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How To Keep Your Sherry Wine Fresh?

Marie Gabrielle

Posted on September 03 2021

Sherry is created in a wide range of styles mainly from the Palomino grape, varying from light forms that are comparable to white table wines, including such fino and Manzanilla, to darker and heavier varieties, including such Amontillado and oloroso, that have been permitted to oxidize while they age in barrel.

How Long Can You Store/Drink A Bottle Of Sherry?

Two factors often occur in sherry wine:

  • Short shelf life: Sherry has a short shelf life and should be purchased and consumed as quickly as possible.
  • Instability: Bottles should be finished as soon as they are opened.

It seems like they're trying to increase sales or make us intoxicated quickly. As a result, many individuals seem to be frightened of keeping and serving sherry for fear of it going bad. In fact, “going bad” is a difficult term to define: it doesn't mean the wine will make you sick; it just means we want it to maintain its original, “optimum flavor intensity.” We believe that in the past, conservation guidelines were maybe overly stringent. 

People grew sensitive to remounted sherry (roughly translated: over-the-top sherry) in particular in Spain, and began returning Finos and Manzanillas that were not pale enough (it even led to massive straining by the makers). The general populace's sensitivity is a result of certain pubs and restaurants incorrectly storing their sherry after pouring (outside the fridge, for far too long).

How Far Does Sherry Last In Terms Of Preservation?

I'd like to provide a few pointers on how to keep sherry wines in good condition. Keep in mind that they only apply under good storage circumstances, and you never knew how the item was treated before it got to your house or business. If the circumstances are ideal, shelf life becomes less important. Always keep sherry bottles upright in a cold, dark location with no rapid temperature changes to limit the adhesion with the air within the glass and also with the cork.

Sherry Maturing In Bottles

The bottle of Domecq's La Ina from the 1970s was still quite good after 40 years in several basements (though very different from a fresh Fino). While most specialists would have scoffed at the idea of bottle-aged sherry not long ago, interest in very ancient bottles has grown in recent years. Recently, several bodegas have begun to promote bottle aging, which entails storing sherry bottles for extended periods before opening them. Equipo Navazos, for example, bottles a Manzanilla Pasada out of the same butts year after year. They urge you to purchase future versions and compare them.

One bottle will feature wines from the very same solera that has been matured in the barrel for a little longer. In the meanwhile, some other bottles will include a somewhat younger variety that has had more time to settle in the bottle. It's fascinating.

The sweetness of a Manzanilla or Fino will fade with time, giving way to nutty, buttery, and herbal notes. It'll become more complicated and intense. It's important to note that we're discussing genuine sherry here: well-aged types bottled en Rama with little filtration. A fresh, industrial supermarket sherry will not benefit from bottle aging. Amontillado, Oloroso, and Pedro Ximénez will be less affected. They are usually older, have undergone oxidative maturation, and are therefore more durable wines, less susceptible to alterations in the bottles when stored properly.

Conclusion

Remember the kind of sherry you're interacting with, look up the bottled date, and attempt to determine the sherry's age. This should enable you to make an informed estimate as to how long you may keep (closed) or consume (open) bottles of sherry, as well as how far you can stray from the usual rule of drinking sherry as quickly as possible. Finally, strive to relax, appreciate the wines, and even sample a wine that has been deemed beyond its prime.