Despite the title, South Africans younger than 50 will doubtless have opened this article, expecting it to be entirely devoted to the virtues of OBs – that essential beverage of the young and occasional tipple of the elderly. Some may recall that sherry was once something synonymous with fine dining and others may have realised it’s the drink they occasionally see when checking into game lodges or five-star hotels. The truth though, is that sherry as a beverage has never really gone away, even if it does have the reputation of being something our grandmothers drank for most of our childhoods.
Recently, sherry has begun to find favour in trendy New York bars as a cocktail ingredient and this has elevated its popularity in Western countries once more. Industry analytics suggest the sherry segment will expand with the fastest growth rate of 13.4% from 2022 to 2028 and the upsurge is not expected to stop there. With this in mind, we bring you our beginner’s guide to this most warming of fortified wines.
What is sherry?
The term “sherry” is the English name for the Spanish “Jerez,” which refers to Marco de Jerez, the viniculture region in the westernmost part of AndalucÃa, in southern Spain where sherry grapes are cultivated. Spain’s Denomination of Origin (DO) system regulates sherry production, ensuring that only fortified wines made within specific regions and following designated procedures can be labelled as sherry. The DO also dictates that sherry grapes must be grown within the “sherry triangle,” defined by the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa MarÃa, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Contrary to a common misconception, not all sherry is sweet; in fact, most sherry styles are dry, with some verging on savoury. These dry varieties, such as Fino and Amontillado, are more akin to wines than digestives. On the other hand, sweet sherries like Pedro Ximénez (PX) offer complex sipping experiences and can even be enjoyed over ice cream. Sherry styles are versatile and can enhance cocktails.
All sherry is produced using white grapes. Dry styles use palomino fino grapes, while sweet styles utilize moscatel and Pedro Ximénez grapes. Sherry is aged in bodegas (wineries) using two main methods: biological ageing and oxidative ageing. Biological ageing involves the formation of flor, a layer of natural yeast, which creates an anaerobic environment, reducing glycerol content and enhancing savoury notes like almonds and herbs. Oxidative ageing, employed for Amontillado and Oloroso sherries, allows the wine to interact with air, resulting in subtle sweetness and darker colour. Sherry producers employ the criaderas-and-soleras system, a structured aging process, where wine is periodically moved between casks of different vintages to achieve consistent blends.
Sherry in South Africa
While it is no longer allowed to be called Sherry, there is an apocryphal tale of the drink arriving in South Africa when a winemaker Charlie Niehaus managed to steal a strain of Flor yeast by dropping his handkerchief into a vat, returning to SA and selling the resulting strain to KWV, but this has been debunked. Niehaus it turns out, did try to steal the Flor in this manner, but was defeated by the laundries of the age, which used Boric acid in their cleaning detergents rendering his flor unusable.
Niehaus, however, remains the father of sherry in South Africa as he happened to be studying at the renowned Geisenheim Institute in Germany when they were sent a few strains of flor by the owner of a sherry house in Puerto do Santa Maria. From those strains, he cultivated his own flor and industry began with the 1933 harvest as the first example of South African sherry.
Niehaus would go on to find and isolate 18 different flor strains from young South African wines and would for years claim that flor yeasts isolated in South Africa, delivered better results than any of the original Spanish strains.
Sherry-style wines are still produced in South Africa primarily by Monis, KWV, Douglas Green, Orange River Cellars, and Mooiuitsig Wine Cellars and are generally made with Palomino, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc grapes.
Types of Sherry
Fino Sherry
Fino, the driest sherry style, undergoes biological ageing under flor and matures for a minimum of two years in oak barrels. The best Finos, aged between four and seven years, boast pale colours and offer mineral notes along with hints of almond, oak, and sometimes vanilla.
Manzanilla
Manzanilla, a close relative of Fino, matures in a unique location—Sanlúcar de Barrameda by the sea. The ocean’s influence leads to higher salinity and a lighter body. Stronger growth of flor in the barrel enhances its light-bodied character by consuming sugar, oxygen, and glycerol.
Amontillado
Amontillado emerges when a Fino or Manzanilla continues to age after the flor yeast layer dissipates, allowing it to interact with oxygen. This oxidative ageing imparts a nutty character and a delightful savoury dimension, often characterized by notes of peanuts, hazelnuts, and a dry, salted caramel quality.
Oloroso
Oloroso sherries are primarily aged without the presence of flor yeast. They enter the solera system with a higher alcohol content, preventing flor growth. As a result, Olorosos exhibit a sweeter, fuller-bodied profile. The name “Oloroso” translates to “fragrant,” fittingly capturing these sherries’ aromatic and flavourful attributes, ranging from dried fruit to leather, tobacco, and wood. While less dry than Fino and Amontillado varieties, Olorosos maintain an overall dryness but offer a rounded mouthfeel and subtle sweetness. Sedgewicks claims their Old Brown Sherry is made in this style.
Palo Cortado
Palo Cortado resides in a unique category, characterized by a blend of Amontillado’s nose and Oloroso’s body. Typically, these sherries feature aromatic nuttiness, a honeyed quality, and a thicker texture than Amontillado. Despite this, they maintain a dry profile, containing less than five grams of sugar per litre.
Sweet Sherries
Sweet sherries are distinguished by their grape varietals rather than specific styles. Pedro Ximénez sherries dominate this category, while Moscatels occasionally appear due to their preference for chalkier soil. Pedro Ximénez grapes, characterized by their fuller, plumper, and thinner skins, yield wines with higher natural acidity and sugar content. After harvest, these grapes undergo drying, transforming into raisins. The concentrated sugars are then fermented into alcohol, and the resulting wine is aged oxidatively using the solera system.
Blends and Creams
Blends encompass a wide spectrum of profiles and combinations, often involving Oloroso paired with sweet varieties. It’s worth noting that cream sherries, once the most popular category, are created by moving the blended wine into a separate solera system for further ageing.
