Sherry Flashcards
Fino/Manzanilla
Color: Pale Lemon
Aroma: Acetaldehyde (bread dough, almonds, apple)
Palate: Bone Dry, Low acidity, Low Alcohol, light to med- body,
Amontillado/Palo Cortado
Color: Pale to Med amber
Nose: Biological + Oxidative = Acetaldehyde + almond, caramel, dried fruit (apple, lemon, bruised apple, bread dough)
Palate: Bone Dry, Low-med acidity, med alcohol, med body
Will have definitive acetaldehyde and also color which shows oxidative
Olorosso Sherry
- Color: Medium to deep amber to brown
- Nose: Dominated by tertiary + oxidative notes
*Primary: Dried fruit
*Secondary: Vanilla, cloves, white chocolate
*Tertiary: Caramel, toffee, walnut, almond
* - Palate: Bone Dry, Low-Med acidity, Med-High alcohol, Med+ - full body
- Isn’t biologically aged Sherry b/c browning of color, abv>16%, little to no acetaldehyde detectable
- Not any other fortied b/c DRY, low/M acid (even driest Madeira — Sercial—has some RS + HIGH acid)
Pale Cream
- Color: Pale Lemon
- Nose: Acetaldehyde + lemon
- Palate: Med sweet - Sweet, Low acidity, low alcohol
Medium Cream
Color: Pale to Med Amber
Nose: Biological + Oxidative Aging
Palate: Off Dry to Sweet, Low-Med acidity, Med alcohol
Cream
Color: Medium to Deep Amber maybe Brown
Nose: Oxidative only (Dried fruits, toffee, nuts)
Palate: Sweet, Low Acid, Med to high Alcohol
PX
- Color: Amber to Brown
- Nose: Pronounced Raisins, Molasses, licorice, apple, pear, vanilla coffee
- Palate: Lusciously sweet, Low Acidity, Medium Alcohol, FULL body
not Rutherglen Muscat b/c lower acidity, lacks grape-y, floral character; aged PX
gets darker brown than aged RM
- No hints of red that would come w/ Port, Grenache-based VDN
- Too lusciously sweet to be any other sweet fortified
Ruby
- Color: Med-Deep Ruby
- Nose: Red and Black Fruit mostly just primary friut
- Palate: Sweet, Medium-Medium + acidity, Low to Medium tannins, High alcohol, Med-Med+ (sometimes hot)
Ruby color, so comes from red grape. But, not Grenache-based VDN b/c High alcohol, potentially
medicinal or noticeably aguardente / spirit-y aromas/avors
LBV Port
Similar to Vintage Port but less pronounced
- Deep Ruby color, so comes from red grape. But, not Grenache-based VDN b/c High alcohol, and likely higher acidity than VDN (anything this color will be Port, VDN from Grenache which has thinner skins so the depth of extraction is not as deep)
Vintage Port
- Color:Medium-Deep ruby
- Nose: (young: Ripe black fruit + floral) (old: forest floor + dried)
*P: Violet, raspberry, blackberry, licorice, ripe fruit, spices
*S: Cedar, Chocolate, Coffee
*T: Prune, cooked plum. leather, earth - Palate: Sweet, Med-Med+ acidity, High Tannins, High Alcohol, Full body
- Deep Ruby color, so comes from red grape. But, not Grenache-based VDN b/c High alcohol, and likely
higher acidity than VDN (anything this color will be Port, VDN from Grenache which has thinner skins so the
depth of extraction is not as deep)
Basic Tawny Port
- Color: Pale Ruby
- Nose: Redcurrant, raspberry, red cherry, red plum, violet, rose
- Palate: Sweet, Medium Acidity, Low Tannins, high alcohol, med+/full body
Ruby or hints of ruby color, so comes from red grape. But, not Grenache-based VDN b/c High
alcohol, spirit-y aromas/flavors
- Grenache-based VDNs are often fruitier, more like Ruby Ports
Colheita/Age indicated tawny
- Color: Pale Tawny/Garnet
- Nose:
*p: Red Cherry, red plum, licorice, ripe + dried fruit
*s: Vanilla. cedar, coffee, chocolate
*t: raisin, dried fruit, cooked cherry, caramel - Palate: Sweet, M/M+ Acidity, low tannin, high alcohol, full body
Not Premium sweetened Sherry (Cream) b/c more fruit character, likely higher alcohol (even if both are high, old
Cream might only be ~18.5%))
- Not Oxidative VDN b/c hints of spirit-y nature of Port (even if well-integrated), darker fruit character than VDN,
less vegetal/earthy. Likely higher alcohol and fuller body
White port
Unaged
*Pale lemon
* Med Body
* aromatic fruity and oral notes, stone fruit, floral
Oxidized:
- Amber to Brown
- Caramel, citrus peel, dried stone fruit, nutty
- Becomes more honey with age
Un-aged style similar color to Muscat-based VDNs but not as aromatic, may be more spirit-y character from
aguardente, likely higher alcohol, aromas stone fruit vs. grape-y & oral; also Fino/Manzanilla but these are dry
Oxidative style compared to oxidative VDNs — similar dierences as un-aged above
Rose port
Pale Pink Orange to Deep Pink
The color pretty much dierentiates it from any other fortied wine
Basic Madeira
- Color: Depends but if red it’ll be pale to medium tawny
- Nose: Baked or stewed fruit
- Range from off-dry to Sweet; may be sweetness-level label or varietally labeled each of which is associated w/ a
sweetness level - High acidity - Likely made w/ Tinta Negra, so probably Low Tannins, soft (otherwise N/A) - High alcohol (most); Likely that it won’t be well integrated; Possible to get M - Med+ to Full Body — depending on sweetness level/ RS
Sercial
- Palest of madiera
- citrus peel and nuts
- Dry to Off dry
- High acid + High Alcohol
Verdelho
medium dry, slightly darker and sweeter than sercial
candied fruit, slightly sweet
High Acidity
Boal
Caramel, Chocolate, candied nuts
Medium sweet
SLightly darker and fuller than verdelho
High acidity
Malmsey
Sweetest and darkest
Raisins + Caramel
High acidity
White VDN unaged (muscat de beaumes de venise)
Pale Lemon
Floral, Grape, peach, lemon, honey
Primary fruit
palate: Sweet, medium acidity, low alcohol, medium body
Generally, the characteristic aromas / avors of the Muscat grape are a dierentiator (grape-y, oral, aromatic), and
aromas/ avors more from grape
- (Much) Lower alcohol than White Port, no spirit-y character on VDNs
White VDN Oxidized
Unlikely
VDN Red unaged
Color: Medium-deep Ruby
Nose: Blackberries, Raspberries, Plums,
Palate:Medium sweet to sweet, medium acidity, low tannin, medium alcohol, medium + to full body
- Color may suggest Port, but alcohol is lower
VDN Red oxidized
More dried fruit
Rutherglen
Color: Amber to Tawny
Nose: desirable; grape-y aromas of Muscat should be ID’able regardless of aging; raisins, dates, sweet spices;
rand & Rare = more nutty, treacle, licorice, still some degree of fruit for balance
P: butterscotch, rose, raspberry, red cherry, red plum, peach, apricot, blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, black plum, both ripe
and dried fruit, licorice -
S: Vanilla, chocolate, white chocolate -
T: dried fruit, prune, raisin, g, caramel, toee, fruitcake — grape shriveling results in dried fruit characteristics
Sweet (lusciously)
Med + acidity, Low tannins, medium alcohol, full bodied,
If the wine is pale Lemon:
Fino/Manzanilla Sherry if Dry
White VDN if sweet
If wine is Ruby:
Ruby Port/LBV/Vintage Port- always sweet
Red VDN: Primary fruit (Low/no Tannins) + less complexity
IF the wine is lusciously sweet:
PX Sherry or Rutherglen Muscat
Differences
- PX is usually deep brown, almost black, but NOT ALWAYS. You can see through this - RM has a muscat-y, floral note that PX does not; PX is typically more raisin-y and syrupy -
Amber to Tawny
- Rutherglen/PX (luscious)
- Amontillado/Palo Cortado (oxidative + actaldehyde)
- Medium, Cream, (lower acid, lower alc)
- Olorosso (Dry)
- White Port (sweet, high alc, med acid, not as aromatic)
- Tawny Port (higher alc)
- Age indicated Port (higher alc)
- Madeira (high acid)
Ruby
- VDN Red
- Ruby
- LBV
- Vintage
Lemon Options
- Fino/Manzanilla (dry)
- White VDN Unaged (aromatic + grapey)
- White Port Unaged (stone fruit)
