Fino
Dry, pale, bone-dry sherry aged under a protective layer of yeast called flor. The lightest end of the sherry family.
Fino is the lightest and driest style of sherry, made from Palomino grapes in the Jerez triangle (Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa María) in Andalusia. The wine is fortified to about 15% alcohol and aged for years in partially-filled barrels under a layer of flor, a naturally forming film of yeast that protects the wine from oxygen and gives it a faintly almondy, briny, bread-doughy character. Fino is meant to drink cold and fresh, ideally within months of bottling, and pairs almost magically with cured fish, jamón, almonds and olives. It is, structurally, a different drink from oloroso or PX; same region, totally different style.
How it's served
Cold (around 7°C), in a small white-wine glass or the traditional copita. Standard pairing for jamón, almonds, anchovies, marinated olives and fried fish. Fino loses freshness fast once opened; drink within a few days of pulling the cork.
Regional variation
Fino is the Jerez de la Frontera style; manzanilla is the same style of wine made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the sea air gives a slightly saltier, fresher character. The difference between the two is real but subtle. Outside the Jerez triangle, the sherry-method styles use different names (Montilla-Moriles makes a similar wine and labels it fino-amontillado).
- Origin
- Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia
- Etymology
- Spanish for 'fine.'
Frequently asked
What is fino sherry?
A dry, pale, fortified wine from the Jerez region of Andalusia, made from Palomino grapes and aged under a layer of yeast called flor. The flor protects the wine from oxygen and gives it a fresh, briny, almond-tinged character. The driest end of the sherry family.
What's the difference between fino and manzanilla?
Both are dry, pale sherries aged under flor, but fino is made in Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María; manzanilla is made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The sea air in Sanlúcar gives manzanilla a slightly saltier, fresher quality. Same logic, different microclimate.
What food pairs with fino?
Jamón ibérico, almonds, green olives, anchovies, fried fish, hard cheeses, sushi. Fino's bone-dry, briny profile is unusually flexible. It even works with foods that defeat most wines, like artichokes and asparagus. Avoid sweet foods, which kill it.
Related terms
- OlorosoDry, amber-coloured sherry aged with full oxygen contact (no flor). Heavier, nuttier and more intense than fino.
- ManzanillaDry, pale sherry aged under flor in the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. A close cousin to fino, slightly saltier from the sea air.
- Jamón ibéricoCured ham from the black-hooved Iberian pig. The top grade, jamón ibérico de bellota, comes from pigs fed on acorns in the dehesa.
- AmontilladoSherry that started as fino, lost its flor partway through aging, and finished oxidatively. Amber-coloured, nutty, sits between fino's brightness and oloroso's weight.
- AnxovesCured anchovies, packed in salt or olive oil. The two great Spanish traditions are anxoves de l'Escala (Catalan) and anchoas del Cantábrico (Basque/Cantabrian).
- BacallàSalt-cured Atlantic cod. The backbone of Catalan, Basque and inland-Spanish cooking for centuries; soaked in water before use, then prepared a hundred different ways.
- BoqueronesFresh anchovies in two classic Spanish preparations: white in vinegar (boquerones en vinagre) or whole and deep-fried (boquerones fritos). Different fish from cured anchoas.
- Palo CortadoThe rarest sherry style. Starts like a fino, loses its flor unexpectedly, and finishes oxidatively into a wine with the elegance of amontillado and the body of oloroso.
- Pedro Ximénez (PX)Inky black, syrup-thick sweet sherry made from sun-dried Pedro Ximénez grapes. Tastes like raisin, fig, espresso and dark chocolate.
- Sherry (Jerez)Fortified wine from the Jerez triangle in Andalusia. Comes in many styles, from bone-dry fino and manzanilla to amber oloroso to syrupy-sweet Pedro Ximénez.
- VentrescaTuna belly: the fattiest, most marbled cut. Sold canned in olive oil (ventresca de bonito) or served fresh as sashimi, tartare or quickly seared.