Sherry Flashcards
What is the most prized soil of Jerez Superior? Describe it.
albariza soil composed of chalk.
It is generally purposefully compacted to retain moisture beneath a baked surface.
What is the pruning system favored for Sherry? Similar to what French system?
Vara y Pulgar- stick and thumb
Guyot
What are the two other soils of Jerez?
Barros (clay) and Arenas (sandy towards the coast)
What level of alcohol is Oloroso fortified to? Fino?
17-18%
15.5%
What are the main grapes of sherry production?
Palomino, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel
What distinguishes Fino and Manzanilla from the other, oxidative styles of sherry?
Flor i.e biological aging
Where are Manzanilla sherries made?
Sanlucar de Barrameda
What is the size of a sherry cask? What is it called?
600 l. Butt.
What are the wines of the current year called?
Añada
What are the characteristics of a palo cortado sherry?
It has the rich color and body of an Oloroso and the delicate bouquet of an amontillado
What makes an amontillado?
Aged biologically first as a fino until the flor dies and the aged Ina new solera oxidatively. 16-20% alcohol.
What is mistela (in sherry production)?
Sunned PX or moscatel grapes
What is vino de color? Sancocho? Arrope?
Boiled reduced syrup and must.
Sancocho- reduced by 1/3
Arrope- reduced 1/5
What does “sobretablas” indicate?
An intermediary stage in which the sherries are monitored and classified.
What is the bottom row of sherry butts called?
Solera.
What are the upper rows?
Criaderas 1,2,3,4 etc
What is the maximum allowed percentage that can be drawn off Ina given year?
30%
Fino, manzanilla and amontillado are best chilled and drunk at the peak of freshness. True or false.
True. Often bottled to order.
What do the initials VOS and VORS stand for?
Very old sherry- blends of at least 20 yrs old
Very rare old sherry- blends of at least 30 yrs old
What are the three towns for the production of sherry?
Sanlucar de Barrameda
Jerez de la Frontera
Puerto de de Santa María
What is the process by which the PX grapes are dried?
Soleo
Casks of fino and manzanilla sherry are filled completely after initial fermentation. True or false.
False. Filled 3/4 full.
Finos are always slightly sweet. True or false.
False. Always dry.
What is an almacenista?
A single solera sherry bottled unblended. Very rare.
What is a Venencia?
A rod with a metal hook on one end and a cylindrical container on the other.
The cylindrical shape allows you to extract wine below flor in a barrel.
The skilled user is called a Venenciador.
It is used in Andalusia, Spain.
