Sherry Flashcards
Define a solera system
A system of fractional blending to maintain consistency and quality year after year. Barrels of maturing wine are grouped in sections called criadera (generally wine of the same age in each criadera.) The oldest criadera is called the solera.
Describe the blending process of a solera system.
- A proportion of wine (max. 40%) is taken from the barrels of the solera (oldest criadera). This goes to final blending and bottling)
- The same proportion is then taken from the 1st criadera (second oldest), blended in tank for consistency, then used to top up the barrels of the solera
- The same proportion is then taken from the 2nd criadera, blended in tank, and used to top up the 1st criadera
- This processes is repeated for each criadera and the youngest criadera barrels are topped up from the sobretablas
Hence each topping up sees younger wine being blended with older wine.
Wines from one solera system can be blended with another solera system in final blending.
Wine from one solera system can be fed into another, e.g. Amontillado
List and describe the winemaking processes that take place for Sherry from arrival at winery to end of fermentation
- Grapes are pressed on arrival (skin contact not desirable)
- Free run juice and lightest pressings used for wines to be biologically aged, Oloroso tend to be made from later pressings.
- Pre fermentation clarification (due to dusty albariza soil) - either cold settling, centrifuging or flotation
- Sites fermented separately to create different base wines destined for different styles
- Cultured yeast fermentation around 22-26 degrees for reliable fermentation to dryness in stainless steel (poss some old barrels for fuller body)
- First phase of fermentation is quick and vigorous (temperature), majority of sugar fermented in 7 days. Next slow phase takes 2 more weeks to dryness.
- Malolactic is prevented (acid already low and buttery flavours unwanted) by chilling (so2 would kill flor yeast)
- First Classification - tasting and analysis decides which wines for biological or oxidative ageing
- Fortification by neutral 95% spirit, to 15-15.5% for bio aged (optimum for flor), 17% for oxi aged (so yeast cannot survive)
- Sobretablas stage - stored before joining solera system. Stay in tanks or barrels for a number of months before Second Classification - decide which more delicate are Fino and Manzanilla, or potential Amontillado (slightly less delicate) and Palo Cortado (more full bodied and intensely flavoured)
What abv are biologically aged Sherries fortified to compared to oxidatively aged Sherries?
Bio - 15-15.5% the optimum for the growth of flor yeast
Oxi - 17% so the yeast cannot survive
What are the 2 winds prevalent in Jerez? How do they affect grape growing?
- Poniente - Atlantic brings a cool, damp wind from the west. It brings a cooling, humid influence in summer,
- Levante - hot drying wind from North Africa to the south. This makes the climate more arid, the grapes transpire more quickly concentrating sugars, but too much sugar can be problematic
Describe the types of businesses involved in Sherry production
- Production bodega - usually large cooperatives, own about half the vineyards in the region. Press, ferment into base wine. Often owned by other companies in another registered category.
- Ageing and storage bodega - Almacenistas - mature wines - usually small businesses / mature small amounts. Have suffered the most in declining sales as shippers used their own stocks and not buy from alcamenistas.
- Ageing and shipping bodega - Shippers - only ones permitted to sell DOs. Sell usually under their own labels and can mature, blend.
Top line Reasons to justify category choice of Fino or Manzanilla
Flavours created by flor
Colour due to flor protecting by oxygen
Dryness due to fortification post fermentation
Low alcohol fortification to 15%
(Manzanilla) - particular freshness from the cooler humid Sanlucar de Barrameda
Top line quality assessment notes for Fino and Manzanilla
Very good quality
3 positive:
Complexity - primary, secondary
Identifiable flavours - well defined flavours
Balance - flavour intensity, integrated alcohol, acidity
Typicity - acetaldehyde, saline hallmarks
1 negative:
Finish, bitterness, not long
VOS and VORS have what age of average ageing?
VOS 20yrs
VORS 30yrs
Have to be assessed for typicality and sent for laboratory testing as evidence of the age.
What is the sobretablas and what happens at the 2nd Classification?
Sobretablas is the stage after fortification when the wines are stored (in tanks or barrel) for a period of time before joining a solar system.
2nd Classification is when wines set for Biological ageing are tasted and analysed again at the end of sobretablas. Wines that have a full layer of flor and remained fresh are classified for Fino/Manzanilla. Wines that are less delicate - Amontillado, wines that are more full-bodied and intensely flavoured - Palo Cortado.
What is the 1st Classification?
After fermentation to dryness, each bath of base wine is tasted and sent for analysis to decide which are for Biological or Oxidative ageing.
Those destined for Biological ageing are the lighter-bodies, less intensely flavoured. Those for oxidative ageing are the fuller bodied and more intensely flavoured.
The Bio wines are then fortified to 15-15.5% abv - optimum for flor growth.
Oxi wines fortified to 17% where flor cannot survive.
Describe the harvest process in Sherry Production
HEALTH YIELDThe Palomino variety used in Sherry is a neutral variety and its fruit character is not dominant in final Sherry wines, therefore the aim of harvest of the grape is its health and yield.
EARLY It is picked early, i.e. first week of August, to avoid Autumn rain and risk of any rot (esp for bio aged wines). Also because Palomino loses its acidity quickly.
ACIDITY
RIPENESS Sherry will be fermented to dryness and fortified so full ripeness is not necessary, usually picked at 12% potential alcohol.
MECH NIGHTApprox. 60% machine harvested, at night or early morning to prevent oxidation and microbial spoilage.
PX and Moscatel harvested slightly later as they are used for naturally sweet wines. A higher concentration of sugar when harvested makes drying process easier and quicker.
Vineyard management practices in Sherry production (up until harvest)
- Region is currently in a process of transformation to accommodate more mechanisation.
Mostly replacement cane pruned although increasingly cordon trained & spur pruned to be more suitable for mech.
VSP aids ripening by keeping canopy open, while still providing some shade from sunburn. Also easy for mechanisation.
- Managed with the aim for high yields and healthy fruit. Max. yields are 80 hL/ha.
High density plantings, often 1m within rows, but wide enough between rows for tractor
Gentle slopes are built with troughs called aserpia to catch winter rains.
Hybrid rootstocks of v. vinifera and v. berlandieri e.g. Evex 13-5. that are more limestone and drought tolerant. Avoid chlorosis and help increase yields.
Use of fungicides to avoid mildew in spring (gets humid after rain with poniente)
Use of pheromone traps for the European Grapevine Moth is common
Main varieties in Sherry and their characteristics.
Palomino (predominant 97%): neutral, high yielding, mid-late ripening, suited to dry, sunny weather (thick skins more drought tolerant), however loses acidity quickly when nearing maturity
PX: high levels of sugar and small berries - suited for sweet fortified styles and as a sweetening agent; neutral (flavours come from drying and maturation). Can also be grown in Montilla.
Moscatel: used for sweet styles, grown in arenas soils around town of Chipiona, aromatic (grape & blossom), late ripening, adapted to heat and drought
What is the soil type in Jerez and what are its characteristics?
Albariza - mixture of limestone, silica and clay.
Clay component Retains water well and releases it slowly over the dry growing season. Allows for high density plantings and high yields.
Forms a crust on the surface as it hardens in sunlight, preventing further evaporation from the soil surface.
Highly coloured - reflects sunlight back under canopy onto grapes to aid ripening
Other than albariza, what are the other 2 soil types in Jerez?
Arenas - sandy soils around town of Chipiona, generally where Moscatel is grown
Barros - higher clay content soils
Sales of Sherry since 19th century
A POPULAR beverage in 19th and early 20th century - successful shipping companies sent it around the world.
COPIES This popularity however led to other countries also producing their own poor-quality Sherries. So Jerez established its own Regulatory Council in 1933 - Consejo Regulador to control production and trade of Sherry.
PEAK Sales peaked in 1970s, but halved in the following decade as younger generations sought different styles of wine. Led to a surplus of cheap, low quality sherry.
RUMASA A company known as Rumasa came to dominate the industry by the 1970s and due to consolidation across levels of production drove down prices.
BALANCE Since this time, the Consejo Regulador has worked hard to bring vineyard plantings, stock levels and sales back into balance and promote the quality of Sherry.
