Storing Sherry

• Depending on how you store your sherry, a good bottle will typically last for at least 18 months -- and longer depending on the variety. Some will keep for as long as 48 months. When you store your sherry, place the bottle upright -- not lying down like a regular bottle of wine. Your sherry storage area should also be dark and relatively quiet. This helps to keep the sherry from further oxidizing.

Dry Sherry Shelf Life

• Dry sherries include fino, Manzanilla, amontillado and oloroso. You'll definitely want to drink a fino sooner rather than later as it tastes best when fresh. Fino will last between 12 and 18 months in storage and only about a week once opened. The same goes for a Manzanilla, which is similar to a fino. The nutty concoction that is amontillado usually lasts 18 to 36 months and two to three weeks after you open it. Sealed oloroso can last up to 36 months as well, but it will usually keep about four to six weeks after opening.

Sweet Sherry Shelf Life

• You can store sweet sherries a bit longer than dry ones. Medium-sweet sherries, which are usually blends of amontillado and cream sherries, will keep about 18 to 36 months when sealed. Once opened, you'll have about two to three weeks to drink a medium-sweet sherry. Cream sherries are usually made from olorosos and sweet sherries, so you can typically store them for 24 to 36 months, and then you have four to six weeks to polish them off after opening them.

Pedro Ximenez

• Pedro Ximenez, also known as PX sherry, is one of the best and sweetest varieties. This sweetly succulent beverage is made exclusively from the Pedro Ximenez grape and has the longest shelf life of all sherries. When sealed and stored properly, a bottle of Pedro Ximenez sherry will last between 24 and 48 months. Once you crack open your bottle, you'll have about one to two months to finish it before it goes bad.