Sherry Flashcards
What are the 3 soil types of sherry?
Albariza
Arenas
Barros
What are the three permitted grape varietals in sherry?
There is a 4th which isn’t really used, what is it?
Palomino Fino
Pedro Ximenez
Moscatel Fino
Palomino de Jerez
Where is the sherry district?
The district for Sherry is Andalucia, in the south-western corner of Spain.
Immediately around the city of Cadiz
What are the 2 DO’s of Sherry?
Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barramenda DO
The two have the same boundaries but Manzanilla-Sanlucar must be matured in Sanlucar de Barramenda
What happens at harvest in sherry?
Harvest takes place Late August / September
Palomino Grapes are picked and taken to press houses.
Pedro Ximenez grapes are picked and dried out in the sun on Esparto grass matts in clear plastic tunnels until semi-raisinated (Soleo)
What are the two inferior soil types of sherry?
Arenas - Sandy with some clay and limestone
Barros - More fertile, containing clay & decomposed organic matter.
Both contain about 10% chalk
What is the most important soil type of the Sherry region?
- Albariza -
It is between 60-80% Chalk (very white)
Chalky soil absorbs and holds moisture and reflects the sun, preventing sub soil from drying out too much
Albariza areas are classified as Jerez superior & divided into Pagos.
Who is sherry produced and shipped by?
Bodegas de Crianza y expedición
What is the First classification?
After the first fermentation the juice is racked and classified.
Depending on a number of factors the wine is separated into two categories:
- Finoor - Pale and delicate
- Oloroso - Greater Structure
What is the sherry triangle?
The sherry triangle is apox. 31 miles square and located between;
Jerez de la Frontera
El Puerto de santa marina
Sanlucar de Barramenda
Apox 7,000 ha under vine
What is Levante?
Levante is the hot easterly wind which dries the grapes during ripening, protecting them from disease.
What is Poniente?
Cold westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean which allow the growth of Flor
What does Anadas Mean?
Wine of the year
What is a New wine / Single year wine called?
Sobretabla (Sob-reta-bla)
What is the traditional sherry glass called?
Copita
What is the Final blend called
Cabeceo
What is the cup used to take sherry called?
Venencia
What are the three presses for sherry?
Primera Yema - 1st press and for free run juice. This is the best quality (65% of total)
Segunda Yema - 2nd press (23% of total)
Mosto Prensas - 3rd press, Used for unclassified wines or distillation
What is used to make Sherry darker?
Arrope
Vino de Color
What is the Veil formed by Flor called?
Velo de Flor
What is added to the grape juice after pressing?
Tartric Acid is added to the juice.
This is ti make the wine drier and more acidic. It also assists with the clarification of the wine
Traditionally called Yeso or Gypsum
What are the rules in the US for using ‘sherry’ on wines?
Allowed to use the name but must state the region before sherry.
i.e. Californian sherry
What is the Consejo Regulador?
The governing body of sherry, they guarantee the authenticity of wines.
Established in 1935
It establishes and maintained the quality and operations rules of DO.
What is the process of Soleo?
Pedro Ximenez grapes are picked and then left to semi-raisinate on esparto grass matts in clear plastic tunnels.
Takes 1-2 weeks
What are sherry style wines from Cyprus called?
Cypriot Fortified wine
How much grape must are you allowed from 100KG of grapes in sherry?
70 litres.
An additional 4 litres is permitted fro the use of unclassified wine and/or distillation.
Describe Manzanilla
- very dry
- Biological Ageing
- Fortified to finish between 15.5 & 17% abv
- Must be matured entirely in Sanlucar de Barramenda
- Wine is matures in Botas
- Pungent yeasty noes, bitter taste, salty tang
Describe Fino
- Very dry
- biological ageing
- Fortified to finish between 15.5 & 17% abv
Describe Amontillado
- Dry with ambler colour due to 7/8 years in cask
- A fino or Manzanilla wine that has finished maturity under traditional ageing (oxidative)
- Hazelnut characteristics & highly concentrated.
- Planned
Describe Palo Cortado
- Rare & Sought after
- Made from wine which originally attracted Flor but it naturally died off early.
- Finished maturation under traditional ageing
- Type of Amontillado
- unplanned
Describe oloroso
- wine that is fortified to 18-20% abv
- this is too high for Flor to grow so spends its ageing maturation traditionally.
- Naturally dry (some have sweetness added before bottling)
Describe Pale Cream
blended form dry wine (initially under flor) with rectified concentrated grape must.
- Fortified to 11.5% abv
Describe Medium Cream
Blended form naturally sweet wine with rectified grape must.
- Fortified to 15.5-22% abv
(medium dry - medium sweet)
Describe Cream Sherry
The best cream Sherrys are made from blending oloroso with addition of sweetening & colouring.
The best use PX for sweetening & Colour
Fortified to 11.5-22% abv
Describe East India Sherry
- Originally created from sailing ships between Spain and East Indies.
- Long voyages across equator would cause sherry to warm & cool very gradually (Maderize)
- Become rich and smooth
The name is now owned by Lustau
Describe Almacenista
This is a stockholder.
- investors in sherry by butts of Anads sherry, produce a solar and sell it to the sherry houses when they have matured it for many years.
- some of these are sold as Alamencia sherries with name of producer on the bottle.
If it is a single Alamencia sherry it will have.a fraction on the table 1/20 which means there are 20 barrels in the solera.
Describe PX
Sherry which is made from the sun-dried Pedro Ximenez grapes which have been matured for many Years.
Describe Naturally sweet wines in sherry?
Made from sun-dried Pedro Ximenez or Moscatel fino Grapes.
The Grapes are fermented to 5% abv then fortified with rectified grape spirit ti between 15-22% abv.
Describe VOS
Very Old Sherry
VOS on a table indicates that the wines are an average age of 20 years old.
Describe VORS
Very Old Rare Sherry
VORS in the table indicates the wine has an average age in excess of 30 years.
What are the barrels above a solera called?
Criadera
What are the 4 years found in Flor?
Sacchromyces Beticus
Sacchromyces Montlurnsis
Sacchromyces Cheresiensis
Sacchromyces Rouxii
What is the order of steps for the vinification of Sherry?
Harvest Pressing Classification of must Fermentation Fortification classification blending (solera)
