Fino
The driest, most saline style of Sherry, finos are generally made from high-acid Palomino grapes grown in chalky white soils called albariza. These tank-fermented white wines spend their entire fortified existence under a blanket of yeast called flor, which protects the wine from oxidation. Finos usually contain 15–16% alcohol, are best served well chilled and are dynamite when paired with salty snacks like peanuts, potato chips, cured olives and fried seafood.
Recommendation
González Byass NV Tio Pepe Fino en Rama; $25. This specialty fino is made from a selection of top barrels from the bodega’s two oldest fino soleras. The current release is the sixth edition of en Rama, which is Jerezano slang for a wine in its most unrefined, delicate state. Vin Divino.
Manzanilla
This flinty style is, in essence, fino made in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Like finos, manzanillas incor-porate the same winemaking and aging-under-flor techniques, which preserve freshness and promote salinity. Because manzanillas are the lightest of Sherries, they pair exceptionally well with raw seafood.
Recommendation
Equipo Navazos NV La Bota de Manzanilla 55; $50. This is the eighth release in a limited series of almacenista manzanillas (one barrel of specially selected Sherry purchased from a small producer; in this case, Miguel Sánchez Ayala). Taken from its solera in November 2014, it’s ideal with foods like mackerel sashimi and Southeast Asian dishes.
European Cellars.
Amontillado
There’s no guarantee that a flor blanket will hold, and in cases where it doesn’t, amontillado is the result. Amontillados take on a brown hue, due to extended contact with air inside the solera barrels. And rather than the crisp, saline flavors of finos and manzanillas, amontillados deliver oxidized notes of nuttiness, sautéed mushrooms and a richness best described as umami. Usually about 18% abv, they pair perfectly with medium-bodied soups or flavorfully sauced pork, pheasant or rabbit.
Recommendation
Bodegas Dios Baco S.L. NV 20 Years Old Baco Imperial Amontillado; $80.
A blast of walnut and caramel aromas precedes a racy, nervy palate. Flavors of dried apricot, salted peanuts and toffee are offset by firm acidity, making this amontillado versatile with many foods. Colección Internacional del Vino.
Oloroso
Whereas amontillado is a Sherry in which the flor breaks up naturally, an oloroso sees the cellar master intentionally destroy the flor to promote oxidation. Olorosos can be sweet or dry in style, depending on whether the wine includes Moscatel (sweet), or is made strictly from Palomino grapes (dry). Like with amontillado, where the abv is usually around 18–19%, olorosos can withstand decades in barrel, which creates extra richness and complexity.
Recommendation
Gutiérrez-Colosía NV Sangre y Trabajadero; $21/375 ml. Complex and full bodied, this oloroso is aged roughly 12 years in a solera prior to bottling. The bodega, which dates back to 1838, is located in El Puerto de Santa María, the third town in the “Sherry Triangle,” along with Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Pair this and other fine olorosos with the same wide range of foods as an amontillado. Coeur Wine Co.
Palo Cortado
The wildcard of Sherry, palo cortado begins its existence under flor, and then loses that cover while tracking toward amontillado. Along the way, however, something mysterious happens, and the wine grows richer and more regal, like oloroso. The name, palo cortado, is derived from a cross traditionally drawn in white chalk on the barrel’s exterior to note that it’s doing its own thing and isn’t amontillado or oloroso. Palo cortado is an elegant style of Sherry best enjoyed on its own.
Recommendation
Bodegas César Florido NV Peña del Aguila Chipiona; $65/375 ml. A palo cortado from a 40-year-old solera, this delivers intricate flavors of roasted nuts, fine wood and vanilla. It’s potent at 21.5% abv, and a wine for connoisseurs. De Maison Selections.
Cream/Pedro Ximénez
Sweet Sherries come in a multitude of forms and quality levels. A basic Cream Sherry is more or less an oloroso with sweet grapes like Pedro Ximénez (PX) or Moscatel blended in. In complex varietal PX and Moscatel-based Sherries, freshly picked grapes are sun-dried to concentrate sugars and flavors. These can be dark, unctuous wines with viscosity akin to motor oil.
Recommendation
Valdespino NV El Candado Pedro Ximénez; $32. This is a delicious dessert wine to sip alone or pour on top of vanilla ice cream or rice pudding. It’s a viscous sweetie with a molasses-like color and flavors of brown sugar, raisin and chocolate. A beam of vital acidity keeps it from feeling too heavy or tasting too syrupy. Polaner Selections.