The Best Sherries from Jerez and Sanlúcar

Few names loom larger in Jerez history than Pedro Domecq, although the old Domecq Sherry portfolio no longer survives under a single producer. The historic cellars now form part of Bodegas Fundador, while famous former Domecq wines such as La Ina, Botaina and Río Viejo passed to Grupo Caballero and Lustau.

For a contemporary guide, therefore, Bodegas Fundador makes more sense. Today, its Sherry portfolio includes Harveys and the Torre de Macharnudo wines, while the old cellars still hold some formidable wines. The VORS collection is particularly impressive: mature Amontillado and Palo Cortado of enormous concentration, length and complexity. Proof, if any was needed, that serious treasures still slumber behind those historic Jerez walls.

Situated in picturesque Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Barbadillo is celebrated for its exceptional Manzanilla Sherries, although the entire range at this splendid Bodega is highly recommended. Solear remains a benchmark example, while the seasonal Solear Pasada en Rama is particularly superb, with its intense, salty and yeasty depth of flavor. Barbadillo also has an enviable collection of mature Amontillados, Olorosos and Palo Cortados. But most impressive of all are the remarkable old wines drawn from venerable soleras. They represent the pinnacle of great Sherry, with prices to match.

One of the most famous names in Sherry is celebrated worldwide for its instantly recognizable Tío Pepe brand. It remains one of the region’s great Fino styles—salty, intense and piercingly fresh. However, the superlative old wines are in a different league.

The VORS collection is particularly impressive. Del Duque is a magnificent old Amontillado, while Apóstoles is a rich Medium and Matusalem a gloriously complex Cream. Among our favorites is Noé Pedro Ximénez, amazingly sweet, very rich and heady, yet remarkably refined. But what else would you expect from this exceptional Sherry bodega?

This impressive Sanlúcar-based operation is best known for the much-loved La Gitana Manzanilla, one of the region’s great-value Manzanillas. It is gorgeously aromatic and seduces all who taste it with its fresh, tangy, and salty profile.

However, Hidalgo is no one-trick pony. Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana is a particularly fine single-vineyard expression, while the old wines take matters to another level altogether. Napoleón VORS and Palo Cortado Wellington VORS are Sherries to be savored and treasured for their remarkable complexity, finesse, and depth of flavor.

One of the region’s larger Bodegas, Emilio Lustau nonetheless produces a reliably consistent range of Sherries, everything from affordable bottles to exceptional mature wines drawn from venerable soleras.

Yet our favorite remains the remarkable East India Solera. Inspired by the historic Sherries carried on long sea voyages, it is a Cream made from Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez, aged separately before blending and further maturation in solera. Rich, spicy, and wonderfully eccentric, it has the weight expected of the style, with enough acidity and oxidative complexity to keep everything in balance. Outstanding!

Bodegas Tradición was established relatively recently, in 1998, when Joaquín Rivero revived the old Bodegas CZ name and began assembling a remarkable collection of mature Sherry soleras. From the outset, the emphasis was firmly on old wines rather than volume—a philosophy that has served the house exceptionally well.

Its Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado carry the VORS classification, denoting more than 30 years of certified average aging, while the Cream and regular Pedro Ximénez are released as VOS wines. Across the range, the concentration and intensity are remarkable even by Jerez standards. The nutty, tobacco-scented Amontillado and gloriously concentrated Oloroso are particular favorites, while the Pedro Ximénez offers a potent mix of dried fruit, cocoa and spice without collapsing under its own sweetness.

Valdespino is a marvelous, old-fashioned—and proud of it—Sherry Bodega with an impressive holding of old soleras that provide some of the region’s most distinctive wines. Fino Inocente is a standout: intense, saline and complex, with the unmistakable influence of prolonged aging under flor.

The Palo Cortados are similarly impressive, but Valdespino’s most extraordinary offering may be the fragrant, profound Coliseo Amontillado VORS. This is Sherry pushed towards its logical extreme: concentrated, very dry and immensely complex. A wine to sip slowly rather than knock back with the tapas.

A top-notch producer based in historic Jerez, Fernando de Castilla today produces excellent Classic and Antique collections from mature soleras. The family’s involvement in the wine trade reaches back into the nineteenth century, although the Fernando de Castilla brand itself was created in 1972 and entered its modern era under Jan Pettersen in 1999.

The Classic range offers excellent quality and value for money, particularly the salt-licked Manzanilla and the salty, utterly delicious Fino. However, the Antique Sherries are in an altogether different league—complex, mature wines drawn from prized soleras. The Antique Palo Cortado is simply astonishing.