Cream / Medium Sherry

What it is

Cream and Medium are 'vinos generosos de licor', blended fortified wines made above all in the Jerez region and also in Montilla-Moriles: dry fortified wines sweetened by adding sweet wine. Cream, mahogany in colour, is sweet and rich, with notes of raisins, figs, toffee and walnut, supported by the structure of the oloroso it is usually based on. Medium, amber in colour, is medium-sweet and keeps the hazelnut notes of amontillado with a softer finish. Historically closely linked to the British market, they are a friendly way into the wines of Jerez.

How it is made

They are made by blending (known in Jerez as cabeceo), combining dry fortified wines with sweet wine, usually Pedro Ximénez and sometimes Moscatel; the base wines are aged in the traditional criaderas and solera system. Cream is usually based on oloroso and Medium on amontillado, while the paler Pale Cream is based on biologically aged wines sweetened with rectified concentrated grape must. The appellation rules set a sugar range for each type, and the final sweetness depends on the proportion of sweet wine.

What to serve it with

• Foie gras and pâtés
• Aged and blue cheeses
• Vanilla ice cream
• Nut tarts and desserts
• Sponge cakes and pastries

On the wine list

• List Cream and Medium separately from the dry sherries and state their sweetness (sweet or medium-sweet): a guest who orders 'a sherry' may be expecting a dry fino.
• It often works well by the glass after the meal, as a less dense alternative to Pedro Ximénez; some guests prefer it chilled, over ice with a slice of orange.
• As an oxidatively aged wine, it usually keeps for several weeks once opened if well stoppered; write the opening date on the bottle.