Fortified Wine

Palo Cortado

Palo cortado is a dry sherry that starts under flor and ends its ageing exposed to air, a style the Consejo Regulador defines by its character: the delicate bouquet of an amontillado with the body and palate of an oloroso. It is dry and runs 17 to 22%, about 19% in our recipes. The IBA's Sherry Cobbler pairs it with amontillado.

Quick Facts

ABV19% ABVBottlings run 17 to 22%.

Legal categoryFortified wineUsually a liqueur wine in law (15 to 22%); since 2026 it may also be plain wine. Sold under the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry protected designation of origin

Flavour Strengthmedium

Our keeping timeMonths once opened, stoppered, per the Consejo Regulador.

Storage

Unopened: upright, cool and dark. Once opened: stoppered, somewhere cool or in the fridge, and served at 12 to 14°C.

Allergens

Contains: sulphites.

The ingredient

About Palo Cortado

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

HazelnutDried orange peelSalineOak

Tasting Notes

Hazelnut and dried orange peel on the nose with a saline edge, then a body fuller and rounder than the aroma leads you to expect, finishing long, dry and faintly bitter.

The rules define a taste, not a recipe

The Consejo Regulador's definition is short: a complex wine combining the delicate bouquet of an amontillado with the body and palate of an oloroso. Its 2026 specification sets a strength of 17 to 22%, the same 4g sugar ceiling as the other dry styles, and, as for them, no requirement to fortify. Beyond that, the style is whatever the tasters recognise, and that looseness is why bottles vary more than they do for fino or oloroso.

A cask chosen after its time under flor

Every palo cortado starts as a fine wine marked with a single stroke and usually fortified to 15% for flor. After the first stage of ageing, the tasters note casks with very specific characteristics and draw a line across the stroke. Those are fortified to more than 17%, the flor ends, and the wine ages with air from then on. The older account of a cask that changed by itself survives in many descriptions.

Palo cortado and its neighbours (Consejo Regulador)

Amontillado

Route: Flor, then air
Strength: 16 to 22%
How the rules describe it: Dual ageing: flor, then oxidation

Palo cortado

Route: Flor, then marked and refortified, then air
Strength: 17 to 22%
How the rules describe it: Amontillado bouquet, oloroso body

Oloroso

Route: Air from the start
Strength: 17 to 22%
How the rules describe it: Structure that destines it for oxidative ageing

Style	Route	Strength	How the rules describe it
Amontillado	Flor, then air	16 to 22%	Dual ageing: flor, then oxidation
Palo cortado	Flor, then marked and refortified, then air	17 to 22%	Amontillado bouquet, oloroso body
Oloroso	Air from the start	17 to 22%	Structure that destines it for oxidative ageing

In the cobbler it supplies the body

The IBA Sherry Cobbler splits its base evenly with amontillado. Crushed ice dilutes a cobbler quickly, and the fuller palo cortado holds its shape for longer, while the amontillado keeps the drink dry. Neat, it suits almonds, hard cheese and cured ham.

Using it

Using Palo Cortado

Usage

In the Sherry Cobbler it is half the base: 45ml beside 45ml amontillado, shaken with superfine sugar and pieces of orange and lemon, poured over crushed ice. Neat, it wants 12 to 14°C and a wine glass with room to swirl.

Pro Tip

In the cobbler, palo cortado carries the body that has to last against crushed ice, and the amontillado the dry, nutty edge. Shake hard and serve at once: a cobbler left standing is a glass of watered sherry.

Top Tips

If you cannot find palo cortado for the cobbler, use amontillado for both measures, as our recipe allows.
Serve it cool, not cold: the Regulador gives 12 to 14°C.
Expect bottles to differ: the definition describes a character, so producers interpret it.

Possible Substitutions

Amontillado Sherry: Doubling the amontillado in the cobbler works, as our recipe says
Oloroso Sherry: Heavier and darker; dry, but without the finer nose

Production Method

Palomino wine, usually fortified to 15%, aged under flor; after the first stage of ageing, tasters mark casks showing specific characteristics with a line across the original stroke, and those are fortified past 17% and aged in contact with air.

History & Context

Palo cortado takes its name from the chalk marks on a sherry butt. A single stroke, the palo, marks a fine wine for ageing under flor; a line drawn across that stroke marks a cask the tasters have chosen to become palo cortado.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is palo cortado sherry?

A dry sherry the Consejo Regulador describes as combining the delicate bouquet of an amontillado with the body and palate of an oloroso. It begins under flor, is picked out by the cellar's tasters, usually fortified past 17% and finished in contact with air. It is dry and runs 17 to 22%.

How is palo cortado made?

Like a fino at first: usually fortified to 15% and aged under flor. After that stage the tasters look for casks with certain specific characteristics and mark them by drawing a line across the original stroke. Those casks are fortified again, past 17%, which ends the flor, and the wine ages oxidatively from then on.

Is palo cortado made by accident?

That is the traditional story: a cask meant for fino or amontillado that went its own way. Today the Regulador describes a selection, with tasters choosing the casks and refortifying them, and the flor is often ended by fortification rather than dying by itself. The rules define the result by its taste rather than a fixed method.

What is the difference between palo cortado and amontillado?

Both start under flor and finish in air. The rules separate them by character: palo cortado should keep an amontillado's fine, delicate nose but have the fuller body of an oloroso. Amontillado can start at 16%; palo cortado at 17%. In practice the line is narrow, and some bottles sit close to either neighbour.

How long does palo cortado keep once opened?

The Regulador's answer is months, the same as for amontillado and oloroso, provided the stopper goes back in. Years of oxidative ageing mean an open bottle changes slowly. Keep it cool or in the fridge, and let a poured glass lose its chill before drinking.

What cocktails use palo cortado?

The Sherry Cobbler, in the IBA's version: 45ml each of palo cortado and amontillado with superfine sugar and citrus pieces, shaken, poured over crushed ice and finished with berries. It is the only recipe of ours that names it; otherwise it is a sherry for sipping.

From the Guides

Flor, air and palo cortado

Make something

Made with Palo Cortado

Featured In These Cocktails

Sherry Cobbler

Often Used With

Updated 12 October 2026

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