How Long Does Sherry Last? We Test The Wine's Longevity!

Does it ever make you curious how long Sherry lasts? If yes, then you are not alone. One of the urban myths about a bottle of Sherry is that you can keep it for years.

However...

Sherry is a wine, and according to the Sherry Consejo Regulador, it does not improve once it has been bottled. It is, therefore, best to drink your bottle of Sherry within a reasonable period.

Let's discover more about Sherry wine, its different types, shelf life, and proper storage so we can enjoy a fresh Sherry for longer.

Shelf Life Of Sherry Wines

Sherry is southern Spain's famous fortified wine, made from white grapes around Jerez de la Frontera. It has a higher alcohol content than most table wines and is often misunderstood.

Adding grape spirit is part of the fortification process. It raises the alcohol content and helps protect the wine as it ages.

A bottle of Sherry comes in various styles. Such a wine has types ranging from the driest to the sweetest and wines that come in between varying flavors and intensities.

Understanding the different styles of Sherry wines is essential to know how long does Sherry last.

Fino and Manzanilla Sherry

Unopened bottles of Fino and manzanilla can last up to a year, while an opened bottle, tightly corked in the fridge, keeps for up to a week. Wine drinkers enjoy chilled Fino or manzanilla, and the modern versions of these wine styles are lighter Sherries than they used to be.

Typically, a Fino and manzanilla Sherry begins to lose its vibrance starting from the third day you remove the cork and will start to taste flat.

These types of Sherry wine are the most delicate, so it's best to drink Fino and manzanilla Sherry soon after opening.

Amontillado Sherry

Amontillado pairs well with soups, white meats, and mushrooms, and it's best served lightly chilled. A sealed bottle keeps for up to about three years, and an opened bottle lasts up to two months when tightly corked in the fridge.

Oloroso Sherry

Oloroso ages in contact with air, a process called oxidative aging, and blending it with Pedro Ximénez produces Cream Sherry.

It accompanies many savory dishes, including roasts and meat stews. Despite its rich aroma, Oloroso is a dry Sherry with very little sugar. A sealed bottle keeps for up to about three years, and an opened bottle lasts up to two months in the fridge.

Palo Cortado Sherry

The Palo Cortado is a bottle of Sherry that has the aroma of amontillado and the body of Oloroso.

Only a small share of Sherry ends up as Palo Cortado, which explains its rarity.

An unopened bottle of Palo Cortado can last up to about three years. An opened bottle remains good to drink for up to two months. You only need to ensure that the cork is secure and refrigerate the wine.

Cream Sherry

Sweetened Sherries come in several styles, including Pale Cream, Medium, and Cream. Pale Cream is a flor-aged wine such as Fino, lightly sweetened, while Cream is mainly Oloroso blended with Pedro Ximénez.

Harveys Bristol Cream is a well-known example of the Cream style.

A sealed bottle keeps for up to about three years. Once opened, it lasts up to two months tightly corked in the fridge.

Pedro Ximénez

Unlike other wines in the Sherry family, Pedro Ximénez or PX is a naturally sweet Sherry wine. Its long oxidative aging and high sugar make PX very stable. Even so, the Consejo Regulador's guideline is up to about three years for a sealed bottle and up to two months once opened.

Of course, you must ensure optimal storage and a secure cork, whether it's an unopened bottle of Sherry or not.

Cooking Sherry

In addition to being fun, cooking with wine enhances the flavor compounds of the food, like in the case of Sherry cooking wine.

Despite the dry Marsala wine being more common in several recipes, a cooking Sherry wine is also handy around the kitchen.

Cooking Sherry is a lower-grade Sherry-style product with added salt and preservatives to lengthen its shelf life, so it is not meant for drinking.

How To Store Sherry And Keep It In Excellent Condition

Kitchen

Despite the various styles of your Sherry, one thing you must keep in mind is not to place the bottles in a warm environment. Avoid storing your Sherries in places where fluctuating temperatures are inevitable.

At best, ensure that you store Sherry in a cool, dark place away from the direct ray of sunlight.

A smaller bottle of Fino is available in Spain because it's a delicate wine that you can't store for longer. Also, keep your Sherry bottle upright, as the Consejo Regulador advises, to reduce the surface of wine exposed to air.

For unsealed bottles, secure the cork properly and find a good reason to drink the remaining wine as soon as possible. Or, for leftover Sherries, you may use them as a cooking wine.

Others find them useful as salad dressings or place them in ice cube trays, and after the cubes freeze, place them in containers. You can also use these frozen Sherry cubes for cooking.

Taste Test: Educate yourself further by reading about white wines and their shelf life! We have one written specifically for you here -- Does Marsala Wine Go Bad.

Watch This!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you keep an unopened Sherry wine?

The shelf life of a sealed Sherry bottle depends on its type. You may preserve unopened Fino or Manzanilla for up to a year, and Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado, Cream, and PX for up to about three years. Very old VOS and VORS Sherries are so stable that no limit is set.

How would you know if your Sherry wine is no longer suitable for drinking?

One of the things you must observe if you want to know if your Sherry is still in good condition is its taste. A wine in poor condition tastes bland. One way of proving this is to take a small sip to determine if it's still suitable for drinking or not.

You may also check for the cork taint that will give a musty tone to the wine's flavor or for floating black specks in your Sherry. It may also look cloudy and start changing its color. Or you may notice the appearance of some bubbles.

Should you refrigerate Sherry after opening the bottle?

Yes, refrigerating your Sherries after opening can slow the oxidation process that dulls their flavors. Keep the cork firmly in place, too.

The Consejo Regulador says opened Finos and Manzanillas should always be kept in the fridge. Other styles also last longest there, tightly corked.

Can I freeze Sherry wines?

Yes, but only for cooking. Freezing dulls a Sherry's aromas, so it isn't a way to keep it for drinking.

To chill a bottle quickly, set it in a bucket of ice instead. For leftovers, some cooks freeze Sherry in an ice cube tray and keep the cubes in a freezer bag for recipes.

Conclusion

Some wines need the storage temperature of a wine cellar, while you can store the others in a wine rack or your fridge. However, not all wines get better with age, especially for opened bottles.

Even if an unopened bottle has a lengthier shelf life, it can still go bad after some time. Remember that the shelf life for unopened and opened bottles of Sherry depends on its type and the storage condition.

Sources

Conservation & Serving, Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (sherry.wine)
Oloroso, Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (sherry.wine)
Cream, Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (sherry.wine)