How to Tell the Difference Between Sherry and Port (2024)

FAQs

How to Tell the Difference Between Sherry and Port? ›

Both are fortified, which means brandy or a neutral distilled spirit is added. Port wine tends to be rich and sweet in taste since it is fortified halfway through the fermentation process. This differs from sherry, which is fortified after the fermentation process is complete, giving it a dry texture.

Sherry is wine made from white grapes. The grape variety Palomino features prominently in dry versions, while sweet versions like cream sherry might include Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel. Sherries are aged in a unique system called the solera, where barrels of fortified wines sit for years at ambient temperatures.

For starters, the way to tell you're holding an authentic bottle of Port is dead simple: look for the Selo de Garantia, a white seal that reads “Vinho do Porto Garantia.” Port is produced by adding aguardente (sometimes referred to simply as “brandy”) to (usually) red wine.

The primary difference between a Port Glass and a Sherry Glass is stem length and bowl diameter. Port glassware is short and stout and has a much wider bowl than rim. Where a sherry glass it tall and lean. The elegance of a sherry glass comes from consistency in the structure.

As with dry sherries, the best substitute for a sweet sherry is another sweet fortified wine. Examples are port, which is generally rich and sweet, as well as sweet vermouth, which is red rather than white. Sweet Madeira and marsala are also good choices.

Both are fortified, which means brandy or a neutral distilled spirit is added. Port wine tends to be rich and sweet in taste since it is fortified halfway through the fermentation process. This differs from sherry, which is fortified after the fermentation process is complete, giving it a dry texture.

“A basic way to think about flavor differences is that Port is made mostly from red grapes and sherry is made from white grapes. For me, port is all about the dark spiced fruit tones and sometimes caramel toffee notes,” says Fanelli.

Port Glass, Fully Cut, After Dinner Port

These glasses are like minature wine glasses with long stems and are perfect for serving port after dinner. These glasses are like minature wine glasses with long stems and are perfect for serving port after dinner.

Port wine has a richer, sweeter, and heavier texture than other wines, since it is fortified halfway through its fermentation process. Sherry is dry in texture, since it is fortified after completion of the fermentation process. Port has a higher alcohol content (19.5-22%) compared to other wines.

How long does Sherry last? Typically, an unopened bottle of Sherry can last from 1 to 5 years, while an opened bottle of this fortified wine can last from a few days up to a year. However, the shelf life of this southern Spain wine depends hugely on the wine style.

When to drink port or sherry? ›

This tendency to sweetness means that fortified wines are often drunk either as an aperitif, like sherry, or as an after-dinner drink, like port.

The best Marsala wines come from the region of Italy where the wine gets its name, the area surrounding the city of Marsala. Unlike sherry and port, Marsala has a unique complexity that sets it apart, and since it is made in both dry and sweet varieties, it the perfect choice for cooking, from sweet to savory meals.

Sherry is a fortified wine from the Jerez region of Spain, where the primary grape is Palomino; while the wine is fermenting, a layer of yeast called flor is allowed to form on top of the wine, protecting it from spoilage and oxidation (although most Sherries are made in an oxidative style).

Sherry (Spanish: jerez [xeˈɾeθ]) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain.

Sherry is a fortified wine with a long history from Southern Spain. It's a high-alcohol wine made using the historic solera system (a barrel aging and blending system) and is produced in a variety of styles, from dry to sweet and light to intense. Most sherry exhibits nutty, dried fruit, and saline flavors.

Oxidation can also render a wine undrinkable. Oxygen contact can cause browning, especially in white wines, and flavors associated with sherry. While these aromas are delicious in sherry, you may not like them as much in your Chardonnay.