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Sherry vs Port: A Thorough But Quick Rundown For A Beginner Wine Taster

By Tammy Schmidt · · Updated

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If you've been weighing your options for Sherry and Port, you're not alone. Neither are you if you are just seeking out information.

Search for "Sherry or Port wine" and you will find endless comparisons of just these two wines.

Why is that?

There are more wine sippers than you probably can imagine. Indeed, many of these wine sippers reach a stage where they have to compare both wines. Well, I have and believe with a little shred of doubt that you've also joined the bandwagon.

It's not hard to see why we seem unable to escape this "famous" comparison. Sherry and Port are both fortified wines and were once a staple dessert pairing choice. They are making a comeback too.

Enough rambling, let's get to the rundown.

What Are The Main Differences Between Sherry vs Port?

The main differences between Port vs Sherry are:

  • Sherry is made exclusively from white grapes, whereas Port can be made with either red or white grapes
  • Sherry is fortified with brandy spirit after fermentation, whereas Port is fortified mid-way through the fermentation process.
  • Sherry comes only from the Sherry Triangle in Andalusia, Spain, whereas Port comes only from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal.
  • Sherry wine alcohol content varies between 15% and 22%, whereas Port wines usually sit between 19% and 22%.

Sherry And Port: Their Similar Yet Different Origins

In Europe, Sherry and Port wines under the law must be grown and produced in their native regions to have the name labeled on any bottle.

The Sherry Triangle is the area between three towns, Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María, which mark the small Spanish region where Sherry is produced.

Port-style wines are made in places such as South Africa and the USA, but under EU rules only fortified wine from Portugal's Douro region can be sold there as Port. The Douro Valley, where Port originated, has a hot, dry climate suited to the grapes used to make it.

How about a quick look at the grapes used to produce these wines?

Grapes Of Sherry And Port Wine

grapes for wine production

Sherry is mainly produced with Palomino grapes. The other grape varieties are Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel, which are mostly used to make sweet sherries. Sometimes, manufacturers blend the drier Palomino grapes with these sweet wines.

In contrast, dozens of grape varieties are permitted in Port. Five red grapes are the most widely used in the best wines: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Cão.

Unlike Sherry that usually uses a single grape variety, Port wines are made with a blend of these grapes. White Port uses a blend of white grapes - such as Gouveio, Malvasia Fina, Rabigato, Viosinho, and Donzelinho.

That's all for now on grapes, let's touch on what makes them so popular.

Fortification Process Of Sherry And Port

Fortified wines are wines with added grape spirit (not the same thing as commercial brandy), added either during fermentation or after it is complete. Sherry and Port have a totally different fortification processes.

Sherry is fortified with wine spirit after fermentation has finished. Finos and Manzanillas are fortified to about 15%, which leaves room for yeast growth, a veil called flor. Olorosos go to about 17%, which keeps flor from forming. The Sherry is then stored about five-sixths full in casks to leave room for the flor.

On the other hand, Port is fortified midway through fermentation with a grape spirit called "aguardente" to stop the fermentation process. This process leaves residual sugar in the wine before boosting the alcohol content.

What's more fascinating about these wines is their aging. But which is "wowing"?

Port vs Sherry: Aging

Sherry is aged by blending new wine juice with vintage or older ones in a series of barrels. The complex procedure, called the Solera system, carefully transfers the wine without damaging the flor cap on top.

Because of this blending, most Sherry carries no vintage, though rare single-vintage (añada) Sherries do exist.

Port has a more straightforward aging process. The wines are simply stored in barrels inside a cellar before they are bottled. The only difference is among styles that use a wooden barrel or sealed glass bottles for maturation. Port produced in air-tight bottles tends to be darker, smoother, and with gentle tannins compared with wood-aged Ports such as Tawny, which age oxidatively.

ice cube and wine decanter

What Do Sherry And Port Taste Like?

Dry Sherries are known for nutty, salty, and yeasty notes, while sweet styles bring dried fruit, fig, and raisin. Sweet Sherry is dark, rich, and syrupy up your palate with the intensity of its fortification.

Now, Port typically has rich berry and dark fruit flavors, with notes of spice, nuts, and bitter chocolate, depending on its style. Aged Tawny Ports lean toward caramel, nuts, and butterscotch.

Port is almost always sweet, while Sherry runs from bone dry to very sweet.

Port vs Sherry: Styles

One thing both wines have in common is that they have a wide range of production styles. You'd have no problem finding one that's in line with your palate, whether it's sweet or dry.

Sherry for one; has super dry styles namely:

  • Fino,
  • Manzanilla,
  • Amontillado,
  • Oloroso

They all have little to no residual sugar. Fino and Manzanilla sit at 15% to 17% alcohol, while Amontillado and Oloroso run higher, up to 22%. However, [sweet sherry wines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherry#:~:text=Sherry%20(Spanish%3A%20Jerez%20%5Bxe%CB%88%C9%BEe%CE%B8,la%20Frontera%20in%20Andalusia%2C%20Spain.&text=Sweet%20dessert%20wines%20are%20also,blended%20with%20Palomino%2Dbased%20sherries.) like Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez range from 15% to 22% alcohol, with at least 160 grams of sugar per liter (212 grams for Pedro Ximénez).

Now, let's briefly touch on Port styles. Ruby Port is the least expensive and the most popular style.

Other styles include:

You can read some of our in-depth wine reviews for a better understanding, as this is only a glance through the styles. Now, let's clarify some popular misconceptions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sherry And Port

Are Port and Sherry wines the same?

No, Port and Sherry aren't the same. Sherry and Port are made from entirely different grapes, so they aren't the same. Although they are fortified wines, both have varying production processes, aging, and taste differently.

Which wine is stronger -- Sherry or Port?

Port is usually a little stronger, though the gap is small. Port typically sits between 19% and 22% ABV. Sherry ranges from 15% to 22%, with Fino and Manzanilla at the low end and Oloroso near the top.

Either way, both are much stronger than table wine, so smaller pours make sense.

port wine

Can I substitute Sherry for Port?

Yes, you can substitute Sherry for Port or the other way around. They are both fortified wines with plenty of styles that can be used at dinner, as a solo sip, or for cooking.

Is Sherry or Port Wine Better?

It's hard to tell since they are similar in many ways -- you may have to taste each one to feel how it works up your palate. What you also compare matters as you can find dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet styles of both wines. If you have answers to these questions, then you should already know who your winner is between Sherry and Port.

Final Thoughts On Sherry Vs Port Wine

Sherry and Port are boozy wines that can be enjoyed alone, with food, or as culinary spices. My fingers are crossed on which is a better choice as they both tick all the necessary boxes. Although Sherry tends to be drier and more acidic, it still has a sweet variety in the same way that Port has a wide variety as well.

Finally, a bottle of either quality Sherry or Port wouldn't break the bank. So it won't hurt to taste both and pick one as a regular or simply taste both for the knowledge.

What are your thoughts on Sherry and Port wine?

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