I ignored sherry for most of my wine-drinking life. It seemed old-fashioned, complicated, and not something I needed to deal with. Then I went to Jerez and everything changed.
Manzanilla specifically was the revelation. It’s not what you think sherry is. Let me explain.
What Manzanilla Actually Is
Manzanilla is bone-dry sherry from the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Atlantic coast. It’s made from Palomino grapes using the solera system (a complicated blending method I won’t bore you with), and it ages under a layer of yeast called flor.
The flor is the magic. This yeast cap protects the wine from oxygen and gives Manzanilla its distinctive character – salty, nutty, almost briny, with this incredible lightness despite being fortified.
The coastal humidity in Sanlúcar makes the flor thicker than in Jerez proper, which is why Manzanilla is slightly lighter and saltier than its cousin Fino. If you’ve only had Fino, Manzanilla is worth trying.
What It Tastes Like
Salt air. Almonds. Sourdough bread. Green apples. Chamomile sometimes. There’s a savory, almost umami quality that’s hard to describe but immediately recognizable once you’ve had it.
It’s completely dry – no sweetness at all. The alcohol is around 15%, which sounds strong but it drinks lighter than you’d expect. Especially when served ice cold.
If you think sherry is sweet, you’ve been drinking the wrong sherries. Manzanilla is as dry as any wine made anywhere.
When and How to Drink It
Temperature matters: Ice cold. Refrigerator cold is good, but a bucket of ice is better. The cold amplifies the crispness and keeps the salinity in balance.
Small glasses: Traditional copitas are small because you want to finish each pour while it’s still cold. Multiple small servings are better than one large one that warms up.
Aperitif: This is classic pre-dinner drinking. The saltiness stimulates appetite. In Spain, you’d have it with olives and almonds.
With food: Phenomenal with seafood. Grilled shrimp, fried fish, raw oysters, ceviche. The coastal wine wants coastal food. I’ve also had it with jamón ibérico and it was transcendent.
By itself: Totally works. On a hot afternoon, super cold Manzanilla is about as refreshing as wine gets.
My Go-To Bottles
La Guita is widely available and consistently excellent. Usually under fifteen dollars. This is what I keep in my fridge.
Hidalgo La Gitana is another classic, similar style, similar price.
For something more serious, look for en rama bottlings – these are less filtered and have more character. Barbadillo makes good ones.
Practical Considerations
Once opened, Manzanilla doesn’t last long. A few days in the fridge, maybe a week. The flor that protected it during aging is gone once you pop the cork, and oxidation takes over quickly.
This means: open it when you’re ready to drink most of it. This isn’t a sipper you crack once a week.
Buy small bottles (375ml) if available. Easier to finish before they fade.
Why I’m Evangelizing
Manzanilla is one of the great wines of the world and almost nobody outside of Spain drinks it. It’s unique, affordable, pairs brilliantly with food, and tastes like nothing else.
If you think you don’t like sherry, try Manzanilla cold with some olives and shrimp. I promise it’s not what you’re expecting.
