Fortified Wine

Manzanilla Sherry

Manzanilla is fino that has spent its whole ageing in the bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the sherry town on the coast at the mouth of the Guadalquivir. It is usually 15%, bone dry and aged under flor like any fino, and usually comes out paler and more saline. Use it anywhere a recipe asks for fino.

Quick Facts

ABV15% ABVThe Consejo Regulador's 2026 manzanilla specification allows 14 to 17%; most bottlings are 15%.

Legal categoryFortified wineUsually a liqueur wine under Regulation (EU) 1308/2013, and since 2026 also allowed as plain wine; the Consejo Regulador's specification requires its ageing entirely in Sanlúcar de Barrameda

OriginSanlucar de Barrameda, Andalusia, Spain

Our keeping timeA few days to a week in the fridge once opened.

Storage

Unopened, upright, cool and dark, and drunk young. Once opened, the Consejo Regulador says to stopper it and keep it in the fridge.

Allergens

Contains: sulphites.

The ingredient

About Manzanilla Sherry

The name is a rule about place

Manzanilla and fino share grape, flor and, usually, fortification. The difference the Consejo Regulador writes into its manzanilla specification is geographic: every stage of a manzanilla's biological ageing must happen in bodegas in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The same wine aged in Jerez de la Frontera or El Puerto de Santa María is sold as fino. Since May 2026 that specification sets manzanilla at 14 to 17% and allows it without added alcohol.

Sanlúcar's air feeds the flor

Sanlúcar sits where the Guadalquivir meets the Atlantic, and its bodegas are cooler and more humid than those inland. Flor grows well there, and the wine that comes out is typically paler, lighter and more saline than an inland fino.

Manzanilla and fino side by side (Consejo Regulador)

Manzanilla

Where it ages: Sanlúcar de Barrameda only
Legal strength: 14 to 17%
Serve at: 6 to 8°C
Usual character: Lighter, saltier

Fino

Where it ages: Jerez or El Puerto de Santa María
Legal strength: 14 to 17%
Serve at: 6 to 8°C
Usual character: Fuller, more almond

	Where it ages	Legal strength	Serve at	Usual character
Manzanilla	Sanlúcar de Barrameda only	14 to 17%	6 to 8°C	Lighter, saltier
Fino	Jerez or El Puerto de Santa María	14 to 17%	6 to 8°C	Fuller, more almond

Cold, fresh and quick

Serve it cold in a white wine glass, and treat the open bottle as fragile: seven days in the fridge is the limit. In a recipe it is a straight swap for fino, and the swap shows most in a drink poured level with dry vermouth.

Bought to be drunk, not kept

Manzanilla gains nothing from time in the bottle, so there is no reason to buy ahead. Half bottles make sense for a home bar, since a full 75cl bottle has to be finished in about a week once the cork is out, and a fresh one tastes noticeably sharper than one that has sat open.

Using it

Using Manzanilla Sherry

Usage

Measure for measure in place of fino: our Bamboo, Adonis and Sherry Martini lines all name it as the alternative. Its extra salt shows most where it shares the drink equally with vermouth, and least as a 15ml modifier in a gin sour.

Pro Tip

Smell an open bottle before you pour it. A manzanilla on the turn loses the sea-air lift and smells faintly of cardboard before the taste turns.

Top Tips

Chill it hard: 6 to 8°C is the Regulador's figure for both manzanilla and fino.
Check the label says manzanilla, not fino: the name is the only guarantee of where it aged.
Once opened, stopper it, refrigerate it and drink it within seven days, as the Consejo Regulador advises.

Possible Substitutions

Fino Sherry: Measure for measure: fino aged inland, slightly fuller and less salty

Production Method

Palomino wine, usually fortified to 15%, aged under flor in criaderas and solera, all of it in bodegas in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is manzanilla sherry?

A pale, fino-style sherry, aged under flor, whose whole ageing has to happen in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The town sits on the coast, and its cooler, damper bodegas suit the yeast. The result is usually lighter and saltier than a fino from Jerez.

Is manzanilla the same as fino?

It is fino with an address. The grape, the usual 15% fortification and the flor are the same; the Consejo Regulador's manzanilla specification says it must age entirely in Sanlúcar. A wine aged in Jerez or El Puerto is sold as fino. In a drink the two swap freely, with manzanilla tasting a little sharper and saltier.

How strong is manzanilla?

Between 14 and 17% ABV under the Consejo Regulador's 2026 specification, which lowered the floor from 15%, and normally 15%. That matches fino and sits slightly under most vermouths, so swapping it into a recipe leaves the strength unchanged. A 75cl bottle at 15% holds about eleven UK units.

Does manzanilla need to be refrigerated?

Yes, once open: the Consejo Regulador says to keep manzanilla in the fridge, stoppered, and finish an open bottle within a week. Without the flor that kept air off it in the cask, air flattens it within days in our experience. Unopened bottles keep in a cool, dark cupboard but are meant to be drunk young.

What does manzanilla taste like?

Dry, with almond and bread dough from the flor, and a salty finish that is the reason people choose it over fino. There is no sweetness: the Consejo Regulador's specification holds it under four grams of sugar a litre. It is lighter in body than amontillado or oloroso.

What can I drink manzanilla with?

Anything salty or fried: olives, salted almonds, fried fish and cured ham all suit it. As a drink ingredient, use it wherever fino is asked for. Pour it into a white wine glass, chilled, rather than a tiny glass that leaves no room for the smell.

Should you drink manzanilla from a copita?

You can: the copita is the traditional sherry glass. The Consejo Regulador recommends a good white wine glass with a generous bowl instead, or the traditional tasting glass if it is large enough, so the wine can breathe. Either way, pour it well chilled; the Consejo Regulador gives an open bottle up to a week.

Sources.

Correct as of 16 October 2026.

Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry / Junta de Andalucía, “Pliego de condiciones de la DOP «Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda» (consolidated to the Order of 13 May 2026)”.
Consejo Regulador (sherry.wine), “Fortification”.
Consejo Regulador (sherry.wine), “Conservation & Serving”.
Defra, Protected geographical food and drink names (GOV.UK), “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry / Jerez / Xérès / Sherry”.
legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Annex VII, Part II (retained)”.

From the Guides

Manzanilla, fino and the other styles

Make something

Made with Manzanilla Sherry

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 2 November 2026

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