Sherry Flashcards
Fortified wines have a …. alcohol content than still table wines
higher alcohol content
How do forified wines get to have such high alcohol content?
High proof, neutral grape spirit/ brandy is added to the base wine either before, during or after fermentation
What are the reasons to fortify a wine?
- add body
2. increase the wine’s ageability
what is the alcoholic range of fortified wines?
15 - 22% abv
When is Sherry fortified? … fermentation
AFTER fermentation
What is the typical result of fortifying a wine AFTER fermentation?
Dry wine that has higher levels of alcohol, anywhere from 15 - 18 %
What are the other 2 names Sherry is known as?
- Jerez
- Xérès
Sometimes you’ll see it spelled with all three: Jerez - Xérès - Sherry
Sherry comes from which country?
Spain
where in Spain in the Sherry region?
Spains’ most southern tip, in Andalusía, which is across the Strait of Gibraltar from North Africa
What are the 2 bodies of water cradling Sherry?
- Atlantic Ocean on the west
- Strait of Gibraltar to the south
Sherry was one of the first recognised DOs in Spain in this year.
1933
what is the climate of sherry?
What influences the climate?
- Hot, windy, can get humid
- Atlantic Ocean influences climate by cooling down Sherry with breezes
What are the 3 soils of Sherry?
- Albariza (most important!)
- Barros.
- Arenas
What kind of soil is Albariza?
A chalky clay, brilliantly white, that reflects the sun onto the vines.
It has excellent water retention which is important during the hot and dry summer months
what kind of soil is barros?
brown clay
- not as important as Albariza
What kind of soil is Arenas?
Sandy soils
- not as important as Albariza
What are the 3 grapes of Sherry?
- Palomino
- Pedro Ximénez (PX)
- Moscatel
Which grape in Sherry is the most planted?
Palomino
- it’s also the principal grape for all Sherry Styles
PX and Moscatel are grapes mostly used for what in Sherry? And also for….
Mostly used for blending, sweetening, and adding color to other Sherries.
Can be used as sweet wines themselves, bottled as single varietals. Only top producers - which is really just a handful - will bottle PX or Moscatel by itself.
most sherry sales are made from which grape?
palomino
after the palomino grape goes through primary fermentation, what is its flavor profile before it’s fortified?
Neutral, dry, still white (at this point it’s a base wine)
For Sherry, how much the wine is fortified depends on what … is being made?
style
what are sherries fortified with? why?
a mixture of neutral grape spirit + mature sherry.
It’s fortified with this mixture and not straight spirit so the base wine isn’t shocked
what are the 2 ways to age, or develop sherry?
- Biological ageing
2. Oxidative ageing