Sherry 101: About Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Oloroso Sherries

Sherry wine comes from the "Sherry triangle" - three cities - Jerez (Sherry) de la Frontera, San Lucar de Barrameda  and El Puerto de Santa Maria in the province of Andalusia. Though its up and down history goes way back, presently things are really down in Jerez and Spain in general, Sherry wines are trending up in London, New York, DC and I hear New Orleans. there is a crazing for small production artisanal products whether its, wine, whiskey or cheese. The focus with many smaller producers of Sherry is to make the genuine article. You are seeing more Fino en rama which is
as close to directly tapping a barrel as you can get.

Truly understanding Sherry requires a sort of  reversal of how we think about wine. Typically, wine's distinction comes from the vineyard; as vines grow older, they better reflect their origins.

In Sherry, the virtue of age is not in old vines - many vineyards are replanted fairly frequently - but by moving wine through the solera system, where it can sit for decades. That yields rarities like Valdespino's Cardenal Palo Cortado, which has been aged for what Ojeda calls "the summary of a life" - typically more than 60 years, or the more affordable Valdespino VOS Oloroso Solera 1842 from a Solera - a system of barrels used for wine time travel - established in 1842.