What are cream sherry and medium sherry?

Cream is made by blending oloroso with pedro ximénez, a process called cabeceo in Jerez.

By that point the oloroso has already matured oxidatively: dark in colour and dry in taste. By adding naturally sweet wine or concentrated must, the sugar content comes to 115 to 140 grams per litre. The Consejo Regulador describes the colour as chestnut brown to dark mahogany and the alcohol content as 15.5 to 22 percent. Cream is therefore not a maturation of its own but a blend.

Medium is any sherry with more than 5 and at most 115 grams of sugar per litre.

Within that band the limit is 45 grams. Up to 45 grams the label says medium dry, above that medium sweet. The base is usually an amontillado or a wine that has aged both under flor and with air. The Consejo Regulador cites a colour from amber to dark chestnut brown and an alcohol content of 15 to 22 percent.

Cream is a sweetened blend; pedro ximénez is a naturally sweet wine from sun-dried grapes.

With pedro ximénez, the grapes are put out in the sun after harvest until they become raisins, the asoleo. The sugar content therefore rises above 212 grams per liter and the wine is ebony black. Cream starts from dry oloroso and only gets its sugar when blended. So the difference lies in where the sugar comes from, not in the amount alone.

The Consejo Regulador recognises three sweetened styles: pale cream, medium and cream.

All three arise through cabeceo, the blending of a generoso wine with naturally sweet wine or concentrated must, and all three sit above 5 grams of sugar per litre. What sets them apart is the base wine and the final sugar content. Besides these, the naturally sweet wines stand apart: moscatel and pedro ximénez, which get their sugar from the grape itself.

Cream and pedro ximénez come to the table at the end of the meal, with cheese or dessert.

The Consejo Regulador uses cream and pedro ximénez as an aperitif or with dessert and serves pedro ximénez lightly chilled, after a round of tapas. In terms of sugar, medium sits between the dry and the naturally sweet styles, which is why it goes well with mature cheese, dried fruit and sweet-and-sour dishes. Use an ordinary wine glass and do not pour too much at once.