Sherry Flashcards
What are the typical growing and climate considerations for Sherry Palomino?
low altitude (0-90m)
Hot Mediterranean climate, hot dry, cloud free summers and rainy winters:
- need shade for grapes
- best soils retain water
- Palomino is mid-late ripening so will not over-ripen in the heat (but will lose acid at the end)
Grapes are influenced by 2 key winds:
- Poniente is a cool damp Atlantic wind
- levante is a hot drying wind from north Africa
Buildings are designed to let the cool wind in, and the hot wind out
normally 10-15% gradient
What are the denomination of origin for Sherry?
DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
What is the key soil to Jerez?
albariza is a mixture of limestone, silica and clay.
It forms a crust in the heat, and traps water below
The pale colour reflects light back into the canopy to aid ripening
mechanically formed gullies trap winter rain to soak in and prevent run off
limestone resistant rootstock (e.g. 333EM) helps yield
How are Sherry vineyards typically managed?
mechanisation is increasing, including pruning, harvesting and soil management
moving from replacement cane to cordon trained VSP for mechanisation
Put rows as close together as possible for shading (1m for tractor)
What is the yield and harvest considerations for Sherry?
80 hL/ha maximum. In practice, closer to 60-70 hL/ha
picked early with 12% potential alcohol, acid of 5 g/l, to retain acid and avoid rains
60% is harvested by machine at night
What disease considerations are there in Jerez?
little due to the hot, dry weather
Spraying in humid spring against mildew
List sherry winemaking considerations (8)
Press on arrival to minimise phenolics (these can impact flor growth)
free run is for Fino/Manzanilla, later pressings for Oloroso. Last pressings to season barrels. maximum press is 70 l/100kg of grapes
Clarify the must - cold settling/ centrifugation/ flotation. Removes the dusty soil
Different sites are normally fermented separately for later blending
Fermentation at 22-26°C, vast majority in stainless, chill to avoid MLF (no SO2 as it impacts the flor)
analysis to determine if biological ageing (fortified to 15-15/5%), or oxidative ageing (to 17%)
Fortified with 95% neutral spirit
Stored in sobretablas before added to solera. These will be classified again before being added with less delicate going for Amontillado/ Palo Cortado
Where is Sherry matured?
Zona de Crianza - includes Jerez de la Frontera, and…
DO Manzanilla is only in …Sanlúcar de Barrameda
How is Sherry matured?
600l American oak barrels are most common
Buildings have thick walls, and high ceilings, earth floors (are wetted)
Oldest barrels are Solera, then 1st criadera, 2nd criadera, etc to sobretablas
Maximum wine removed in any year is normally 40%
What is flor?
four strains of saccharomyces cerevisiae - all present on Palomino grape skins and in Bodegas
Lives on wine below 15.5% and needs oxygen (10% to 15% of barrel space is air), and a temperature of 16-20°C
What flavours are associated with biological ageing?
- acetaldehyde (bruised apple)
- hay
- chamomile
lack of:
- glycerol
What happens to wine during oxidative ageing?
Water evaporates slowly (3% to 5% by volume year)
This concentrates the wine, including glycerol, aromas and flavours
List characteristics of Fino/ Manzanilla
- pale lemon
- dry
- light to medium bodied
- 15-15.5% alcohol
- biological ageing flavours
- together with primary fruit, bread dough, almonds
Set out differences between fino and manzanilla
- thicker flor on Manzanilla
- greater protection from oxygen can result in lighter/ fresher manzanilla compared with fino
- manzanilla need more replenishing with young wines to support flor, so will be bottled more frequently
Define Manzanilla Pasada
Manzanilla with a short period of oxidative ageing, normally by halting refreshment and allowing the flor to die
Flavours may move closer to Amontillado
Set out the steps to making Amontillado
- fortify Fino to 17%
- mature oxidatively
Set out typical quality ranges for different sherries
Fino: good-outstanding
Amontillado: good-outstanding
Palo Cortado: very good-outstanding
Set out the steps to making a Palo Cortado
- Aromas of an Amontillado, and the palate of Oloroso
- sugar under 5 g/l
- alcohol 17-22%
- typically less delicate, more complex Finos are fed into a Palo Cortado solera system
Set out the steps to make Oloroso and associated flavours
ferment after fermentation to 17% to stop flor
brown in colour, toffee/walnut oxidative ageing
What is en rama?
typically unfiltered sherry, or minimal filtering
What Sherries are naturally sweet and how are they made?
PX and Moscatel
Grapes are partially dried to increase sugar concentration and fermented to around 4% to 6%, then fortified to 15% to 16%
minimum sugar is 212 g/l for PX, 160 g/l for Moscatel
PX has molasses, liquorice, raisin flavours
Moscatel can be fresh or oxidised
How are sweetened sherries made?
Pale cream - Fino/Mazanilla + RCGM
Medium - biological and oxidative ageing. typically sweetened with PX
Cream - oxidative ageing only
What are indications of age for Sherry?
12 and 15 years for Amontillado, Palo Cortado and Oloroso only
What companies registers are there for Sherry businesses?
Bodega de la Zona de Producción - Production bodega:
- typically large co-operatives
- will make and sell base wine
Bodega de Crianza y Almacenado - ageing and storing bodega:
- mature wines
- located in Zona de Crianza
- must sell wines to a Bodega de Crianza y Expedición
Bodega de Crianza y Expedición (ageing and shipping bodega):
- only business permitted to sell DO wines
- must be located in Zona de Crianza
What is the Consejo Regulador?
Regulatory body for Sherry:
- sets max yields, minimum harvests
- verifies ageing
- marketing body
What are recent trends in the Sherry market?
sales declined from 56m litres in 2006 to 34m litres in 2016
