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To know what Sherry wine is you have to understand what a fortified wine is. To transform a regular wine into a fortified wine grape spirits or Brandy is added to the fermenting juice to stop sugars at a certain point from converting to alcohol. Sherry is one of those wines where grape spirits is added to stop this process. After the Sherry achieves its proper alcohol levels it is tested for quality and separated into two types of Sherry: Fino and Oloroso. Each of these types of Sherry have further classifications.

Three grapes provide the background for all types of Sherry wine: Palomino grapes, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel. The Palomino grape is the backbone for every Sherry. It provides the overall quality of the Sherry. Pedro Ximenez is a sweet grape variety used as a sweetening agent. And Moscatel, or Muscat d’Alexandria provides the light amber colors of Sherry. Once the grapes have fermented to the right levels the juice is tasted and separated according to its quality into two groups. The best of the wine is made into Fino Sherry. Everything else is made into Oloroso Sherry.

The best of the best juice is made into Fino Sherry and is made exclusively from Palomino grapes. The process involved in fermentation, the affect of yeasts on the juice delivers the nutty qualities to the Sherry. Controlled oxidation is another factor determining a Fino’s characteristics: a taste similar to roasted almonds.

Not quite a Fino as it is aged differently, Manzanilla Sherry still falls into the Fino category. It sees direct but limited exposure to oxygen and because the area where it is produced lies near the ocean, Manzanilla has a bit of a salty character along with its traditional almond flavor.

Amontillado Sherry is the last of the Fino types of Sherry. However, it starts to move away from the Fino category as it matures in the open air, deepening in color and taking on a more maderized flavor of roasted hazelnuts. These types of Sherry are sweetened with either vino dulce (a sweetener made from sun-dried Palomino grapes) or dulce de almibar (pure sugar).

Oloroso Sherry are like we said, made from lesser quality juice than Fino Sherries. There is nothing wrong with these types of Sherry of course. The simple reason for the distinction is that Finos are made from free-run juice and Olorosos are made from pressed juice.

Olorosos are directly exposed to oxygen to mature. The open exposure in turn ages the Oloroso faster making it a bit rougher on the palate than a smooth Fino. The dark brown coloring it achieves from being baked in the sun imparts a higher alcohol level, fuller body and more intense aromas with flavors of toasted pecans.

One of the rarest types of Sherry avaibale is the Palo-Cortado. It has the aroma of an Amontillado without any of the yeast contact associated with Amontillado. And it tastes like and has the appearance of an Oloroso. Somewhere between the Fino and Oloroso styles, the volatile physiology of Palo-Cortado causes it to quickly degenerate into a full-blown Oloroso.