2.3 Styles of Sherry Flashcards
To be labelled to a specific Sherry style, the wines must conform to certain attributes as set by the _______________.
To be labelled to a specific Sherry style, the wines must conform to certain attributes as set by the Consejo Regulador.
These attributes include the level of residual sugar, typical alcohol level, color, and other characteristics that are in line with how the wine has been matured.
Dry Sherries must have a maximum of ___ g/L of residual sugar.
Dry Sherries must have a maximum of 5 g/L of residual sugar.
Name the two styles of dry Sherry that only spend their entire aging process under a film of flor.
Fino and Manzanilla Sherries are fully biologically aged.
Other Sherries, like Amontillado, have attributes from both biological and oxidative aging.
Describe the characteristics of Fino and Manzanilla Sherry.
Both are pale lemon in color and on the palate they are dry, light to medium bodied, with low acidity and low alcohol (15-15.5% ABV).
Their aromas and flavors depend on the length of time they have spent in solera but may include aromas associated with acetaldehyde rather than primary fruit, bread dough, and almonds.
The wines range from good to outstanding in quality, and are inexpensive to premium - or even super-premium.
Describe the conditions of Manzanilla Sherry that makes it different from Fino Sherry.
Wines that are matured in the coastal municipality of Sanlúcar de Barrameda qualify as Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Its proximity to the Atlantic, and hence its maritime climate, means that it does not have such extreme summers and winters and that humidity is relatively high. These conditions are ideal for flor growth, and it is often observed that solera systems in Sanlúcar de Barrameda have thicker layers of flor than those in Jerez de la Frontera. It is also thought tht while seasonal changes in temperature cause the flor to thin during the summer and winter in Jerez, the conditions in Sanlúcar de Barrameda are able to support thicker layers of flor around the year.
Although this may suggest that Manzanilla should have higher levels of acetaldehyde than Fino, this is not found to be the case. It is thought that differences in the flor strains between the two towns are a likely reason for this - the strain that has been shown to produce some of the highest levels of acetaldehyde is not present in the flor samples taken from Sanlucar de Barrameda. The greater protection from oxygen and lower levlels of acetaldehyde mean that Manzanillas often taste lighter and fresher than Finos.
Given that Manzanilla solera sustems have thicker levels of flor than Fino solera systems, they need replenishing with young wines more frequently to support this growth. Hence, small volumes of wine will be released and bottled several times throughout the year to ensure that the flor is constantly maintained.
Define Manzanilla Pasada.
This labelling describes a Manzanilla subjected to a short period of oxidative aging. The flor may be left to die naturally by not refreshing the barrels with new wine for around a year.
This wine may enter a Manzanilla Pasada solera system. The wines are on average a couple of years older than Manzanilla wines, beyond which they start to become more like Amontillado.
Define and describe Amontillado Sherry.
This is a wine that must have attributes from both biological and oxidative aging. The wines start in a Fino system, be re-fortidied to 17% ABV to kill the flor, and then be matured oxidately in an Amontillado solera system.
Inexpensive Amontillados are likely to use young biologically aged wine. Ex. Those taken out of one of the youngest criaderas in a Fino solera system, that then are blended into an Amontillado solera system, again, for a short period of aging.
More expensive wines will be matured for longer and hence be more complex. Amontillados tend to be good to outstanding in quality, and are mid-priced to premium or even super-premium.
Define and describe Palo Cortado Sherry.
This style is difficult to define. To be classified as this style, the wine must have “aromas similar to an Amontillado, but a palate similar to an Oloroso - as a consequence of its oxidative aging once the final film of flor has disappeared.”
It must have a sugar level of 5 g/L and an ABV of 17-22%. However, as long as these parameters are met, there are no stipulations on winemaking and maturation practices.
Most commonly, these are wines that have undergone a number of years in a Fino solera system to then be put in a Palo Cortado system. The wines selected for Palo Cortado are generally those Finos at the 2nd Classification that are less delicate, show more complexity and perhaps are less able to support a thick layer of flor so have already undergone more mild oxidation.
Although it is hard to gereralize, a producer’s Palo Cortado will generally have spent less time biologically aging than their Amontillado, and therefore the characteristic acetaldehyde aromas will be present but less prominent than those on the Amontillado. This also means that glycerol levels remain higher, and this, combined with the concentration of the components in the wine as part of the aging pocess, means that Palo Cortado usually have a slightly fuller, rounder body than Amontillado.
Although there are some mid-priced Palo Cortados, more often these wines are premium priced, and tend to be very good or outstanding in quality.
Define and describe Oloroso Sherry.
These wines have attributes from oxidative aging. After fermentation, they are fortified to 17% ABV to stop flor developing. They are brown in color and are dominated by tertiary, oxidative aromas of toffee and walnut. As with the other styles of Sherry, inexpensive wines of acceptable to good quality will be released from the solera system earlier than more expensive, high quality examples.
Well-matured Olorosos are often very good or outstanding in quality and sell at premium prices.
Define en rama.
Although there is no legal definition, it is generally used to describe wines that have been finished and packaged in a way to be the best representation of the wine straight from the barrel. There has been a trend for this wine in recent years.
For some bodegas, this may mean no fining nor filtration (using large pore size to capture particles of flor) will have been carried out.
The term can be applied to any of the dry styles of Sherry, however, Fino En Rama is most commonly seek. En rama wines tend to taste more intense and complex than the bodega’s regular bottling and sell for higher prices.
How long are grapes laid out to dry in the sun for the production of naturally sweet Sherry wine?
About 2 to 3 weeks.
For the production of naturally sweet wines, water evaporates from the grapes, concentrating their _____ levels and raisin-like aromas develop.
For the production of naturally sweet wines, water evaporates from the grapes, concentrating their sugar levels and raisin-like aromas develop.
Describe the process for naturally sweet Sherry from fermentation to maturation.
The fermentation for naturally sweet wines stops naturally at about 4 to 6% ABV due to very high sugar levels. These wines are then fortified to a concentration of 15-16% ABV. They are usually matured oxidatevely in their own solera system, where gradual evaporation causes the sugars and flavours to concentrate further.
The most common grape varieties used for naturally sweet Sherry wines are ________ and _________.
The most common grape varieties used for naturally sweet Sherry wines are Pedro Ximenez (PX) and Moscatel.
True or false?
There is not a single Sherry producer who makes a single varietal PX.
False. Most Sherry producers make a single varietal PX.
These wines have a minimum RS level of 212 g/L, but it is usual for these wines to reach 450-550 g/L. These wines are full-bodied (with a consistency similar to syrup), low in acidity with pronounced aromas and flavours of raisins, molasses, and liqourice.
