How Sherry is Made

Sherry originates from three towns in Andalucía, Spain - Jerez de la Frontera (the word sherry is derived from “Jerez”), Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlúcar. It is also made elsewhere in Spain, Cyprus, Australia and California, but in the 1990s, after much effort on the part of the Jerez producers, the sherry industry agreed to restrict the use of the word sherry to describe only the produce of the Jerez region.

The sherry-making process begins when a white wine is produced from the local grape variety, palomino. The wine is then fortified - alcohol is added - and the alcoholic strength determines the type of sherry. Fino-type sherries contain about 15 per cent alcohol, whereas olorosos are strengthened to around 18 per cent.