You’ve probably seen them on a high-end back bar. Those four elegant bottles, each labeled with a season—Primavera, Verano, Otoño, and Invierno. People call them the 4 seasons sherry, but here’s the thing: they aren't just about the weather. Most folks assume it’s a marketing gimmick. It isn't.
Sherry is weird. It’s a fortified wine from the "Sherry Triangle" in Andalusia, Spain, specifically around Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. But the Lustau 4 Seasons collection (technically the Almacenista series variations or seasonal releases depending on the market year) is basically a masterclass in how temperature, humidity, and time change what’s in your glass.
Honestly? Most people drink sherry wrong anyway. They buy a bottle of Tio Pepe, stick it in a warm cupboard for three years, and then wonder why it tastes like old pennies.
The Science of the "Flor" and Why Seasons Actually Matter
To get why a 4 seasons sherry approach matters, you have to understand the flor. This is a literal layer of living yeast that floats on top of the wine in the barrel. It’s finicky. It’s moody.
In the spring (Primavera), the flor is thick and aggressive. It protects the wine from oxygen and eats up all the glycerin and sugar. This is where you get those bone-dry, salty Finos and Manzanillas. When the heat of summer (Verano) hits, the flor can actually struggle or thin out.
If you’ve ever tasted a sherry that feels "fat" or "nutty," you’re likely tasting the result of oxidation. That happens when the flor dies back.
What’s really in the bottles?
Lustau, the legendary bodega behind many of these concepts, doesn't just throw random wine into these bottles. They use the Almacenista system. Think of Almacenistas as independent "stock keepers" who produce small batches of high-quality wine but don't have the scale to market them. Lustau partners with them.
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The 4 seasons sherry concept—specifically the Almacenista collection often associated with these seasonal profiles—breaks down like this:
- Primavera (Spring): Usually a Manzanilla Papirusa or a light Fino. It’s crisp. It tastes like the ocean and green almonds.
- Verano (Summer): This is often an Amontillado. It starts as a Fino under the flor, but then the yeast dies, and the wine begins to age with air. It’s darker, leaning into tobacco and hazelnut.
- Otoño (Autumn): Usually a Palo Cortado. This is the "accident" of the sherry world. It’s a wine that meant to be a Fino but decided it wanted to be an Oloroso. It’s complex, rare, and pricey.
- Invierno (Winter): Oloroso or Pedro Ximénez (PX). These are the heavy hitters. We’re talking 18% to 20% alcohol, smelling like leather, dried figs, and dark chocolate.
The Palo Cortado Myth
Let’s talk about Otoño for a second. Palo Cortado is the one everyone fights over at wine bars. Traditionally, the cellar master would mark a cask with a single vertical stroke (palo) to indicate it was a fine, delicate wine destined to be a Fino.
Sometimes, for reasons nobody fully understood 100 years ago, the wine would lose its flor and start aging oxidatively, gaining body. The cellar master would then "cut" the original mark with a horizontal stroke. Hence, "Palo Cortado."
In the context of a 4 seasons sherry lineup, this is the transitional star. It has the nose of an Amontillado but the weight of an Oloroso. It’s basically autumn in a glass—smoky, transitional, and a bit melancholic.
Stop Keeping Your Sherry in the Kitchen Cabinet
Seriously. Stop.
If you are buying a Fino or Manzanilla (the "Spring" or "Summer" styles), you need to treat it like white wine. Put it in the fridge. Drink it within a week. If you leave a Fino open on your counter, it will oxidize and turn into a bad version of an Amontillado within 48 hours.
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The "Winter" styles—the Olorosos and the sweet PX—can handle more abuse. They’ve already been oxidized. They’re tough. You can keep an Oloroso open for a month and it’ll still be delicious, maybe even better as it breathes.
The Food Pairing Secret Nobody Tells You
Most people think sherry is for grandmas or for sipping after dinner with a cigar. That’s a massive mistake.
- Fino/Manzanilla: Drink this with fried fish or salty almonds. The salinity in the wine cuts through grease like a laser.
- Amontillado: This is the king of soup pairings. French Onion soup? Amontillado.
- Oloroso: Go for red meat or aged Manchego cheese.
- PX: Pour it over vanilla ice cream. Don't drink it; just drown your dessert in it.
The 4 seasons sherry experience is really just an excuse to eat better.
Why Lustau Is the Benchmark
There are other houses, obviously. Gonzalez Byass is huge. Valdespino is historic and incredible. But Lustau’s "3-town" approach—sourcing from all corners of the Sherry Triangle—gives them a range that others struggle to match.
The Sanlúcar wines are saltier because they’re closer to the Atlantic. The Jerez wines are broader and more powerful. When you look at a seasonal collection, you're seeing the geographic diversity of Andalusia squeezed into a glass.
Misconceptions That Need to Die
"Sherry is always sweet."
Wrong. Most sherry is incredibly dry. It’s actually some of the driest wine on the planet because the flor consumes almost all the residual sugar. Only the "Cream" sherries or the PX varieties are sweet.
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"Sherry is high alcohol."
Kinda. It’s fortified, usually between 15% and 22%. It’s stronger than Pinot Noir but weaker than Bourbon. It’s meant for sipping, not shots.
"The 4 seasons sherry is just a gift set."
Not really. While they are sold as sets, they represent the chronological journey of the wine. You can't have an Invierno (Oloroso) without the foundations of the earlier stages of the Solera system.
The Solera System: The "Eternal" Wine
You can't talk about these wines without the Solera. Imagine a stack of barrels. The bottom row (the solera) contains the oldest wine. When they bottle some, they refill that bottom barrel with wine from the row above it (1st criadera), and so on.
This means your 4 seasons sherry likely contains molecules of wine that are decades, or even a century, old. It’s a continuous blend. There is no "vintage" in the traditional sense for most of these. It’s a living history.
How to Actually Buy This Without Getting Ripped Off
Look for the Almacenista labels. They usually have the name of the individual producer on them, like "Juan García-Jarana" or "Manuel Cuevas Jurado." These are small-scale, high-integrity wines.
If you see a bottle of 4 seasons sherry (the Lustau specific ones or the boutique seasonal releases) priced under $25, grab it. Usually, the Palo Cortado or the VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry) bottles will run you $50 to $100, and honestly, they’re worth every cent.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Tasting
- Check the bottle date: Freshness is everything for the lighter styles. Look for a bottling code or a "disgorged" date if available.
- Glassware matters: Throw away those tiny "sherry schooners." Use a standard white wine glass. You need to be able to stick your nose in there and actually smell the wine.
- Temperature control: Serve Finos at 7-9°C (45-48°F). Serve Olorosos slightly cooler than room temperature, around 14°C (57°F).
- The "Two-Finger" Rule: Pour small amounts. Because of the alcohol content and the intensity of the aromatics, you don't want a massive 6-ounce pour. 2 to 3 ounces is the sweet spot.
- Pair with Umami: Sherry thrives where other wines fail. Asparagus, artichokes, and eggs—the "wine killers"—are actually great with a dry Fino.
The world of 4 seasons sherry is deep, salty, and a little bit confusing. But once you move past the "cooking wine" stereotype, you realize it’s one of the most complex spirits on earth. Go buy a bottle of Amontillado, get some olives, and see for yourself.