Sherry
8 typesThe widest color range of any family of wines: from the pale straw of Manzanilla and Fino, aged under a veil of yeast, to the near-black ebony of Pedro Ximénez.
Biological ageing under flor, a layer of yeast, keeps the wine away from air and pale; oxidative ageing darkens it to amber and mahogany; sweet wines from sun-dried grapes are dark from the start. Color ranges follow the official rules of the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda designations (May 2026); the exact tones are approximations.
Manzanilla
Spain · Sanlúcar de Barrameda
A fino aged only in the bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, by the sea, with its own designation of origin: the palest of them all.
At least two years of biological ageing under flor. Official range: straw yellow to amber.
Manzanilla · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: almost colorless, straw-tinted.
Material: Manzanilla in a glass, rim
RGB(241, 237, 196)
Manzanilla · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Manzanilla in a glass, hue
RGB(230, 220, 154)
Manzanilla · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: pale straw.
Material: Manzanilla in a glass, core
RGB(212, 196, 119)
Manzanilla · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Manzanilla in a glass, highlight
RGB(247, 244, 220)
Fino
Spain · Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María
Dry and pale, aged under a veil of flor, a layer of yeast that keeps the air away from the wine.
Biological ageing keeps it light. Official range: straw yellow to amber.
Fino · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: pale straw.
Material: Fino in a glass, rim
RGB(239, 227, 174)
Fino · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Fino in a glass, hue
RGB(226, 207, 126)
Fino · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: straw to light gold.
Material: Fino in a glass, core
RGB(205, 180, 90)
Fino · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Fino in a glass, highlight
RGB(246, 238, 204)
Amontillado
Spain · Jerez
It starts as a fino. When the flor dies, it keeps ageing in contact with air and turns amber.
Biological ageing first, then oxidative. Official range: pale gold to amber.
Amontillado · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: golden.
Material: Amontillado in a glass, rim
RGB(217, 172, 94)
Amontillado · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Amontillado in a glass, hue
RGB(185, 130, 50)
Amontillado · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: deep amber.
Material: Amontillado in a glass, core
RGB(148, 96, 30)
Amontillado · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Amontillado in a glass, highlight
RGB(231, 198, 138)
Palo Cortado
Spain · Jerez
It begins under flor like a fino but soon takes the oxidative path: an amontillado on the nose, an oloroso in color.
A rare wine. Official range: old gold to dark mahogany.
Palo Cortado · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: old gold.
Material: Palo Cortado in a glass, rim
RGB(184, 116, 58)
Palo Cortado · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Palo Cortado in a glass, hue
RGB(142, 74, 30)
Palo Cortado · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: bright mahogany.
Material: Palo Cortado in a glass, core
RGB(94, 44, 16)
Palo Cortado · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Palo Cortado in a glass, highlight
RGB(208, 152, 94)
Oloroso
Spain · Jerez
After a brief initial veil of flor, it ages only in contact with air, at 17 % or more, and darkens to mahogany.
Oxidative ageing. Official range: old gold to dark mahogany.
Oloroso · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: amber.
Material: Oloroso in a glass, rim
RGB(168, 106, 51)
Oloroso · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Oloroso in a glass, hue
RGB(122, 63, 24)
Oloroso · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: dark mahogany.
Material: Oloroso in a glass, core
RGB(74, 34, 12)
Oloroso · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Oloroso in a glass, highlight
RGB(197, 140, 85)
Cream
Spain · Jerez
Oloroso sweetened, often with Pedro Ximénez.
A fortified liqueur wine. Official range: chestnut to dark mahogany.
Cream · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: chestnut.
Material: Cream in a glass, rim
RGB(140, 76, 34)
Cream · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Cream in a glass, hue
RGB(94, 42, 16)
Cream · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: very dark mahogany.
Material: Cream in a glass, core
RGB(58, 22, 8)
Cream · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Cream in a glass, highlight
RGB(168, 106, 60)
Moscatel
Spain · Jerez area, above all Chipiona
Naturally sweet, made from Moscatel grapes, sun-dried or not. Shown here after long ageing.
Young ones stay golden; age takes them to mahogany. Official range: pale gold to intense mahogany.
Moscatel · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: warm amber.
Material: Moscatel in a glass, rim
RGB(168, 101, 42)
Moscatel · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Moscatel in a glass, hue
RGB(122, 58, 20)
Moscatel · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: intense mahogany.
Material: Moscatel in a glass, core
RGB(76, 30, 10)
Moscatel · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Moscatel in a glass, highlight
RGB(200, 136, 72)
Pedro Ximénez
Spain · Jerez, Montilla-Moriles
Grapes dried in the sun until they become raisins: a thick, very sweet wine the color of ebony.
At least 85 % raisined Pedro Ximénez must. Official range: ebony tones, more or less intense.
Pedro Ximénez · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: a thin amber-brown edge where light still gets through.
Material: Pedro Ximénez in a glass, rim
RGB(107, 74, 34)
Pedro Ximénez · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Pedro Ximénez in a glass, hue
RGB(46, 22, 10)
Pedro Ximénez · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: almost black.
Material: Pedro Ximénez in a glass, core
RGB(20, 8, 4)
Pedro Ximénez · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Pedro Ximénez in a glass, highlight
RGB(138, 90, 42)
Designations of origin, traditional terms, grape varieties and regions are named here to describe the color of each wine. This content is independent: no winery or regulatory council has sponsored or reviewed it.