Style
Medium Sherry
Sweet sherry based on Amontillado with added PX or Moscatel. Sugar 5-115 g/l. Split into Medium Dry and Medium Sweet (boundary at 50 g/l).
What it is
Medium Sherry sits within the Generosos de Licor category, a blended sherry where oxidatively-aged wine is combined with a sweet component. The base is always Amontillado or an Amontillado-style wine. The sweet component is typically Pedro Ximénez, sometimes Moscatel, sometimes concentrated grape must. Sugar runs from 5 to 115 grams per litre. Alcohol stays at 15 to 22 percent, the same range as the dry Amontillado base.
Two subcategories since 2021
The 2021 Consejo reform clarified the sweetness split:
- Medium Dry: 5 to 50 grams per litre (previously 5 to 45)
- Medium Sweet: 50 to 115 grams per litre (previously 45 to 115)
“Medium” without further qualification can cover either. The label normally states the specific variant. For the drinker it matters: a Medium Dry sits close to a dry Amontillado, a Medium Sweet drifts toward Cream territory.
How it differs from Cream
Medium and Cream look visually related but taste differently because of three differences. First, the base: Medium starts from Amontillado (lighter, restrained oxidative, biological ageing behind it); Cream starts from Oloroso (fully oxidative, dark, fuller in structure). Second, sweetness: Medium Sweet stops at 115 grams per litre; Cream begins there and runs to 140. Third, aromatics: Medium retains the nutty, spiced Amontillado signature under the sweetness; Cream is dominated by raisin, caramel and walnut.
In the glass
Amber to dark chestnut. The nose offers toasted nuts, candied orange peel, dried apricot and light spice. On the palate sweetness balances against the oxidative structure of the base, finishing drier than the first impression suggests. Far better served chilled than is common practice: 10 to 11 degrees Celsius lifts the aromatic layers more sharply than room temperature.
Famous examples
Williams & Humbert Dry Sack, the canonical Medium Sherry since 1906, blends Amontillado with PX and carries a recognisable light sweetness that never turns heavy. González Byass Apostoles is technically a Palo Cortado VOS but gets dosed up to Medium thresholds and effectively reads as such in the glass. Lustau produces an Almacenista Medium, smaller scale and more complex in profile. Beyond these, dozens of “oloroso abocado” and “rich amontillado” bottlings legally fall within Medium Sweet.
The critical point
Medium is the most neglected sherry category. Too sweet for dry-sherry purists, too subtle for sweet-sherry fans, not sweet enough for the modern cocktail bar. The style slid into the shadow of Cream’s mass-market push in the 1980s and never quite emerged. That’s a loss, because a well-made Medium Sweet, with a genuine Amontillado base, a precise PX dose and proper ageing, ranks among the most complex sherries in production. Dry Sack from Williams & Humbert remains one of the better Medium starting points worldwide.
When to drink
Hearty soups (ajiaco, French onion), game fowl, pâté, mild game dishes with sweet sauce. Blue-veined cheese. With dessert: dried figs, poached pear. Drink cool but not ice-cold (10 to 11 degrees Celsius), slightly warmer than Pale Cream, slightly cooler than Cream.