Sherry

Question 1

What is the name of the town that gives the region its name (in Spanish)?

Answer 1

Jerez de la Frontera

Question 2

Describe the climate of the Sherry region.

Answer 2

Hot, sunny and Mediterranean, slightly cooler by the coast

High rainfall but limited in the growing season

Question 3

Name the two winds that influence the region:
The cool, humid and westerly wind?
The hot and arid wind?

Answer 3

Poniente = cool, humid, westerly

Levante = Hot and arid

Question 4

What is the soil in Sherry region?
What is it largely made up of?
What positive attributes does this soil have for wine quality?
What do vinegrowers do to help retain water?

Answer 4

Albariza
Very high Chalk content
Good drainage of winter rain but retains water at deep levels to sustain vine through hot summers.
Forms hard crust to seal moisture in and limit evaporation
Pits dug in Autumn to catch water, smoothed over in Spring.

Question 5

What grapes are used to make sherry?

Answer 5

Palomino - vast majority
Pedro Ximinez
Muscat of Alexandria

Question 6

After Palamino is made into a base wine with primary aromas only, what are the 2 maturation/ageing options?

Answer 6

Biological maturation/ageing (under flor)

Oxidative maturation/ageing (no flor)

Question 7

To what % is base wine fortified?
Biological ageing wines abv?
Oxidative ageing wines abv?

With what are the wines fortified?

With what? What strength is it?

Answer 7

Biological ageing wines - 15%~15.5%
Oxidative ageing wines - 17%

Fortified with pure grape spirit at 96% abv.

Question 8

What is the term for the period of time a new wine spends before it goes into the solera.

Answer 8

Sobretabla

Question 9

How are PX/Pedro Ximenez wines made?

Answer 9

Sun dried to raisin them
Ferment to a few % abv as yeast struggles with so much sugar
Fortified to 17%

Question 10

What size are the barrels in the Solera system?
What are they called?
How full are they kept?

Answer 10

600 ltr
Butts
5/6th full to allow oxygen

Question 11

What does flor need to survive? List 5

Answer 11

-Ambient cool temperatures
-Ambient humidity
-Alcohol
-Nutrients
-Oxygen

consumes alcohol and nutrients in the wine

Question 12

What are the different levels of the Solera system called?

Answer 12

Criaderas

Question 13

How is wine removed from the Solera System and how is it topped up?

Answer 13

Taken from the bottom level called the Solera
Blended wine from 1st Criadera tops up Solera
Blended wine from 2nd Criadera tops up first
Blended wine from 3rd Criadera tops up 2nd etc etc etc
Wine in Sobretabla used to top up the top level Criadera.
(See diagram page 186. )

Question 14

What does acetaldehyde do to sherry?

Answer 14

Gives Biological Sherry its unique aromas and flavours of almonds, herbs and bready aromas (created by flor)

Question 15

Which sherries are aged Biologically with no oxidative influence? List 3.

Which two sherries start under flor before being transferred to oxidative Solera system?

Answer 15

-Fino,
-Manzanilla
-Pale Cream

Amontillado and Palo Cortado starts Biologically then transferred to Oxidative Solera. Also Medium sherry

Question 16

Which sherries are aged Oxidatively? List 4.

Answer 16

-Oloroso,
-Cream Sherry
-PX/Pedro Ximenez
-Amontillado (after a period of time ageing biologically).

Question 17

Why, in particular, does the Biological Solera system need to be kept fed with young wine?

Answer 17

Replenishing/feeding the flor.

Question 18

Are sherries fined and filtered?

Answer 18

Yes, but kept to a minimum to maintain flavour

Question 19

Fino sherry from Sanlucar is known as what?

How does it differ from that of Jerez and why?

How is it labelled if minimal fining and filtering?

Answer 19

Manzanilla de Sanlucar de Barrameda.

Cooler coast keeps Flor active all year = more expressive flor character.

Minimal fining and filtering = En Rama

Question 20

Which ageing method is used for Oloroso

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 20

Oxidative

Brown, full bodied. Toffee, leather, spice and walnut

Question 21

What ageing process is used for Amontillado?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 21

Biological then Oxidative

Amber or brown, lighter than Oloroso. Yeasty plus oxidative aromas

Question 22

Describe Palo Cortado and why is it unusual?

Answer 22

It is a high quality Amontillado.

Question 23

What is Pale Cream and with what is it sweetened?

Answer 23

Sweetened Fino, sweetened with RCGM

Question 24

What is Medium sherry and with what is it sweetened?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 24

Sweetened Amontillado, sweetened with PX

Balances toffee, leather and walnut of dry wine with dried fruit of PX

Question 25

What is Cream sherry and with what is it sweetened?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 25

Sweetened Oloroso, sweetened with PX

Balance of toffee, leather, walnuts of dry wine with dried fruit of PX

Question 26

Which sherries are naturally sweet?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 26

PX - Deep brown and lusciously sweet (up to 500g/L sugar)
Pronounced dried fruit, coffee and liquorice

Also the less common Muscat - Similar to PX but keeps dried citrus peel character. (Not often featured in exams).

Question 27

What are the age indications for Sherry?

Answer 27

VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry) - 30 year old
VOS (Very Old Sherry) - 20 yo
Each batch tested to ensure it complies
(Not a typical question so don’t sweat this one)

Question 28

Where do grapes used to make Pedro Ximénez sherry come from?

Answer 28

Montilla-Moriles, neighbouring the Jerez region

Question 29

Which grape accounts for the majority of plantings in Jerez, what sort of base wine does it make?

Answer 29

Palomino

It produces a wine with natural low acid and very little varietal flavour.

Question 30

Wines made from grapes grown in the warmer inland vineyards are more likely to be made into a biological or oxidative style?

Answer 30

oxidative . riper/richer = balance