Seven Things You Don’t Need To Know About Sherry – but may as well read anyway

• Francis Fisticuffs

England’s historical appetite for sherry can be attributed to the swashbuckling antics of Sir Francis Drake. At the height of maritime fisticuffs with Spain in 1587, Drake waltzed into the port of Cadiz and, catching the Spanish sailors unaware, set the whole Armada alight and also relieved Philip II of around 3000 barrels of sherry. Delivered to the British court, sherry then became a fabulously fashionable fortified wine in England among both the rich and poor.”

• Hailing From Jerez

Sherry was the first Spanish product to be created the Denomination of Origin status. This means it must be made from grapes grown within a small triangular region in Andalusia that incorporates Sanlucar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Jerez de la Frontera.

• You’re Bard

Sherry’s most famous role in William Shakespeare’s plays is during “King Henry IV Part II” when Sir John Falstaff sings its praises above that of beer and other “thin potations”.

“A good sherris-sack,” he says, “ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish and dull and crudy vapours which environ it; makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble fiery and delectable shapes; which, deliver’d o’er to the voice, the tongue, which is the birth, becomes excellent wit.

• I like big butts and I cannot lie

Unlike wine, sherry doesn’t do years. Instead it uses the 19^th century solera system.

Barrels holding wines of different ages are ranked in tiers and when a small amount of wine is taken from the oldest barrel at the bottom, that barrel is then topped up with younger wine taken from a barrel above and so on until the top tier is filled with fresh wines.

• Moors Magic

Sherry’s history dates back to the 1100 BC when vines from Lebanon were taken to “Xera” by the Phoenecians. When the Arab Moors took control of much of Spain and Portugal in the 8^th century, the growing of grapes was ‘justified’ by Islamic authorities as a way of providing their soldiers with nutritious raisins. When the Christians took Jerez in 1264, the Moors left their alembic stills which allowed to them to fortify their wines with spirits.

• Ship Shape Sherry

Bountiful barrels of sherry accompanied Christopher Columbus on his expedition to America and it was the first wine to travel around the world when Ferdinand Magellan, who spent more money on sherry than weapons, fuelled his circumnavigation of the globe with the famed Spanish fortified wine.

• Back in Black

Each sherry barrel is painted black to make it easier to spot leakages. The casks are usually made from American oak and once they’ve done their time in Spain, many make their way to Scotland to create sherry-finished whiskies.