Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes, strengthened with brandy, thus falling under the category of fortified wines. While most fortified wines tend to be sweet, Sherry encompasses styles ranging from bone dry, with less than 1 gram of sugar per liter, to extremely sweet, with nearly 500 grams of sugar per liter. This diversity in styles makes Sherry wines unique, with a complex production process, typically aged between 15.5 and 18 degrees Celsius.
Regions and Grape Varieties for Sherry Wine Production
Regions:
Sherry wine originates from the Andalusia region of Spain, particularly the southern town of Jerez de la Frontera, after which the wine is named – hence its Spanish name, “Jerez”. Jerez serves as the hub of the Sherry wine industry, and Sherry must undergo maturation within the boundaries of this town or in two smaller coastal towns, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María.
Grape Varieties:
Three grape varieties are permitted for cultivation in Jerez:
Palomino:
This grape variety constitutes the vast majority of plantings in Jerez. Wines made from Palomino grapes naturally possess low acidity and lack varietal aroma, making them ideal for Sherry production, as the style of Sherry largely depends on biological or oxidative aging.
Pedro Ximenez, abbreviated as PX:
Similar to Palomino, PX grapes lack varietal aroma and have thin skins, making them suitable for sun-drying and thus used in the production of sweet Sherry wines. However, PX is rarely planted in Jerez, with most grapes sourced from the neighboring Montilla-Moriles region, where PX thrives better.
Muscat of Alexandria:
This grape variety is seldom planted and, like PX, is used in the production of sweet Sherry wines.
