A Primer
Sherry.
A short guide. What it is, how to order it, and why a bone-dry pour belongs on a tapas table.
Sherry is fortified wine from Andalucía, made primarily from the Palomino grape and aged in a system called the solera: a stack of barrels where younger wine is blended with older wine over time. That is where the depth comes from.
Five styles, simply.
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Fino
Bone dry, pale, aged under flor, a layer of yeast that protects the wine from oxidation. Almonds, salt, green apple. Pour cold; drink with olives.
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Manzanilla
Fino aged on the Atlantic coast in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Same dryness, slightly more salinity. Even better with seafood.
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Amontillado
What happens when the flor dies and the wine starts to oxidise. Walnuts, dried orange peel, hay. A bridge between the dry and the deep.
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Oloroso
Fully oxidative. No flor, just slow contact with air. Toasted nuts, leather, tobacco. The right glass for cured meats and aged cheese.
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Pedro Ximénez
Sun-dried grapes. Almost a syrup. Raisins, molasses, espresso. Pour over vanilla ice cream.
Where to start.
Six pours behind the bar at any given moment. If you've never sat down with sherry before, three of them are the obvious way in — the dry opener, the oxidative middle, and the sweet finish.
- 01 Tio Pepe Palomino Fino $8
González Byass · Jerez
The standard. Pour cold, drink with the marcona almonds before the food even arrives.
- 02 Gran Barquero Oloroso $17
Pérez Barquero · Montilla
Where dry sherry gets serious — toasted nuts and leather. Order it with the jamón.
- 03 Alvear Solera Pedro Ximénez $27
raisin · molasses · long
Almost a syrup. Order it last, with the basque cheesecake or just on its own.
See all six on the bar menu →
Or come and taste through them — Tuesday through Saturday, from 4pm. Reserve a table →
Sherry FAQ
Sherry questions.
What is sherry, exactly?
Sherry is a fortified wine from the Jerez region of Andalucía in southern Spain, made primarily from the Palomino grape. It ranges from bone-dry Fino and Manzanilla through nutty Amontillado and Oloroso to lush, sweet Pedro Ximénez. Every bottle is aged in a solera, a fractional blending system that layers younger and older wines over years.
What's the difference between Fino and Manzanilla?
Both are bone-dry sherries aged under flor (a layer of yeast that protects the wine from oxidation). Fino is aged in Jerez de la Frontera; Manzanilla is aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic coast, which gives it a slightly saline, more delicate character.
How should I drink sherry?
Cold, in a small white-wine glass, never a tiny copita. Fino and Manzanilla pair beautifully with olives, almonds, jamón, and seafood. Amontillado and Oloroso work with cured meats, hard cheese, and grilled mushrooms. Pedro Ximénez is a dessert in itself, often poured over vanilla ice cream.