Sherry

Sherry is a well known fortified wine from the area of Jerez in southwestern Spain.

Sherry is made in a manner unlike most wine. The system is known as Solera, and involves fractional blending of wines of different ages. Barrels of the same wine from different vintages are collected.A portion of the oldest barrel is bottled, and that same amount is replaced with an equal amount from the next oldest barrel. That barrel is then refilled from the next oldest, and so on, until you get to the current year's production. The goal is a consistent product without vintage variation.

Sherry is fortified with brandy, raising the alcohol level above that which the wine could achieved naturally. This was original done to stabilize the wine for shipping, in the days before refrigeration.