When was sherry invented

It is rumored that in some bodegas there are traces of Sherry from years ago still contained in the oldest barrel of the solera system. There are a variety of different types of sherry which vary greatly in aroma, alcohol content and sweetness. Whereas most dry Sherries are predominantly made from Palominos grapes, sweet Sherries are made from either Moscatel or Pedro Ximenez grapes. Typically, sweeter Sherries are consumed with desserts or contrasted with sharper flavors, such as that of blue cheese.

Fino : this is the driest of Sherries and is fermented under a layer of flor yeast, which prevents oxidization and gives the Sherry a distinctively fresh flavor. Best enjoyed with salty foods such as olives or almonds, Fino may quickly lose its flavor once opened and so is best consumed straight away. Amontillado : somewhere between Fino and Oloroso, this Sherry is darker in color than Fino and is often created as the result of the layer of flor yeast in a Fino barrel dying and causing oxidization.

Oloroso : this is the most full-bodied of the dry Sherries and has a dark color and nutty overtones, which makes it an ideal match for cured red meats and cuts of game. Palo Cortado : somewhere between the crisp flavor of Amontillado and the rich aroma of Oloroso, this is another Sherry, which traditionally occurred as a result of an unexpected evolution of the Sherry in the barrel.

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This allowed sherry brandy to be developed, but in the beginning it was primarily used for medicine. Exports of sherry wine to England increase when Henry 1 proposes a bartering agreement to trade English wool for sherry.

The practice is reputed to have been invented by the Dutch and adopted by the British and Portuguese. Sherry, madeira and port benefit greatly from this method. Catherine, an educated woman, voiced the complaint that "The King, my husband, keeps the very best wines from the Canaries and Jerez for himself". But Sherry Wine was not just exported to Europe. The discovery of America was to open up new markets and business flourished as a result. This was the period of epic voyages and geographical discovery.

A series of historic events were celebrated with Sherry wine, as proven by the fact that Magellan purchased wineskins and kegs of Sherry before setting out on his long voyage, which means that Sherry was the first wine to complete a voyage around the world that is if any remained by the time the Nao Victoria returned to Sanlucar under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano.

There is also evidence that Sherry wine was present at events celebrating the conquest of new territories such as Venezuela and Peru. This circumstance was extremely favourable for sherry wines as, being so close to Seville, they formed an essential part of the provisions for all those vessels sailing to America.

This trade with the Indies transformed small family wine businesses into truly large, industrial operations. The sale of Sherry in the Indies was frequently hampered by pirates who seized the fleet's cargo and sold it in London. When this booty arrived in London it made sherry fashionable in the English Court and Elizabeth I even went as far as to recommend it to the Count of Essex as the best of wines. As a consequence of this rapid increase in the consumption of sherry and a limited supply, King James I decided to set an example to his subjects by ordering that the Royal Cellars should limit the amount of sherry brought to his table to a modest 12 gallons 48 litres per day!

The works of William Shakespeare give us a good idea of the popularity of sherry wines in those days. Together with his friend Ben Johnson he used to drink a good few bottles of sherry each day at the Bear Head Tavern. In his Palinodia , Pasquil declares that "all drinks stand hat-in-hand in the presence of sherry. The demand for Sherry rose steeply and the English decided to obtain our wines by fair means or foul.

It was probably this failure which led the English, Scots and Irish to guarantee their supplies of sherry through the usual trading channels by establishing their own businesses in the Region. Being British subjects some Jerez wine-growers were able to bring pressure to bear on the British government to lower excise duties, achieving their objective in with a reduction of two duros a Spanish coin of the time per butt.

This led to a four-fold increase in sales of sherry between and Investment in the Region is very profitable and attracts Spanish capital, above all the so-called "returning capital" which was flowing back into Spain after the decolonisation of the American possesions.

The commercial boom of the 19th Century would not have been possible, however, without the existence of a series of favourable conditions which will be analysed in the following section.

In the mid-eighteenth century the wines being exported from the Jerez Region to overseas markets were very different to what we now recognise as Sherry Wine. Demand for wines of all types grew from the end of the seventeenth century onwards, mainly in the countries of northern Europe, and particularly in Great Britain and Holland - the great maritime powers of the period - and the different wine producing regions had begun to adapt their production systems to meet this demand.

British taste began to change: hitherto predominantly inclined towards light, pale wines, it now began to show a preference for stronger ones with more colour and maturity. In Jerez this transformation of the market caused understandable differences between the vineyard owners and local merchants, which were not easy to overcome.

The former wished to find a market for their current year must and clarified wines, which required fortification to prevent them spoiling during long voyages. It would last for over five centuries. Despite the cultural prohibition regarding the consumption of alcohol, the area of Sherish , which was the name given to Jerez by the Moors, continued to be a wine producing center. The rationale for the continuation of wine production included the production of raisins, the distillation of alcohol used for ointments, perfumes, etc.

This last rationale continues to be a valid one. Wine in moderation, especially sherry wines, is considered by many to be part of a beneficial and healthy diet. In fact, throughout the year , the City of Jerez will be celebrating the th year anniversary of this historical event. The city was re-named Xeres de la Frontera because it was on the border frontera between the Christian kingdom of Castile and the Moorish kingdom of Granada.

The discovery of the Americas opened new markets and business flourished. This was a period of great geographic discovery and epic voyages. The casks were refilled with water when the wine was eventually consumed. The wine was also used for medicinal purposes to prevent scurvy. Due to the increased demand for sherry during the 17 th and 18 th Centuries, many wine merchants from England, Scotland, Ireland as well as Spaniards returning from the colonies , began to arrive in the area.