Facts about sherry Flashcards
Sherry in Phoenician
Xera
Sherry in Roman
Ceret
Sherry in Arabic
Sherish
Sherry in Ancient Castillian
Xerez
Sherry in Modern Castillian
Jerez
Sherry in English
Sherry
Roman name for wines of Jerez
Vinum Ceretensis
French name for sherry
Xérès / Xeres
Name of Jerez DO
Jerez-Xérèz-Sherry
Spanish for the whole sherry region
Marco de Jerez
Spanish for the regulatory board
Consejo Regulador
Spanish for winery that can bottle and market under DO
Bodegas de Crianza y Expedición
(Was minimum 2,500 hectoliters in permanent inventory, now 250hl; can produce and age—but also sell in bottles—wines under their own brands)
Spanish for winery that cannot bottle/market under DO
Bodegas de Crianza y Almacenado (almacenistas)
(only 500 hectoliters in permanent inventory was required, now 250hl same as Expedition; can produce and age but cannot sell bottled sherry)
Spanish for a plot of vineyard land with distinct characteristics
pago
The ten municipalities in the Marco de Jerez from north to south
Lebrija
Trebujena
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Chipiona
Jerez de la Frontera
Rota
San José del Valle
El Puerto de Santa María
Puerto Real
Chiclana de la Frontera
Where is irrigation prohibited?
DO vineyards
Name of prevailing west wind and characteristics
poniente - cold strong humid (can reach 95%)
(In summer often occurs at night bringing dew which waters the vines)
Name of prevailing east wind and characteristics
levante - hot strong dry (~30% humidity)
Main soil type
albariza
(white chalk)
Four subtypes of albariza (named in CSWS manual - there are others)
tejón (tajón)
barajuelas
tosca cerrada
lentejuelas
(not in CSWS: parda, lustrillo)
Characteristics of albariza subtype:
tejón
hardest, most compact
up to 80% active limestone
deep in the soil (few vineyards planted on it, risk of chlorosis)
Characteristics of albariza subtype:
barajuelas
high limestone purity
diatoms
layered structure facilitates root development
(lightest, most diatoms, high elevation, name from Spanish ‘baraja’ = pack of cards, for long ageing wines)
Limestone percentage and other soils of albariza subtype:
tosca cerrada
60% limestone mixed with clay and sand
(most common, heavier, more compact, fewer diatoms, ‘melts’ when wet, versatile)
Limestone percentage and other soils of albariza subtype:
lentejuelas
50% limestone mixed with clay and sand
(soft and fluffy, close to ocean, diatoms, biologically aged wines)
The two soil types other than albariza
barros (clay)
arenas (sand)
Characteristics of barros soil (elevation; colour; suitability for grapevines; composition)
lower areas of hills and riverbeds
dark grayish-brown
very fertile but poor moisture retention so difficult to cultivate vines
60% to 80% clay and sand
Characteristics of arenas soil (where; composition; suitability for grapevines)
coastal areas
sand with clay and up to 20% limestone
almost exclusively moscatel de Alejandría (locally moscatel de Chipiona)
(Can often plant on own rootstock - pie franco, free-footed - as phylloxera does not thrive in sandy soil)
Palomino de Jerez / basto is in decline, and palomino fino is on the up. Both are authorised grapes.
What is another name for palomino fino?
listán blanco (in Sanlúcar)
Authorised grape varieties for a) sherry and b) manzanilla
Sherry:
palomino de Jerez / basto
palomino fino
pedro ximénez
moscatel de Alejandría
beba
perruno
vigiriega
Manzanilla:
listán / listán blanco (palomino fino)
Shape of palomino clusters and berries; berry skin thickness
cylindroconical
spherical
thin
When palomino fino buds and ripens
buds: last two weeks of March
ripens: mid-August to early September
Local name for moscatel
Moscatel de Chipiona
Spanish for traditional raisining
asoleo
Spanish for sites used for raisining
paseras
(or pasiles)
Three authorised pre-phylloxera grape varieties
perruno
beba
vigiriega
Characteristics of perruno (when ripe; how vigorous; cluster shape; berry shape and skin thickness; wine body and alcohol; usual sherry style)
late ripening
vigorous
medium long and slightly compact
discoid berries
thick-skinned
full-bodied wine
low alcohol
light and oxidative sherry
Characteristics of beba (when ripe; when bud break; how vigorous; clusters; skin thickness; winemaking)
late ripening
early bud break and flowering
loose clusters
thin skin
long sundrying for quality raisins
Characteristics of vigiriega (how vigorous; clusters; berries; sherry style)
vigorous and high producing
medium sized bunches
large, loose, pale green, round berries
finos and high end wines, not aromatic with green & citrus fruit flavours
Spanish for rows of vines
liños / líneos
(typically 2.3m apart, with vines spaced at half that distance)
Usual orientation of rows of vines and why
north-south for maximum sunlight
(Although The Book of Sherry Wines contradicts this, saying a) downslope or b) east-west to protect from sun)
Spanish for soil tillage
aserpiado
Two names for the traditional pruning method
vara y pulgar (stick and thumb)
poda jerezana
Modern pruning method for mechanisation
doble cordón (double cordon)
Spanish for arms of a vine
brazos
(Formed from the trunk in vara y pulgar / poda jerezana pruning)
Spanish for stick and thumb pruning
Vara y Pulgar
Spanish for fertilizing and root pruning (and its purpose)
desbragado
Unearthing and cutting roots that have grown in the top 15cm of soil, to stop them seeking surface moisture and go deep.
Spanish for pruning
poda
Spanish for the practice of managing the albariza to conserve water
Aserpiado
Two Spanish words for the backed-up albarizo soil into pools
aserpia (or serpia)
alumbra
Spanish words for green pruning and re-pruning
castra y recastra
(after flowering, to remove unproductive sprouts)
Two Spanish names for first press, and also the wines made from it
mosto yema / primera yema
fino manzanilla amontillado
Spanish for second press and wines made from it
segundo pie (in traditional lagar) / segunda yema (in modern press)
oloroso
Spanish for third and fourth press and uses of it
prensas
distillation and vinegar
Spanish for settling out solid particles
desfangado
Spanish for fermenting must used to inoculate the fermentation
pie de cuba
Name of first phase of fermentation in English
tumultuous fermentation
(takes a few days to a week; converts nearly 95% of original sugar to alcohol)
Name of second phase of fermentation in English
slow fermentation
(at least two months, musts are transferred to non-temperature-controlled tanks. No malolactic conversion - palomino is already low acid)
Spanish names for the finished base wine drunk in the region, the countryside taverns where that happens, and in which months
mosto (must)
ventas
Jan-Mar
Spanish for fortification
encabezado
Spanish for half aged wine and half alcohol used in fortification
mitad y mitad
(or miteado)
(some bodegas add unblended alcohol at low temperature instead of half and half)
Spanish for the period between fortification and ageing
sobretablas
divided into:
sobretabla olorosa (for oloroso unless defective)
sobretabla fina (not oloroso)
(sobretablas literally means ‘on wood’ in clean casks, as opposed to the tartrate crystals encrusting traditional wooden fermentation butts)
There is only one harvest per year, but running the scales happens several times a year, so a stock of wine from the last harvest is needed to ensure the criaderas can always be topped up.
Give examples of the language of chalk
palo (stick) / indicates biological ageing
add palmas (curved line on upper part of palo) to indicate higher quality
palo cortado cuts the stick - halt biological ageing with more alcohol
circles for amontillado/oloroso
Type of press used for asoleo raisins (in English)
vertical presses
(after softly breaking the grapes, and initial more gentle pressing in horizontal pneumatic presses)
Name of moscatel wine made from asoleo raisins
sun dried is moscatel pasa
(late harvest is moscatel dorado, golden moscatel)