Sherry Flashcards
More than any other wine style what style is defined most by the processes used during maturation?
Sherry
where are Sherry’s exploited to their fullest extent?
Jerez
Where are vineyards that produce Sherry
in an area that surrounds the southern Spanish town of Jerez de la Frontera which gives the region its name.
Where must the Sherry wines be matured from Jerez?
either within city limits or in one of the two smaller seaside towns of Sanlucar de Barranmeda or El Puerto de Santa Maria
What type of climate does Jerez have?
hot sunny, Mediterranean although the vineyards that are nearer to the coast are on average a little cooler and benefit more from the prevailing cool, humid westerly wind.
What is the prevailing cool humid westerly wind on the coast in Jerez called?
poniente
What is the levante in Jerez?
it is a hot drying which sometimes send the temperature soaring when it blows in from the east.
What does the extra heat from Levante do to the vineyard
can add stress to the vines and damage the grapes.
What is the rainfall like in Jerez?
higher when compared to other Spanish regions, however in the growing season it is limited.
What type of soil does Jerez have that allows the vines to cope with limited rainfall
albariza soil - which has a very high chalk content providing good drainage but vitally its depth and excellent water holding capacity mean it stores enough water to sustain vines during very hot, dry, summers
What is done in Jerez in order to maximize the amount of water that is retained by the soil during autumn and winter
rectangular pits are dug between rows of vines to trap the water and reduce run off.
When are the rectangular pits dug in the vineyard to maximize water retention?
right after the harvest has finished and the soil is smoothed out again in the spring
How is moisture retention further enhanced in the summer in Jerez?
the albariza soil forms a hard crust that limits evaporation from the soil.
What are the three grape varieties allowed in Jerez?
Palomino, Ledro Ximenez (PX) and Muscat of Alexandria
Which grape varietal is the vast majority of plantings in Jerez
Palomino
What are the characteristics of wines made with Palomino in Jerez?
naturally low in acid, and lack obvious varietal aromas, which makes it ideal for Sherry production
How is Sherry production of wine largely determined?
either by biological or oxidative maturation.
What does Pedro Ximenez (PX) have in common with Palomino?
both have very little varietal flavor
what types of skins do PX grapes have? how does this impact the wine made
thin skins which makes them ideal to be sun dried for sweet sherry production
Where are PX grapes mostly grown?
very little grown in Jerez - mostly grown in neighboring regions of Montilla-Moriles where it grows more successfully. unusual exception that these grapes can be used in Sherry production
Describe Muscat of Alexandra wines\
only a very few amount of this is grown and like PX used for sweet wines.
What grape is used to make the dry style of Jerez wines?
Palomino
Due to high temperature at harvest times for Palomino grapes, what must happen at harvest?
the grapes must reach the press as quickly as possible to avoid oxidation
How does fermentation typically take place for dry sherry wines
in large stainless steel tanks at temperatures ranging from 20-25C (high for white wine, but suits the producer trying to make a neutral base wine.
Describe a base wine made from palomino grapes
dry with approx. 11-12% abv
after harvest for sherry wines, what happens in the autumn?
the wines are classified into two types: ones to be sent for biological ageing and those that will be sent for oxidative aging.
How is the decision made on if a wine will go the biological aging route or the oxidative route?
based on the flavor characteristic of the wine.
What route do lighter paler Sherry wines with more finesse go in terms of aging?
biological aging
What route do lighter darker, richer, heavier Sherry wines go in terms of aging?
oxidative ageing
At the stage of selecting which type of aging a Sherry base wine will go into first , what else is also happening?
the flors (film forming yeast), will have started to grow on each wine’s surface.
What kind of sherry base wines are more suitable for biological ageing?
wines made from grapes grown in relatively cooler coastal regions and/or are fermented at lower temperature levels
What kind of sherry base wines are more suitable for oxidative ageing?
wines made friom grapes grown in the warmer climates and/or fermented at higher temperatures
Once first classification is made for base Sherry wine what is the next step?
wines fortified using a 96% abv natural spirit then set aside for a few months before they are incorporated into the solera system this stage is called Sobretabla
What are sherry wines for biological ageing fortified to? and why?
between 15-15.5% abv which is the ideal strength for the development of flor
what step in the process is extremely important for biological ageing sherry wines?
period of sobretabla - the producer needs to wait and see if the flor develops correctly on these wines
which method of aging of sherry wine requires a 2nd classification? why?
biological - necessary to determine whether the wine has a style and character that is suitable for its respective solera system.
What happens to a sherry wine that does not meet the requirements of the flor developing correctly?
they are either refortified and sent for oxidative ageing or rejected altogether
what are sherry wines that are for oxidative aging fortified to? and why
17% abv at this strength flors dies
Why is the period of sobretabla not as important for oxidative ageing?
there is no need to wait and see if the flor flavors develop
What happens to grapes that are destined for naturally sweet sherry wines
they are sun dried to concentrate their sugar levels and also develop raisin flavors.
what happens to grapes after they are sun dried and must weight is achieved for sherry wines?
grapes are pressed and fermentation begins
what happens to sherry wine grapes that have gone through the sun dried process as they ferment
grapes yield such a concentrated juice that the yeast struggles to ferment the sugars and rarely manage more than a few degrees of alcohol.
what% alcohol are sherry wine grapes that have gone through the sun dried fortified to?
17% abv
What does Sherry need to be aged in?
a butt - 600 litre oak barrels
prior to maturing Sherry what are butts often used for?
mature unfortified wines so any oak flavor is eliminated
why is the oak needed in Sherry maturation?
to allow oxygen to reach the wine which is further enhanced by the butts only ever being 5/6 full