Sherry- 2.1 Growing Enviro

Question 1

Where is sherry 1st produced and by whom?

Answer 1

fortified wine
city of Jerez in Andalusia
area has been growing grapes producing wine since Phoenicians
even then sherry was widely traded

Question 2

Highlighted Shery history between the 8th- 13th century?

Answer 2

8th- 13th Century Moorish rule - consumption was prohibited, but vineyards & wine continued
13th Century Christian rule - domestic consumption and exports- English, Irish and Flemish traders ship wines
Free trade agreements w/ France & England
Columbus - shipped large volumes to America

Question 3

Highlighted history events for sherry producers from 15th though 19th century?

Answer 3

Peninsular wars
Plague of Phylloxera devastated the industry
in calmer periods, several successful shipping businesses were established

Question 4

When did Spain develop a regulatory oversite? Why? and what is the name of the organization?

Answer 4

popularity of Sherry increased in the 19th and 20th century - other countries began to produce their own, poor quality sherries
1933 Consejo Regulador - setting regulations to control production and trading

Question 5

Describe the popularity of sherry’s peaks and valleys in the 2nd half of the 20th century?

Answer 5

WWII (during)- sherry sales fell
WWII after to 1970s - incline to a peak at 1979- shipments reached 1.5 million hL
the following decade- demand halved as younger consumers were seeking different styles of wine
resulting in a large surplus of mostly low quality wine

Question 6

define Almacenista?

Answer 6

ageing and storage Bodega
the Bodegas that mature wines
must be located in the Zona de Crianza
then the ___ sell its wines to the Bodegas de Crianza y Expedicion

Question 7

Name the business that played a key part in the 1970s Shery price fluctuations?

Answer 7

Ruiz Mateos S.A. also know as Rumasa
started out as an almacenista before starting to ship in 1950
supplied wine to Harveys of Bristol (Bristol Cream) - accumulated considerable wealth
Started consolidating the industry: buying sherry bodegas, hotels, banks
tactic to drive prices down which negatively impacted Sherries for decades to come

Question 8

When and did government nationalized Rumasa? creating what affects the sherry industry? -Gvt took control of a company or industry, which generally occurs without compensation for the loss of the net worth of seized assets and potential income.

Answer 8

1983 Rumasa was nationalized (transferred from private ownership to state ownership)
claiming it owed millions in unpaid taxes
bodegas were sold, or closed, or merged (unable to sustain themselves) - causing substantial rise in unemployment, social unrest
-burden in the industry making large volumes of inexpensive brands

Question 9

Consejo Regulador’s role from 1980s to present?

Answer 9

bring vinyeard plantings, stock levels, and sales back to balance
promote quality sherry

Question 10

Location and general climate conditions for growing Sherries?

Answer 10

Located in Andalusia in Southern Spain (36°)
Low altitude 0-90 meters above sea level
Major climatic influence include the Atlantic Ocean
Jerez has a hot Med climate w/ hot, dry summers and mild, relatively rainy winters

Question 11

Andalusia has cooling influences - the Atlantic oceans brings what?

Answer 11

the Poniente - cool, damp wind that provides cooling and humidity in the summers

Question 12

Andalusia has influence from North Africa?

Answer 12

the Levante wind – hot drying wind - makes it more arid
cause grapes to transpire more quickly
concentrating sugar

Question 13

the negative influence of the North African wind?

Answer 13

Levante
can be negative- difficult to ferment wine to dryness
particularly problematic for development of flor yeast (biological ageing )

Question 14

In Jerez, canopy mgt should keep what in mind?

Answer 14

high number of cloud free days = sunlight for hours in the growing season
give fully ripe grapes
canopy management crafted to supply sufficient shading as to not cause sunburnt grapes

Question 15

Sherry’s broad delimited region is known as what? and name the DOs within.

Answer 15

Zona de Producción or Marco de Jerez. Grapes grown in this zone can either be used for:
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
DO Manzanilla – Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or the denomination of origin for Sherry vinegar).

Question 16

What is the exception to the rule that says grapes must be delimited from Do Jerez or DO Manzanilla?

Answer 16

the grape variety, Pedro Ximénez (also called PX), can be grown around Montilla (within Andalusía, in the mountains above Malaga, but outside the Zona de Producción)
but matured in the Zona de Crianza and still be labelled as DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry.

Question 17

The Zona de Producción is split into two soil areas - name them?

Answer 17

Jerez Superior and Jerez Zona.
Jerez Superior is thought to be made up of the better vineyard sites, all located on albariza soil, and makes up over 90 per cent of the plantings.

Question 18

vineyards in Jerez are divided into smaller delimited areas called?

Answer 18

Pagos
each is thought to produce wines with different characteristics
function of aspect, location, soil
legislation to allow producers to name a Pago on the label is under discussion

Question 19

what is the key soil called and what is it made of?

Answer 19

Albariza

mix of limestone, silica, and clay

Question 20

what are the characteristics of the key soil?

Answer 20

Albariza
effective at retaining and gradually releasing water
forms a crust when dry - helpful in reducing evaporation
lighter color reflect sunlight back to the canopy aiding in ripening

Question 21

how does the characteristic of the soil and the grapes affect the possible density of plant in Jerez?

Answer 21

soil (b/x retaining water, higher density possible)
higher plant density acceptable b/c sherry dose not need the same concentration as unfortified wines
flavor comes from maturation process

Question 22

besides the Albariza, what other soil types are there in Jerez?

Answer 22

Barros- greater clay

Arenas- which is sandy

Question 23

What are the main grapes that make sherry?

Answer 23

Palomino also called Palomino Fino and Listán
Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) also called also called Moscatel de Chipiona
Pedro Ximénez (PX)

Question 24

describe Palomino

Answer 24

also called Fino and Listán
dry and sweetened styles, accounts for 99% of production by volume
mid to late ripening 
wells suited to dry sunny weather, 
capable for large yields

Question 25

describe Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) for sherry production?

Answer 25

accounts for less than 1% of production
sometimes called Moscatel de Chipiona after the coastal town Chipiona
generally grown on sandy arenas soils
late ripening, well adapted to heat, drought
aromatic grape (grape blossom)
generally used for sweet fortified wines of the same name

Question 26

describe PX?

Answer 26

Pedro Ximénez
used for sweet fortified wines as sweetening agent
small thin skinned
accumulates high levels of sugar,
traditional dried in the sun for further concentration
neutral variety - flavors come from drying process

Question 27

Describe the legislation for PX?

Answer 27

permitted to be grown in Montilla district in the province of Córdoba (in Andalusia)
and shipped into the Zona de Producción either as fresh or raisined grapes or young wine
PX represents less than 1% of production volume

Question 28

Principal training system used in sherry vineyards?

Answer 28

vineyards are being transformed to accommodate machine harvesting
principal training system used is cane pruning here called Vara y pulgar
however increasing number cordon trained (single or double) and spur pruned- more suitable for machine
VSP trellising ensures the canopy remines opening and arranged for easy machine
VSP can be arranged to allow shading to prevent sunburn
1 m between row for machine

Question 29

max yield permeated in sherry vineyards?

Answer 29

legislation allows 80 hL/ha

realistically more like 60-70 hL/ha

Question 30

series of troughs or gullies down each row of vines to catch the winter rains is called?

Answer 30

Aserpia
vineyards are on gentle 10-15 degree slopes where albariza is mainly found
w/o troughs water would run down slopes and not soak into the soils
labor intensive to recreate each year, now done mechanically

Question 31

what kind of root stock is used in Sherry vineyards?

Answer 31

333EM, 41-B and 13-5 EVEX which are hybrids of V. vinifera and V. Berlandieri
13-5 EVEX - developed by the local viticulture research station, most successful

Question 32

rootstocks chosen for viticulture in Sherry vineyards should have the following characteristics?

Answer 32

tolerant of limestone soils - preventing vine from suffering from chlorosis
drought resistant
wild producing good yields

Question 33

Hazards faced by sherry vineyards?

Answer 33

dry growing season- low disease problem
Spring - mildew from warm humid weather after any rain - VSP training promote air circulation and reduce diseases pressures
when necessary, systemic fungicides treatment
Hot climate moderated by Atlantic- frost not an issue
European Grapevine moth - cured with pheromone traps

Question 34

describe when is harvest for Palomino sherry vineyards?

Answer 34

starts 1st week of August on the more inland vineyards and work toward coastal by 2nd week of September
early to avoid fall rain, thus rot is undesirable particularly for biologically aged
picked at 12% abv potential
5 g/L total acidity and pH of 3.3-3.5

Question 35

Palomino acidity?

Answer 35

quickly looses acidity when it nears maturity
neutral variety - not much of its own primary aromas
acidification is sometimes required if levels fall much below 5 g/L.

Question 36

describe harvest for PX and Moscatel ?

Answer 36

naturally sweet wines - harvest slightly later than Palomino
want higher concentration of sugar when harvest
make drying process easier and quicker

Question 37

machine harvest for sherry vineyards?

Answer 37

around 60% use machine
done mostly at night or early hours of morning
want cool temp to reduce chance of oxidation and microbial spoilage