The Beer Brewer

This is part 2 of an ongoing publication on fortified wines and sherry.
author: The Master Brewer English-Australian copyright 2007

History of Sherry and Fortified Wines

Wine has traditionally been produced in the Jerez area of Spain since the time of the Romans, however sherry in its present form seems to have evolved at some point during the mid 1700s to early 1800s , after the commercialization of distillation , although Voss (1993) and Reader and Dominguez (2003) indicate its origins may extend beyond this time period. The primary reason for fortification of this style (with a neutral grape spirit) seems to lie in the fact that the hot climate of this region, coupled with comparatively poor soils, created wines of poor quality . Fortification with a spirit served to significantly improve the quality of this wine . However some authors, Halliday and Johnson, (1992) and Jackson, (1994) indicate fortification was utilized to offer microbial stability to such wines during often lengthy ocean voyages to England (a primary consumer of such wines) in the 1700s.

What is certain is that the present style of Sherry, i.e. exclusively sourced from white wine and produced using a unique maturation system (solera) is a result of collusion between local producers and British traders.

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