2.1: Sherry - The Growing Environment and Grape Growing Flashcards
Where is Jerez located?
Andalusía in southern Spain
What is the latitude of Jerez?
low latitude (36°)
What is the altitude of Jerez?
low altitude (0-90 metres above sea level)
What is the climate of Jerez?
- hot Mediterranean climate
- hot, dry summers
- mild, relatively rainy winters
- influences from the Atlantic Ocean
What does the Atlantic Ocean bring to Jerez?
poniente: cool, damp wind that provides a cooling, humid influence in the summer
Name the 2 influential winds in Jerez.
- poniente (cooling, humid influence in the summer)
2. levante (hot, drying wind)
What is the levante?
a hot, drying wind flowing from the south east from north Africa, can make the climate more arid
What is the effect of the Levante on grapes?
- 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
Why is the amount of sunlight in Jerez important? What does this mean for the grapes?
- 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
Where must the grapes for Sherry come from?
the delimited area of around 7,000 hectares known as the Zona de Producción or Marco de Jerez
Grapes from the Zona de Producción can be used for what?
- DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
- DO Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or the denomination of origin for Sherry vinegar)
What grape can be grown around Montilla but matured in the Zona de Crianza and still be labelled as DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry?
Pedro Ximénez (also called PX)
Where is Montilla?
within Andalusía, in the mountains above Malaga, but outside the Zona de Producción
What are the 2 parts of the Zona de Producción?
- Jerez Superior
2. Jerez Zona
What is the Jerez Superior known for?
thought to be made up of the better vineyard sites, all located on albariza soil
How much of the plantings does Jerez Superior account for?
over 90% of the plantings
How are the vineyards of Jerez divided?
smaller delimited areas called pagos
What is believed of the pagos?
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.
What is the key soil?
albariza
What type of soil is albariza?
mixture of limestone, silica and clay
What does the clay mean for the soil?
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
Why is albariza helpful in reducing evaporation from the soil surface?
forms a crust when dry
What effect does the soil have on planting density compared to other hot regions of Spain?
- 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)
Why are higher yields possible with Sherry?
- grapes do not need to have the same concentration of flavours
- most of the flavour comes through the maturation process
What effect does the color of the soil have?
light colour of the albariza soil also means that it reflects light back into the vine canopy aiding the ripening of the grapes
What are the other 2 types of soil in Jerez?
- barros - greater clay content
2. arenas - sandy
What are the 3 main grape varieties grown in Jerez?
- Palomino
- Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria)
- Pedro Ximénez (PX)
What are 2 other names for Palomino?
- Palomino Fino
- Listán
What is Palomino?
principal variety, used in all dry and sweetened styles of Sherry
How much production by volume does Palomino account for?
almost 99%
Describe the properties of Palomino.
- 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
What is another name for Moscatel? Why?
Moscatel de Chipiona
- the coastal town of Chipiona
On what soils is Moscatel grown?
sandy arenas soils
Describe the properties of Moscatel.
- late ripening
- well adapted to heat and drought
- aromatic grape (grape, blossom)
For what types of wines is PX used?
used for some sweet fortified wines of the same name
Describe the properties of PX.
- small, thin-skinned grapes
- accumulate high levels of sugar
- traditionally dried in the sun to further concentrate that sugar
- neutral variety
From where to PX wines get their flavors?
mainly come from the drying and maturing processes
Where does legislation permit PX to be grown?
grown in Montilla district in the province of Córdoba
How is PX shipped into the Zona de Producción?
- either as fresh or raisined grapes
- or more likely as young wine
How are the Sherry vineyards in the process of being transformed?
to accommodate mechanisation of all the annual tasks including pruning, harvesting and soil management
What was the old principal training system?
replacement cane pruning
- ‘vara y pulgar’
What is the new principal training system? Why?
- increasing number of vineyards are now cordon trained (single or double) and spur pruned
- more suitable for mechanisation
Why is VSP used?
ensures the canopy remains open and arranged for easy mechanisation
What is the downside of VSP?
some shading of the bunches is needed to prevent sunburn
Describe the within-row spacing.
can be quite tight (just over 1m)
Describe the between-row spacing.
wide enough to allow tractors to pass
What are the maximum yields permitted? What is more typical?
- 80 hL/ha
- rare that this maximum is reached
- depending on the year, usually closer to 60-70 hL/ha
Where are the vineyards generally planted?
on gentle (10-15 per cent) slopes where the albariza is mainly to be found
What happens each year after harvest? What would happen without this?
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
How is aserpia typically done?
- very labour intensive
- now mainly done mechanically
What are the most widely used rootstocks?
- 333EM
- 41-B
- 13-5 EVEX
(all hybrids of V. vinifera and V. berlandieri)
What is 13-5 EVEX?
- 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
What diseases are problematic? Why?
- 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
Is frost an issue? Why or why not?
the hot climate and moderating influence from the Atlantic means that frost is not an issue
What pests are an issue?
European grapevine moth is a problem and often managed using pheromone traps
When does harvest begin? Finish?
- first week of August
- second week in September
Where does harvest start? Finish?
- starting on the more inland vineyards
- finishing with the cooler coastal plots
Why is harvest as early as possible?
to avoid the risk of autumn rain; any rot would be very undesirable, particularly for biologically aged wines
With what potential alcohol are grapes usually picked?
~ 12% potential alcohol
With what total acidity are grapes usually picked?
~ 5 g/L
With what pH are grapes usually picked?
3.3-3.5
If acidification necessary? Why or why not?
- Palomino loses acidity quickly in the final stages of ripening
- acidification sometimes required if levels fall much below 5 g/L
When do the PX and Moscatel grapes for naturally sweet wines tend to be harvested? Why?
- slightly later
- a higher concentration of sugar in the grapes when harvested makes the drying process that follows easier and quicker
What percent of the total grape volume is harvested by machine? When? Why?
~60%
- mostly at night or in the early hours of the morning when temperatures are coolest
- to reduce chances of oxidation and microbial spoilage
