Sherry Flashcards
Where is Sherry made?
Area around of city of Jerez in Andalusia
Location and climate of Sherry growling environment
Southern Spain, low latitude & altitude with influence of the Atlantic Ocean - hot Mediterranean climate. Hot, dry summer. Mild winter.
Damp wind in the area is called
Poniente - provides cool humid influence in the summer.
Hot drying wind from North Africa is called
Levante
Effects of the levante
Arid climate, grapes transpire mire quickly concentrating the sugar.
What is the challenge of high concentration of sugar in grapes for sherry wine making?
It’s difficult to ferment the wine to dryness, problematic for the dvp of the flor yeast that is integral to the style of some Sherry wines
Jerez experience a high number of cloud-free days, what’s the effect?
Helping to give fully ripe grapes but without sufficient shading high risk of sunburn
The grapes for Sherry must come from:
The delaminated area called Zona de produccion or Marco de Jerez
DO means
Denominacion de Origen
Key soils in the area are
Albariza: mixture of limestone, silica and clay.
Clay is very effective at retaining and gradually releasing water. Vital during the the very dry growing season.
High yields are possible in Jerez as grapes for Sherry don’t need a high concentration of flavours.
Most of the flavours comes through the maturation process.
Grapes varieties for Sherry
Palomino
Moscatel - muscat of Alexandria
Pedro Ximenez (PX)
How’s Palomino is also called
Palomino Fino & Listan
97% of the vineyard area
Palomino characteristics
Mid to late ripening
Well suited to dry sunny weather, can produce large yields.
Neutral variety.
Moscatel characteristics
Grown on sandy arenas soils
Late ripening and well adapted to heat and drought
Aromatic grape
Pedro Ximenez characteristics
Used for the production of sweet fortified wines.
Small thin skinned grapes accumulate high levels of sugar.
Neutral variety
