At one time, Sherry was the most popular wine in the world. Today Sherry is a niche wine, loved by those in the know – misunderstood by the many.

Sherry’s geographical location, “The Sherry Triangle” at the southern-most tip of Spain is one of the hottest wine making appellations in Europe. The primary grape in the region, Palomino, is planted in 95% of the Sherry Triangle and has adapted to the prized terroir of chalky, porous, limestone soil called albariza.

Five of our six wines will be made from Palomino. One of the two other permitted grape varieties that we will taste is Pedro Ximénez. When all the wines are made from the same grape, what is it that differentiates one from another? 

One part is the aging process made up of stacked barrels called the Solera system. The youngest wine enters the top barrel after the wine formerly in that barrel has been blended into the casks with the older wine below. The wine at the bottom of the stack is withdrawn for bottling. The solera system is the reason why most sherry is non-vintage while creating blended wines that are consistent in style.

The second differentiating factor is a naturally occurring layer of yeast present in some but not all casks, called flor. The opportunity to craft the many styles of sherry comes from how long the wine has been enveloped by the flor (biological aging) or if the flor dies off and the wine is exposed to oxygen (oxidative aging). 

We will taste six different styles of Sherry on Friday, April 21st at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Harrisburg – Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez – accompanied by small plates of food and briefly explore the aging processes that make each wine different from another.

FINO – Lustau Fino Jarana Fino wine is aged inland within the Sherry Triangle entirely under flor (typically three to six years)

MANZANILLA – Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana Manzilla Pasada Pastrano Manzanilla is made in the Fino style but is aged near the sea within the Sherry Triangle.

AMONTILLADO- Bodego Hidalgo La Gitana Amontillado Napoleon Amontillado starts as a fino wine, but the flor within the cask either dies on its own or is fortified to the point where the flor is killed off, resulting in oxidative aging.

PALO CORTADO – Gonzalez Byass Palo Cortado Leonor Palo Cortado starts as a fino, but loses its flor early and then is fortified for oxidative aging.

OLOROSO – Williams and Humbert Oloroso Don Zoilo Oloroso is the boldest of Sherries. Little or no time under flor. All oxidative aging.

 PEDRO XIMÉNEZ (PX) – Lustau Pedro Ximénez San Emilio Grapes are left in the sun to raisinate prior to fermentation resulting in a sweet dessert wine.

 Member Reservation: $100

 Patron Reservation: $95

 Nonmember Reservation: $120