has lost its flor and been allowed to oxidise, developing a deeper amber colour and a complex nose of hazelnuts, dried orange peel, and tobacco. Can range from bone-dry to medium. Extraordinary with aged cheeses, charcuterie, and roasted nuts.

Palo Cortado — The rarest and most enigmatic Sherry style: a wine that began life as a Fino but spontaneously lost its flor and developed in an oxidative direction, gaining the structure of an Oloroso with the finesse of an Amontillado. Genuinely one of the most complex wines in the world.

Oloroso — A fully oxidised Sherry that never developed flor, aged to produce a deep mahogany wine of extraordinary richness, with notes of walnut, dried fruit, leather, and spice. Usually dry, though sweetened versions exist. Exceptional with game, aged hard cheeses, and dark chocolate.

Pedro Ximénez (PX) — Made from sun-dried Pedro Ximénez grapes, PX is one of the most intensely sweet wines on earth — a thick, syrupy, almost black liquid with flavours of raisins, molasses, coffee, and dark chocolate. Pour it over vanilla ice cream. It is extraordinary.

Cream Sherry — A blend of Oloroso and PX, sweetened to a medium-rich style. The style that most people associate with "Sherry" — but a far cry from the complexity of the dry styles.

How to serve Sherry

The most important rule: serve Fino and Manzanilla very cold — as cold as a white wine or even colder — and in proper wine glasses, not tiny copita glasses. Treat them as the serious, complex wines they are.

Amontillado, Palo Cortado, and Oloroso can be served at cool room temperature in a standard white wine glass. PX is best served at room temperature in a small glass.

Once opened, Fino and Manzanilla should be consumed within a week (kept in the fridge). The oxidative styles — Amontillado, Oloroso, PX — will keep for several weeks once opened.

Producers worth seeking out

The finest Sherry comes from a small number of committed producers who focus on quality over volume. Among those we rate most highly: Lustau (exceptional across all styles), Valdespino (historic estate making some of the most profound Finos and Amontillados), Equipo Navazos (extraordinary small-release single-barrel Sherries for collectors), and Fernando de Castilla (particularly their Antique range of ultra-dry aged expressions).

At Blanco & Gomez, our Sherry selection covers the full spectrum of styles from the finest producers. Visit us at 410 King's Road, Chelsea, or browse our Sherry collection at bgwm.co.uk.