Did you know that there are several types of Sherry available? Sherry is a fortified wine of the Jerez region of Spain. Being fortified means grape spirits are added to the wine either during the fermentation process to stop all the sugars from being converted to alcohol or after fermentation is complete. With Sherry, the spirits are added during fermentation. After fermentation Sherry is divided into two groups and from those two groups it is divided into even more types of Sherry.
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.
An almost subcategory of Fino Sherry is Manzanilla Sherry. The S. Beticus yeast, native to the Sanlcar de Barrameda region, imparts a salty nuttiness due to its proximity to the ocean air. Manzanillas are given open exposure to the air in order to achieve proper maturation. This exposure ranges from short periods to moderate time in the sun and imparts a light to medium gold color.
The final Fino types of Sherry are the Amontillado Sherries. Almost in a category by itself Amontillado Sherry sees direct exposure to the air and sun for extended periods of time. This darkens the juice and concentrates flavors to the maderized character of roasted hazelnuts. Sun-dried Palomino grapes are sometimes used as a sweetening agent while pure sugar can be used in other instances.
Oloroso Sherries are types of Sherry made from juice deemed of lesser quality than those made into Fino Sherry. There is nothing wrong with the juice that goes into making Oloroso, it is typically made from pressed juice, whereas Fino Sherry is more free-run juice.
Oloroso Sherry is aged purely through oxidation which means that the direct exposure to the air ages it faster. Oloroso Sherry is always sweet. It has a dark brown color increasing its alcohol level, body weight and aroma. The taste of Oloroso Sherry is toasted pecans.
A rare style of Sherry is the Palo-Cortado. It has all the aromas of an Amontillado but doesn't go through the same process of yeast contact. On the other hand its colors and flavors are similar to Oloroso Sherry. It can be categorized in the middle of Fino and Oloroso but because of its unstable nature it eventually falls into the Oloroso style.
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