43 - Sherry Flashcards
Where is Sherry production concentrated?
centered around town of Jerez de la Frontera in Spain. Jerez is center of Sherry industry
What is the climate of Jerez where Sherry is produced?
hot, sunny and Mediterranean
vineyards near coast are cooler bc of influence of cool westerly wind called poniente
the hot and drying levante wind can increase temps (can cause stress)
because it’s coastal region, annual rainfall high
Why is the albariza soil in Jerez so crucial to ensuring the vine can cope?
Albariza has high chalk content -> good drainage but also its depth and water-holding capacity ensures it can sustain vines during hot dry summers
rectangular pits dug between rows of vines to trap water, this maximizes amount of water retained by soil
What are the three permitted varieties in Jerez and what are their characteristics?
Palomino - majority of plantings. low acid, no obvious varietal aromas -> ideal for Sherry, where oxidative or biological maturation is the major determinant in style
Pedro Ximenez (PX) - also has little varietal flavor. Thin skin -> ideal for sun drying -> used for sweet sherries. Very little planted in Jerez, most grapes come from Montilla-Moriles.
Muscat of Alexandria - small amount grown. Used for sweet wines.
What is the winemaking process for dry styles of Sherry (Palomino)
grapes reach press quickly to avoid oxidation, due to high temps at harvest time
fermentation happens in large stainless steel tanks. temps range 20-25 (which is high for a white, but suitable for producing neutral base wine). Produces dry base wine 11-12% abv
First Classification: classified into wines sent for biological ageing or oxidative ageing. typically wines with more ‘finesse’ that are lighter ad paler are selected for biological ageing. Wines that are darker, richer, ‘heavier’ sent for oxidative ageing. Typically wines made from cooler coastal vineyards and/or fermented lower temp are more suitable biological ageing. opposite true (warmer inland vineyards/higher fermentation temp) for oxidative ageing.
Flor starts growing on surface - film-forming yeast.
sobretabla: wines fortified using 95% abv neutral spirit, set aside for few months and then incorporated into solera system.
wines for biological ageing - fortified to between 15-15.5% abv. producer will determine if flor is developing properly, at this point second classification takes place where producer decides if wine has style and character suitable for its respective solera system.
Wines for oxidative ageing - fortified to 17% so that flor dies.
How are sweet sherry styles made?
grape handling: grapes are sun-dried to concentrate sugar
fermentation and fortification: grapes are pressed and fermentation started once desired must weight achieved. the grapes yield such concentrated juice that yeast struggle ferment the sugars and stop before consuming all sugar. then the must is fortified to 17% abv
What vessel and by what method is Sherry aged?
in 600-litre oak barrels called butts
butts often used to mature unfortified wines before they are used to mature Sherry, so any oak flavor is eliminated.
they are only filled 5/6ths of way, to encourage oxidative effect.
What is the solera system?
made up of group of butts (levels) that hold wines of different average ages. maturation invovles moving wine between them to achieve blend of younger and older wines.
process:
wine that is used to refill each level takes on characteristics of the older wine it is added to. blended wine from 2nd criadera used to refill 1st criadera, for instance.
ultimately wine taken from solera for final blending and bottling.
How is the flor maintained during biological ageing?
biological ageing requires flor
the flor’s yeast strains feed off alcohol and nutrients in wine and oxygen to produce CO2 and acetaldehyde (which gives Sherries flavor).
flor needs precise levels alcohol, temp, and humidity
flor protects wine from oxidation
regular additions new wine needed to supply flor with steady flow of nutrients.
As the average age of the wine increases, overall level of nutrients drops - typically by time average age reaches 7, the flor can start to fail -> oxidation
For which types of sherry is oxidative ageing used?
Oloroso, PX, some Muscat sherries as well as Amontillado after a period of biological ageing
by filling the butt partway, oxygen has greater impact on these wines.
In solera, new wine is introduced and helps preserve base character of Sherry preventing it from becoming overly oxidized.
True/False: most sherries are blends of wines from different solera systems
True. this can bring together old wines with young wines and give more balance
What are the dry styles of sherry and what are their characteristics?
fino and manzanilla - only undergo biological ageing. pale lemon color, aromas citrus fruit, almonds, herbs, bready notes from flor. consumed fresh as possile.
wines from coastal Sanlucar de Marrameda (Manzanilla de Sanlucar de Barrameda) is made same way as Finos, but bc of cooler more humid coastal conditions,flor is thicker -> more tangy
oloroso - only undergo oxidative. brown, full-bodied, oxidative aromas like toffee, leather, spice, walnut.
amontillado - biological ageing followed by oxidative ageing. after biological ageing they are refortified to kill flor and undergo oxidative and reenter solera. amber or brown in color. not as full-bodied as oloroso. yeast derived aromas from flor, along with oxidative aromas.
palo cortado - very high quality, aromas of Amontillado and the body and richness of Oloroso
What are naturally sweet styles of sherry?
Pedro ximenez - deep brown and luxcious. dried fruit, coffee licorice
muscat - similar flavors to PX as well as varietal citrus peel
naturally sweet styles have all undergone oxidative ageing. more used as component in sweetened Sherries
What are sweetened styles of Sherry?
Pale Cream - undergo short period of biological ageing before sweetening with RCGM. don’t have as pronounced flor flavor as Fino sherry but look similar.
Medium and Cream -
Medium sherry must have biological and oxidative ageing
Cream sherry has only oxidative characteristics
both are sweetened with PX wine. toffee, leather and walnut from dry wine, and dried fruit notes from sweet wine.
What are age indicators for sherry? Which types of sherry qualify for this status
VORS (very old rare sherry) = avg age blend 30+ years old
VOS (Very old sherry) = avg age 20+ years old
12 years old and 15 years old are also used
Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso and PX aqualiy
