Manzanilla Sherry
A sherry made in the same way as fino, but only in the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. The sea air keeps the flor thicker for more of the year, which makes the wine lighter and more saline.
Quick Facts
Usage
Poured where fino would work and a drier, saltier result is wanted. It is excellent chilled on its own and a natural match for anything salted or fried, where the salinity meets the food rather than competing with it.
Fino by Another Postcode
Manzanilla is fino by another name and a different postcode. Same production and the same ageing under flor, but it can only be called manzanilla if it is aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the coast.
That is a rule about place rather than about method, which is unusual even among protected wine names. The same wine aged fifteen miles inland would be a fino and could not use the word.
It is worth knowing because it means the two are not different qualities of the same thing. A manzanilla is not a better or worse fino; it is a fino that grew up somewhere the weather did something particular to it.
The Sea Air Does the Work
Sanlúcar is cooler and more humid than inland Jerez, so the flor stays thick through more of the year and the wine spends longer protected from the air.
It comes out paler, lighter and noticeably more saline than a fino from Jerez. That salinity is the reason to reach for it specifically, and it is a genuine difference rather than a marketing one.
Serve It Properly Cold
Cold, and in a normal wine glass rather than a thimble. The salinity is the point and warmth flattens it, so a manzanilla served at room temperature in a small schooner is being set up to disappoint.
It is a wine, so treat it as one. A decent white wine glass gives the aromatics somewhere to collect, which a traditional copita does not.
As Fragile as Fino
It shares fino’s fragility as well as its method. Once open it is a matter of days, refrigerated, before the freshness goes.
Buy half bottles if you drink it occasionally. A full bottle opened for one glass will be past its best long before it is finished, which is the same trap that gives sherry its undeserved reputation.
The practical test is smell rather than taste. A manzanilla past its best loses the sea-air lift first and reads flat and slightly cardboard before it tastes obviously wrong, so a bottle that no longer smells of anything much is finished.
Top Tips
- Treat it exactly like fino. Refrigerate it and finish it within a few days.
- Serve it properly cold. Warm manzanilla loses the salinity that is the whole point.
Common Questions
What is the difference between manzanilla and fino?
The place. Both are aged under flor in exactly the same way, but manzanilla must be aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the cooler, more humid coastal air keeps the flor thicker for longer. It comes out lighter and saltier.
Does manzanilla go off?
Yes, as quickly as fino does. Refrigerate it and finish it within a few days of opening. Half bottles are worth buying if you drink it occasionally, since a full one will fade long before it is emptied.
How should I serve it?
Properly cold, in a normal wine glass rather than a thimble. The salinity is the point and warmth flattens it, and a decent glass gives the aromatics somewhere to collect in a way a traditional copita does not.
What does manzanilla taste of?
Almond, fresh bread and a distinct salinity, paler and lighter than a fino from Jerez. The salt is the reason to choose it specifically, and it is a genuine effect of the coastal ageing rather than a description anybody invented for it.
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits