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10 of my favourite Sherry bodegas at all price points
Last week, my husband and I spent a few days one of my favourite places in the world, Jerez.
I’ve waxed lyrical about my love for Jerez (and Sherry!) before, this small city in Andalucia, southern Spain, famous for two things guaranteed to make you feel something — and who doesn’t want that in this our age of flattened everything? —
Sherry and Flamenco.
Sherry has always been a hard sell in the wine world. It’s a darling of the trade, but misunderstood by almost everyone else, either considered sweet stuff drunk by grandmothers everywhere, or simply not to people’s taste. Granted, it can be tricky for those not used to the style. Back in my mid-twenties, just as I was getting into wine, I had to make an effort to drink and get used to the flavours of dry styles like Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso.
But hey, I had to do the same with beer and wine, too. Many people are not born loving these drinks, but many of us persevere with them. Why don’t we extend Sherry the same courtesy?
Once I got used to the flavours and visited a few bodegas around Jerez and other towns, that was it. It became my enduring, forever love. Pair it with salty cured meat, fresh cheese and watching Flamenco at the best bar in the world — El Pasaje — and I’m done in. Lost to this world of crumbling bodegas and dancers shaking the stage with their lightening-fast footwork.
How Sherry became one of the world's most misunderstood wine
When I was a bright young thing, just starting out in wine, I believed the hype I’d heard from fellow Sommeliers and wine pros — that Sherry was back in fashion. I believed I’d sell it by the pallet-load in my wine store and bar.
Something I’ve not yet written about is my favourite Sherry bodegas. The ones that aided my journey from sceptic to fierce lover. Those doing good things for the region, even if, quite often, it feels as if no one is listening.
Today I’m recommending ten bodegas, split by price — value, medium, and toppy. All Sherries from each bodega are worth seeking out, but I’ve also highlighted my favourite style from each.
Most of these Sherries are available in the US, UK and all over the EU, so you should be able to find a few bottles wherever you are.
The first two recommendations are for everyone, the rest are a paid subscriber perk. $5 a month / $50 a year (or the equivalent in your country) gets you access to everything, including all wine recommendations, food essays, recipes and in-depth food and wine travel guides, including:
Value
Sánchez Romate, Jerez
Romate is a relatively large bodega in central Jerez. They may be on the more commercial side (they are nowadays responsible for Waitrose’s own brand supermarket Sherries in the UK — a tip for budget bottles), but they have a place in my heart thanks to being the first Sherry brand I ever sold in my wine store and bar.
Best Sherry of them all: Oloroso
Romate’s strength lies in their oxidative Sherries, especially their Olorosos, which are a great benchmark for the style. Just look how happy my husband is drinking Oloroso in their Jerezian outpost bar, La Pandilla:
Juan Piñero, Sanlucar de Barrameda
On a back street in the seaside town of Sanlucar de Barrameda lies Bodegas Juan Piñero, who bought his bodega from another producer back in 1992. For 10 years, he sold wines to other wineries until 2013, when the excellent Ramiro Ibáñez of Ube fame (another fantastic Sanlucar winery specialising in vino de pasto or unfortified Sherry wines — an extra recommendation for you) came on as consultant and helped Juan bottle his first vintage.
These wines are remarkable and very much still under the radar. If you make it to Sanlucar, you can visit their despacho de vinos or wine dispensary, and pick up their entry-level bottles for less than €5.
Best Sherry of them all: Manzanilla Pasada en Rama “Maruja”
Manzanilla Pasada is aged for longer than standard Manzanillas. The flor (layer of yeast sitting on top of some Sherries) fades a little, slightly oxidising the Sherry and leaving it more golden in colour and more complex in flavour. This is also an en rama Sherry, meaning it’s unfiltered.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Juan Piñero’s Manzanilla Pasada Maruja for its complex flavours, full-bodied flavour and finish that lasts forever.
Read on or upgrade for:
A sweet Sherry to change your mind
The best Sherry to pair with Flamenco
A recommendation for the “temple of Sherry” bar in Seville
