Jerez Flashcards
Jerez location
- Andalucía
- atlantic coastline of the southern tip
- located within the coastal province of Cádiz, flanked by the Guadalquivir River to the northwest
Jerez Climate
- can have fiercely hot climate which is tempered only by ocean influences
- hottest climate in Spain
Sherry is the product of two DO zones
Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO and Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda DO
but the latter must be aged in the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Three towns in Jerez form a “golden triangle” of production
- Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa Maria
- all sherry wines must be shipped from one of the three.
Jerez: The three authorized grapes
in descending order of importance,
Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel.
Palomino, or Listán
- produces characterless table wines but is the preferred variety for dry sherry
- It thrives in the white albariza soils of the region, which characterize the best pagos, or vineyards.
Jerez soils
albariza, barros, and arenas
Poniente and levante winds
- The hot, dry levante wind intensifies the region’s heat. Said to drive men mad, the howling levante blows from the east and essentially cooks the grapes on the vine during ripening.
- The humid Atlantic poniente wind alternates with the levante, and promotes the growth of flor, a film-forming yeast necessary in the maturation of Sherry.
Jerez: Albariza
- chalky, porous, limestone-rich soil of brilliant white color
- produces the best Sherry.
- moisture-retentive albariza retains water from autumn and winter rains, while the friable soil structure allows vine roots to penetrate deeply in a search for water trapped beneath its baked, impermeable surface during the arid growing season.
- concentrated on the gentle slopes of Jerez Superior
Jerez: Barros
- the more fertile, but more difficult to work
- higher proportion of clay and are prominent in low-lying valleys
Jerez: Arenas
- The sandy arenas soils are most common in coastal areas.
- are principally suitable for Moscatel grapes.
Jerez Superior
a sub-region between Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the Guadalete River, which flows into the Bay of Cádiz just to the south of Jerez de la Frontera.
-80% of the appellation’s vines are located in Jerez Superior, and most pagos (vineyards) are located within the area of Jerez de la Frontera, including Macharnudo, Añina, and Carrascal.
Macharnudo
-at over 2000 acres, is the largest pago in Jerez.
Jerez de la Frontera
central and furthest inland
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
- Atlantic coastline in the northernmost area
- Guadalquivir river
El Puerto de Santa Maria
southernmost point along the port of Cádiz
what is Sherry
Fortified wine from Andalucía, Spain
At the conclusion of fermentation, the wine is classified:
- palo and marked with a vertical slash
- gordura, marked with a circle
Jerez classified as Palo
- fortified to 15-15.5% abv
- are destined to become the more delicate Fino or Manzanilla styles
Jerez classified as Gordura
- fortified to 17-18%, a high level of alcohol that will not permit the growth of flor
- will become Oloroso Sherries
Jerez: What is Palo and Gordura fortified with?
Neither wine is fortified directly with spirit, rather a gentler mixture of grape spirit and mature Sherry, mitad y mitad, is used to avoid shocking the young wine
What kind of aging do Fino and Manzanilla styles undergo?
Fino and Manzanilla styles undergo biological aging
made with grapes grown in the finer albariza soils, and are produced from the primera yema
What kind of aging does Oloroso Sherry undergo?
Oloroso Sherry undergoes oxidative aging
are produced from the pressed segunda yema must
Jerez-biological aging process
At the heart of the biological aging process in Sherry is the film-forming yeast known as the flor del vino—the “flower.”
Jerez: Flor formation
- While the normal yeasts responsible for alcoholic fermentation die as the wine’s sugar is wholly consumed, a specialized set of yeast species (of the genus Saccharomyces) arrives to metabolize glycerin, alcohol, and volatile acids in the wine.
- Humid air carried on the poniente wind, a moderate temperature between 60°-70° F, an absence of fermentable sugars, and a particular level of alcoholic strength (15-15.5% abv) are prerequisites for the development of flor.
- As flor requires contact with oxygen, it forms a film on the surface of the wine that will protect the liquid from oxidation.
Jerez: Flor growing time
grows vigorously in the spring and autumn months, forming a frothy white veil over the wine’s surface; in the heat and cold of the summer and winter it thins and turns gray.
Wines that develop under flor will enter an intermediary stage
Sobretablas, for a period of six months to a year, during which the course of the wines’ evolution may be redirected.
The wines, now kept in used 600 liter American oak butts, will be monitored and classified for a second time
Flor wines secondary classifications
- Palma
- Palma Cortada
- Palo Cortado
- Raya
- Dos Rayas
Flor wines secondary classification: Palma:
Fine, delicate Sherry in which the flor has flourished, protecting the wine from oxidation. Such wines will generally develop as Fino styles.
Flor wines secondary classification: Palma Cortada:
A more robust Fino, which may eventually emerge as Amontillado.
Flor wines secondary classification: Palo Cortado
A rarity. Although flor is still present, the wine’s richness leads the cellar master to redirect the wine toward an oxidative aging path.
The wine will be fortified after Sobretablas to at least 17% abv, destroying the veil of flor that protects it from oxygen.
Flor wines secondary classification: Raya
Despite its initial promise, flor growth is anemic, or the protective yeast has died completely. The wine’s robust character is reinforced by further fortification to 17-18%, and the wine emerges from Sobretablas as an Oloroso.
Flor wines secondary classification: Dos Rayas
The wine’s flor has disappeared, but its character is rough and coarse. Characterized by high levels of volatile acidity, these wines are either blended and sweetened for lower quality Sherry or removed from the Sherry-making process, often finding new life as Sherry vinegar.
Minimum solera aging required
In 2010, authorities decreased the minimum solera aging required before bottling from three years to two.
the solera system
- A system of fractional blending
- Rarely are Sherry wines marketed as vintage wines
Solera process
- new añada (vintage) wines enter an upper scale, or tier, of butts known as a criadera.
- Several descending criadera scales separate the young wines from the solera.
- There may be as few as three to four criaderas, or as many as fourteen.
- For every liter of wine drawn from the solera, two (formerly three) must remain; thus the solera butts are only partially emptied, and refreshed with wines from the first criadera in movements of wine known as trasiegos. The first criadera is then refreshed with wines from the second criadera, and so forth.
- In this manner a solera will theoretically continue some small portion of its original wine, regardless of its age.
- Solera wines are often marked with the year the solera was started.
Solera basics: facts
- Solera is the tier of butts from which wine is drawn and bottled
- Solera derived from the Latin solum, or “floor”
The solera system is integral to biological aging
as flor requires certain nutrients and oxygen to survive. The movement of wine from one butt to another provides oxygen; the addition of añada wines provides a constant influx of nutrients for the flor to prosper
Fino Sherry
- is a light, delicate, almond-toned style characterized by a high concentration of acetaldehydes, a salty tang, and a final alcohol content of 15-18%.
- As Fino matures, the flor may finally disappear. In this case, the Fino begins to age oxidatively, taking on a more robust, hazelnut character and slowly increasing in alcohol.
Amontillado Sherry
As Fino matures, the flor may finally disappear. In this case, the Fino begins to age oxidatively, taking on a more robust, hazelnut character and slowly increasing in alcohol. If the loss of its protective veil is not ruinous and the wine is of good quality, it has the capacity to evolve into a Fino-Amontillado, finally becoming an Amontillado as its flavor, strength and color deepen. The final alcohol content of Amontillado must be between 16% and 22%. The production of true Amontillado is a laborious process, and soleras devoted to the wine are expensive to maintain.
Oloroso Sherry
The darker Oloroso, meaning “fragrant,” demonstrates spicy, walnut tones and a smooth mouthfeel. Oloroso must range from 17% to 22% abv.
Palo Cortado Sherry
The rare Palo Cortado combines the rich body and color of an Oloroso with the penetrating yet delicate bouquet of an Amontillado, and is greatly prized by Sherry aficionados.
These styles—Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, and Palo Cortado—are _________ wines
generoso wines
-totally dry in character.
Sanlúcar de Barrameda has its own classifications for generoso wines:
Manzanilla Fina
Manzanilla Pasada
Manzanilla Olorosa
Manzanilla Fina
-is similar in style to Fino
-although the harvest occurs about a week earlier, and the resulting wines are lower in alcohol and fortified to a lower degree.
In addition, Manzanilla wines are entered into—and moved through—the solera more quickly than a standard Fino.
Manzanilla Pasada
like Fino-Amontillado wines, lose the protection of flor and begin to show some oxidative characteristics.
Vino Dulce Natural
- wines produced solely from sunned grapes “–“naturally sweet wine.”
- Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez grapes
- wines are fortified after a partial fermentation. Sugar content for both wines ranges from 180 to 500 grams per liter.
Sherry Wines of Certified Age:
In 2000, the Consejo Regulador for Jerez created two new categories
VOS and VORS
A tasting panel certifies all VOS and VORS wines, and only Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado, and Pedro Ximénez wines are authorized for consideration.
Jerez: VOS
- Vinum Optimum Signatum, or “Very Old Sherry”
- may be applied to solera wines with an average age of over 20 years
- For every liter of VOS Sherry drawn from the solera, at least 20 liters must remain
Jerez: VORS
- Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum, or “Very Old Rare Sherry”
- may be applied to solera wines with an average age of over 30 years
- 30 liters must remain in the solera for every liter withdrawn.
Cream Sherry
- Oloroso style
- usually quite heavily fortified and intensely swetened with concentrated Pedro Ximénez grape juice
Pedro Ximénez (PX) Sherry
- Pedro Ximénez grape
- ultrarich, almost black colored sherries rich with dried fruit and burnt sugar characteristics
Montilla-Moriles DO and Málaga DO
- Located just north of Jerez in Andalucía
- sweet, dark, oxidized white wines that are often reminiscent of burnt sugar, olives, and dried fruits
- Pedro Ximénez is the most common grape
- some Moscatel is used, especially in Málaga
