2.1: Sherry - The Growing Environment and Grape Growing

Question 1

Where is Jerez located?

Answer 1

Andalusía in southern Spain

Question 2

What is the latitude of Jerez?

Answer 2

low latitude (36°)

Question 3

What is the altitude of Jerez?

Answer 3

low altitude (0-90 metres above sea level)

Question 4

What is the climate of Jerez?

Answer 4

• hot Mediterranean climate
• hot, dry summers
• mild, relatively rainy winters
• influences from the Atlantic Ocean

Question 5

What does the Atlantic Ocean bring to Jerez?

Answer 5

poniente: cool, damp wind that provides a cooling, humid influence in the summer

Question 6

Name the 2 influential winds in Jerez.

Answer 6

1. poniente (cooling, humid influence in the summer)

2. levante (hot, drying wind)

Question 7

What is the levante?

Answer 7

a hot, drying wind flowing from the south east from north Africa, can make the climate more arid

Question 8

What is the effect of the Levante on grapes?

Answer 8

• cause grapes to transpire more quickly, concentrating the sugars
• too much sugar can be a negative because it may become difficult to ferment the wine to dryness, which is particularly problematic for the development of flor yeast

Question 9

Why is the amount of sunlight in Jerez important? What does this mean for the grapes?

Answer 9

• high number of cloud-free days therefore sunlight hours in the growing season are high
• helping to give fully ripe grapes
• without sufficient shading, grapes can easily become sunburnt

Question 10

Where must the grapes for Sherry come from?

Answer 10

the delimited area of around 7,000 hectares known as the Zona de Producción or Marco de Jerez

Question 11

Grapes from the Zona de Producción can be used for what?

Answer 11

• DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

- DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or the denomination of origin for Sherry vinegar)

Question 12

What grape can be grown around Montilla but matured in the Zona de Crianza and still be labelled as DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry?

Answer 12

Pedro Ximénez (also called PX)

Question 13

Where is Montilla?

Answer 13

within Andalusía, in the mountains above Malaga, but outside the Zona de Producción

Question 14

What are the 2 parts of the Zona de Producción?

Answer 14

1. Jerez Superior

2. Jerez Zona

Question 15

What is the Jerez Superior known for?

Answer 15

thought to be made up of the better vineyard sites, all located on albariza soil

Question 16

How much of the plantings does Jerez Superior account for?

Answer 16

over 90% of the plantings

Question 17

How are the vineyards of Jerez divided?

Answer 17

smaller delimited areas called pagos

Question 18

What is believed of the pagos?

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

What is the key soil?

Answer 19

albariza

Question 20

What type of soil is albariza?

Answer 20

mixture of limestone, silica and clay

Question 21

What does the clay mean for the soil?

Answer 21

albariza is very effective at retaining and gradually releasing water from winter rainfall, vital in a region that is very dry during the growing season

Question 22

Why is albariza helpful in reducing evaporation from the soil surface?

Answer 22

forms a crust when dry

Question 23

What effect does the soil have on planting density compared to other hot regions of Spain?

Answer 23

• high ability to retain water
• higher planting densities and yields are possible in Jerez than in other regions in Spain with hot, dry climates (where low-density bush vines are required if irrigation is not used)

Question 24

Why are higher yields possible with Sherry?

Answer 24

• grapes do not need to have the same concentration of flavours
• most of the flavour comes through the maturation process

Question 25

What effect does the color of the soil have?

Answer 25

light colour of the albariza soil also means that it reflects light back into the vine canopy aiding the ripening of the grapes

Question 26

What are the other 2 types of soil in Jerez?

Answer 26

1. barros - greater clay content | 2. arenas - sandy

Question 27

What are the 3 main grape varieties grown in Jerez?

Answer 27

1. Palomino 2. Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) 3. Pedro Ximénez (PX)

Question 28

What are 2 other names for Palomino?

Answer 28

- Palomino Fino | - Listán

Question 29

What is Palomino?

Answer 29

principal variety, used in all dry and sweetened styles of Sherry

Question 30

How much production by volume does Palomino account for?

Answer 30

almost 99%

Question 31

Describe the properties of Palomino.

Answer 31

- mid to late ripening - well-suited to dry, sunny weather - capable of producing large yields - loses acidity quickly when it nears maturity - neutral: does not tend to add much of its own primary aromas to Sherry wines

Question 32

What is another name for Moscatel? Why?

Answer 32

Moscatel de Chipiona | - the coastal town of Chipiona

Question 33

On what soils is Moscatel grown?

Answer 33

sandy arenas soils

Question 34

Describe the properties of Moscatel.

Answer 34

- late ripening - well adapted to heat and drought - aromatic grape (grape, blossom)

Question 35

For what types of wines is PX used?

Answer 35

used for some sweet fortified wines of the same name

Question 36

Describe the properties of PX.

Answer 36

- small, thin-skinned grapes - accumulate high levels of sugar - traditionally dried in the sun to further concentrate that sugar - neutral variety

Question 37

From where to PX wines get their flavors?

Answer 37

mainly come from the drying and maturing processes

Question 38

Where does legislation permit PX to be grown?

Answer 38

grown in Montilla district in the province of Córdoba

Question 39

How is PX shipped into the Zona de Producción?

Answer 39

- either as fresh or raisined grapes | - or more likely as young wine

Question 40

How are the Sherry vineyards in the process of being transformed?

Answer 40

to accommodate mechanisation of all the annual tasks including pruning, harvesting and soil management

Question 41

What was the old principal training system?

Answer 41

replacement cane pruning | - ‘vara y pulgar’

Question 42

What is the new principal training system? Why?

Answer 42

- increasing number of vineyards are now cordon trained (single or double) and spur pruned - more suitable for mechanisation

Question 43

Why is VSP used?

Answer 43

ensures the canopy remains open and arranged for easy mechanisation

Question 44

What is the downside of VSP?

Answer 44

some shading of the bunches is needed to prevent sunburn

Question 45

Describe the within-row spacing.

Answer 45

can be quite tight (just over 1m)

Question 46

Describe the between-row spacing.

Answer 46

wide enough to allow tractors to pass

Question 47

What are the maximum yields permitted? What is more typical?

Answer 47

- 80 hL/ha - rare that this maximum is reached - depending on the year, usually closer to 60-70 hL/ha

Question 48

Where are the vineyards generally planted?

Answer 48

on gentle (10-15 per cent) slopes where the albariza is mainly to be found

Question 49

What happens each year after harvest? What would happen without this?

Answer 49

aserpia - soil worked to create a series of troughs or gullies down each row of vines to catch the winter rains - most of the rainwater would flow down the sloped vineyards rather than permeating the soil

Question 50

How is aserpia typically done?

Answer 50

- very labour intensive | - now mainly done mechanically

Question 51

What are the most widely used rootstocks?

Answer 51

- 333EM - 41-B - 13-5 EVEX (all hybrids of V. vinifera and V. berlandieri)

Question 52

What is 13-5 EVEX?

Answer 52

- rootstock developed by the local viticultural research station - most successful to date - tolerant of limestone soils (preventing the vine from suffering from chlorosis) and drought, while also producing good yields

Question 53

What diseases are problematic? Why?

Answer 53

- dry growing season means that Jerez has relatively little problem with disease - mildew can be a problem in the spring due to warm humid weather after any rain

Question 54

Is frost an issue? Why or why not?

Answer 54

the hot climate and moderating influence from the Atlantic means that frost is not an issue

Question 55

What pests are an issue?

Answer 55

European grapevine moth is a problem and often managed using pheromone traps

Question 56

When does harvest begin? Finish?

Answer 56

- first week of August | - second week in September

Question 57

Where does harvest start? Finish?

Answer 57

- starting on the more inland vineyards | - finishing with the cooler coastal plots

Question 58

Why is harvest as early as possible?

Answer 58

to avoid the risk of autumn rain; any rot would be very undesirable, particularly for biologically aged wines

Question 59

With what potential alcohol are grapes usually picked?

Answer 59

~ 12% potential alcohol

Question 60

With what total acidity are grapes usually picked?

Answer 60

~ 5 g/L

Question 61

With what pH are grapes usually picked?

Answer 61

3.3-3.5

Question 62

If acidification necessary? Why or why not?

Answer 62

- Palomino loses acidity quickly in the final stages of ripening - acidification sometimes required if levels fall much below 5 g/L

Question 63

When do the PX and Moscatel grapes for naturally sweet wines tend to be harvested? Why?

Answer 63

- slightly later | - a higher concentration of sugar in the grapes when harvested makes the drying process that follows easier and quicker

Question 64

What percent of the total grape volume is harvested by machine? When? Why?

Answer 64

~60% - mostly at night or in the early hours of the morning when temperatures are coolest - to reduce chances of oxidation and microbial spoilage