Sherry

Question 1

The climate of Jerez is…

Answer 1

Hot sunny Mediterranean

Question 2

Name the two winds Jerez is famed for, their direction and which is cool or hot.

Answer 2

Cool Westerly wind off the Atlantic : Poniente (Points West)

Hot Easterly wind : Levante (as in the middle East, or where the sun rises)

Question 3

What’s the big deal with the soil in Jerez and what’s it called?

Answer 3

It’s called: Albariza
Deep chalk so…
It reflects light… drains well… and holds water.
Channels are dug after harvest to collect winter rain water and then covered up in spring. In summer it forms a hard crust which limits evaporation.

Question 4

Name the three grapes used for Sherry

Answer 4

• Palomino (little flavour, low acid)
• Pedro Ximénez (small amounts. Little flavour. Thin skinned, dried in the sun)
• Muscat d’Alexandria (small amounts)

Question 5

Palomino grapes at harvest. How are they handled and fermented?

Answer 5

Harvested quickly (given the heat) and taken to press PDQ to minimise oxidisation.

Fermented hot (20-25c) to 11%-12% ABV

Question 6

First Classification of sherry - purpose?

Answer 6

Generally
The lighter wine with “finesse” (and cooler fermentation) made from grapes on the cooler coast are selected for Biological ageing using flor.

The darker “heavier” wine (and hotter fermentation) made from grapes grown in the hotter inland areas are selected for oxidative ageing.

Question 7

Sherry styles… biological vs oxidisation
Name the two styles for biological
Name the partial bio/oxidation style
Name the oxidative style

Answer 7

The biologicals : Fin0 and Manzanilla
The inbetweenie : Amontilado
The oxidised: Oloroso (lots of O’s)

Question 8

Once Sherry is fortified with (what %age) alcohol they are set aside for a few months. This stage is know. As what?

Answer 8

96% pure alcohol

Sobretable

Question 9

Post sobretable, where happens to the sherry?

Answer 9

It enters the Solera system

Question 10

What is the point of sobretable?

Answer 10

To allow a Second Classification for selecting biological sherries.

The biological ageing wine candidates are fortified to between 15% and 15.5% which is ideal for flor to flourish.

Those wines without a decent flor get refortified to 17% to kill the flor and sent off to be oxidised or binned.

Those that pass, enter the appropriate solera system.

Question 11

Sweet sherry… (px)

How is the fermentation handled?

Answer 11

The berries get sun-dried therefore concentrating the sugar and achieving the desired must weight.

The yeast struggle to live in liquid raisens and thus only a couple of degree of ABV are achieved before it dies.

Then fortified to 17%

Question 12

Sherry is matured in what (name and size)

Answer 12

600 litre old oak barrels called ‘butts’

Old, flavour free oak, is important. Oak only used to allow gentle oxidisation.

Question 13

How full are Sherry butts kept and why?

Answer 13

5/6th’s full to encourage oxidisation
(83%)
Also… the flor needs oxygen to thrive in order to protect the sherry from oxidisation.

Question 14

Maturation challenges for sherry soleras?

Answer 14

Heat.
Whitewashed builds.
Damp clay floors (humidity)
Windows facing West for the cooling poni-ente wind.

Question 15

The oldest level on a solera system is called what?

Answer 15

The solera.

As opposed to the “solera system” which produces it.

Question 16

What are the different ages of butts called within the solera system?

Answer 16

Pre-solera is Sobretabla

The top level is Criadera n.
There are n levels of Criadera, each a year older than the previous…
…until the bottom criadera which is called the Solera

Question 17

What is the point of the solera system?

Answer 17

To produce wine that is entirely predictable and consistent. Year after year.

Question 18

What contingency for disaster is made with soleras?

Answer 18

Often spread over several buildings.

Much like multiple vineyards to hedge against hail.

Question 19

Sherry’s flor likes what sort of environment?

Answer 19

Cool temperature and high humidity

Spring and autumn

Question 20

What is the point of flor?

Answer 20

To impart the ACETALDEHYDE flavours into the sherry and protect it from oxidisation.

Deceit, all Hide

Question 21

Flor starts to die at about what age in a solera, allowing what?

Answer 21

Seven years…

Oxidisation!

Question 22

What’s the min and max number of criaderas

Answer 22

3 to 14

Question 23

Which style of sherry is partially oxidised?

Answer 23

Amontillado

Question 24

Sherry can be oxidised for how long and what happens to the ABV?

Answer 24

30+ years… rarely does though.
Evaporation of water means ABV rises to 22%

Therefore, the older the sherry, higher the ABV.

Question 25

Why are sherries often blended from different Soleras?

Answer 25

The very old soleras, in particular, would be very intense and unbalanced. Blending the intense with the freshness.

Question 26

Are biologically aged sherries more or less likely to be blended with other soleras?

Answer 26

Less likely - vibrancy of flavour is dulled.

Question 27

A sherry labelled “en rama” means what?

Answer 27

Minimal fining and filtering

Question 28

Fino and Manzanilla - colour and tastes?

Answer 28

Pale lemon
Citrus fruit, almonds and herbs

Needs to be opened and drunk. Apparently.

Question 29

Oloroso colour and flavours:

Amontillado colour and flavours:

Answer 29

Oloroso: Brown. Full bodied. Toffee, leather, spice, walnut

Amontillado: Amber/brown. Med+ body. Flavours as Oloroso but with yeasty notes.

Question 30

PX… lusciously sweet at c.? grams of sugar per litre

Flavours?

Answer 30

5 fucking hundred.
500g

Dried fruit, coffee and liquorice

Question 31

What’s the difference between:
Medium Sherry
and
Cream Sherry?

What do they have in common?

Answer 31

Medium sherry: must have both oxidative and biological characteristics.

Cream sherry: Has only oxidative characteristics.

Both are sweetened with PX.
Best ones balance toffee, leather and walnut (dry wine) with dried fruits (sweet wine)

Question 32

Name the top two age indicators for sherry

Answer 32

VORS average of 30 years age.
VOS average of 20 years age.

Vinum Optimum (Rare) Signatum

Question 33

Palo Cortado…

Definition thereof, as much as one can define it.

Answer 33

The aroma of an Amontillado, the body and richness of Oloroso