2.1 Growing Environment & Grape Growing Flashcards
Where is Sherry located?
Sherry is located in Andalusia in southern Spain at a low latitude (36 degrees) and a low altitude (0-80 metres above sea level).
Describe the Sherry’s overall climate.
The region has influences from the Atlantic Ocean. Jerez has a hot Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, relatively rainy winters.
Name and describe the who winds that influence Sherry’s growing region.
- Poniente - A cool, damp/humid wind influence coming from the Atlantic in the summer.
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Levante - A hot, drying mind from north Africa making the climate more arid.
- This wind can cause grapes to transpire more quickly, concentrating the sugars. Too much sugar can be negative because it may become difficult to ferment the wine to dryness, which is particularly problematic for the development of the flor yeast that is integral to the style of some Sherry wines.
True or false?
Jerez experiences a high number of cloudy days, therefore sunlight hours in the growing season are low.
False.
Jerez experiencs a high number of cloud-free days, therefore sunlight hours in the growing season are high. This yields fully ripe grapes, but without sufficient shading the grapes can easily become sunburnt.
The grapes for Sherry must come from the delimited area of ~7,000 hectares known as the ______________________ or Marco de Jerez.
The grapes for Sherry must come from the delimited area of ~7,000 hectares known as the Zona de Producción or Marco de Jerez.
- Grapes grown in this zone can either be used for DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry or DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or the denomination of origin for Sherry vinegar).*
- There is one exception around Montilla (within Andalusía, in the mountains above Malaga, but outside the Zona de Producción) but matured in the Zona de Crianza and still labeled as DO Jerez-Xéres-Sherry.*
Sherry’s Zona de Producción is split into two parts. What are they?
- Jerez Superior - Thought to be made up of the better vineyard sites, all located on albariza soil. Makes up over 90% of plantings.
- Jerez Zona
Define pagos (Jerez).
Pagos are smaller, delimited vineyard areas in Jerez. Each is thought to produce wines with different characteristics than the others, a function of factors such as aspect, location, small differences in soil, etc. Legislation to allow producers to name a pago on their wine labels is currently under discussion.
Describe the key soil in Sherry’s grape growing region.
Albariza is a mixture of limestone, silica, and clay. The clay means that this soil is very effective at retaining and gradually releasing water from winter rainfall, vital in a region that is very dry during the growing season.
The albariza also forms a crust when dry, which is helpful in reducing evaporation from the soil surface. The ability of the albariza to retain water means that higher planting densities and yields are also possible for grapes for Sherry do not need to have the same concentration of flavors for unfortified wines. Most of the flavor comes through the maturation process.
The light color of this soil also means that it reflects light back into the vine canopy, aiding in the ripening of the grapes.
Other soils in the region include barros which has greater clay content and arenas which is sandy. In practice, the vast majority are planted on the albariza.
List the key grape varieties grown for Sherry.
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Palomino (Palomino Fino; Listán)
- The principal variety. Used in all dry and sweetened styles of Sherry. Accounts for almost 99% of production by volume. Mid to late ripening, well-suited to dry, sunny weather. Capable of producing large yields. It loses acid quickly when nearing maturity. It is also a neutral variety and therefore does not tend to add much of its own primary aromas to Sherry wines.
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Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria)
- Less than 1% of production by volume. Sometimes called Moscatel de Chipiona, after the Coastal town of Chipiona around which it is mainly grown on sandy arenas soils. It is late ripening and well adapted to heat and drought. In contrast to Palomino, it is an aromatic grape and is generally used to produce sweet fortified wines of the same name.
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Pedro Ximénez (PX)
- PX is also used in the production of sweet fortified wines of the same name. It is also used as a sweetening agent. Its small, thin-skinned grapes accumulate high levels of sugar and are then traditionally dried in the sun to further concentrate that sugar. It is a neutral variety and therefore its flavors mainly come from the drying and maturing processes. Legislation permitted for it to be grown in Montilla (province of Córdoba) and shipped into the Zona de Producción either as fresh or raisined grapes or more likely as a young wine. As for Moscatel, PX represents less than 1% of production by volume.
True or false?
The Sherry vineyards were transformed in the 1980s to accomodate mechanization of all the annual tasks like pruning, harvesting, and soil management.
False.
Sherry vineyards are currently in the process of being transformed to accomodate mechanization of all the annual tasks like pruning, harvesting, and soil management.
What is Sherry’s regional name for replacement cane pruning training system?
Vara y pulgar.
However, an increasing number of vineyards are now cordon training (single or double) and spur pruned which is more suitable for mechanization.
Vertical shoot position (VSP) trellising ensures the canopy remains open and arranged for easy mechanization, although some shading of the bunches is needed to prevent sunburn.
What are the maximum vineyard yields permitted by legislation in Sherry?
Max yields = 80 hL/ha, however, it is rare that this max is related, and depending on the year, yields are usually closer to 6-70 hL/ha.
Describe a general layout of a vineyard in Sherry’s growing region.
Vineyards are generally planted on gentle (10-15%) slopes where the albariza soil is mainly found.
Each year after harvest, the soil is worked to create a series of troughts or gullies down each row of vines to catch the winter rains. Without this, most of the rainwater would flow down the sloped vineyards rather than permeating the soil. This system, termed aserpia, is very labour intensive and is now mainly done mechanically.
What is the aserpia system in Sherry’s vineyards?
In this system, the soil is worked to create a series of troughts or gullies down each row of vines to catch the winter rains. Without this, most of the rainwater would flow down the sloped vineyards rather than permeating the soil. This system, is very labour intensive and is now mainly done mechanically.
The most widely used rootstocks in Sherry are 333EM, 41-B, and
__-____.
The most widely used rootstocks in Sherry are 333EM, 41-B, and
13-5 EVEX.
These are all hybrids of V. vinifera and V. berlandieri. The latter was developed by the local viticultural research station and has been found to be the most succesful to date. This rootstock is tolerant of limestone soils (preventing the vine from suffering from chlorosis) and drought, which also producing good yields.
