sherry

IPA/ˈʃeri/
KK[ʃˈɛri]IPA/ˈʃeri/

sherry — noun

  • sherrysingular
  • sherriesplural

1. a type of alcoholic drink made from white grapes that is produced in the wine-ma

1.nounB1
Definition

a type of alcoholic drink made from white grapes that is produced in the wine-making area around Jerez in Andalusia, in the south of Spain. Extra alcohol is added during production, giving it a higher strength than ordinary wine, and its taste can range from very dry to very sweet.

Example

Before dinner, Yasmin poured everyone a small sherry to enjoy with the olives.

aperitif context: sherry served before a meal

The recipe needed dry sherry, so Constanza used Fino instead of the sweet variety.

differentiating dry vs sweet sherry

Common collocations
  • dry sherry
  • sweet sherry
  • cream sherry
  • medium sherry
  • Fino sherry
  • Oloroso sherry
  • a glass of sherry
  • a bottle of sherry
Synonyms
  • aperitif

    a broader category: any drink served before a meal, not just sherry

  • fortified wine

    the wider class sherry belongs to, including port and Madeira

  • Fino

    a specific pale, dry style of sherry — not all sherries are Fino

Grammar Patterns

a glass/bottle of sherry

a dry/sweet/cream sherry

Usage Note

Sherry can be used as a countable noun (a sherry = a glass of sherry) or an uncountable noun (some sherry). In British English, 'a sherry' often refers to the drink served as a social aperitif.

Common Mistakes

I ordered a sherry wine with my meal.
I ordered a sherry with my meal.
'Sherry' already means a type of wine; adding 'wine' is redundant.
She bought a Fino sherry wine from the store.
She bought a Fino sherry from the store.
The specific style name (Fino, Oloroso) already indicates it is a sherry.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Sherry, port, and Madeira are all fortified wines — wines with extra alcohol added during production. Sherry comes from the Jerez region of southern Spain and ranges from pale, dry Fino to dark, sweet cream sherry. Port is a sweet, red fortified wine from Portugal's Douro Valley, typically served after a meal with cheese or dessert. Madeira, from the Portuguese island of the same name, is heated and oxidised during production, giving it a distinctive caramelised, nutty flavour that can be dry or sweet. While all three are used as aperitifs or digestifs, sherry is the driest and lightest of the three; port is richer and sweeter; and Madeira has a unique toasty character. For example, you might start a meal with a glass of chilled Fino sherry, finish it with a vintage port and Stilton cheese, and enjoy a glass of Madeira with a fruitcake.

sherry ↗port ↗Madeira

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sherry glass
  • sherry vinegar
  • sherry cask
  • sherry drinker

Phrases

  • a glass of sherry
  • a bottle of sherry
  • a splash of sherry
  • dry sherry
  • sweet sherry
  • cream sherry
  • Fino sherry
  • Oloroso sherry
  • Amontillado sherry

Prepositions

  • of sherry
  • with sherry

Etymology

Latin (Ceret)Arabic (Sherish)Spanish (Jerez)English (sherris → sherry)

The English word 'sherry' is an adaptation of 'Jerez', the name of the town in Andalusia, southern Spain, where this wine originated. In earlier English, the wine was called 'sherris' (from Spanish 'vino de Xeres' — 'wine of Jerez'), but because 'sherris' sounded plural, English speakers dropped the final 's' and created the singular form 'sherry'. This misunderstanding — treating a non-plural word as a plural — is known as a 'back-formation'.