Sherry in numbers Flashcards
Year Phoenicians founded Cádiz
1000 BC
(Oxford Companion says 1110 BCE)
Years of Al-Ándalus period
711- 1492 AD
(Oxford Companion:
Vandals and Visigoths were defeated by the Moors after the battle of Guadalete in 711
In 1492 the Jews were expelled from Spain, their vineyards were confiscated, and foreigners, many of them English, took their place as merchants.)
Century when sherry first written (Šeriš)
9th century
Year first Spanish Wine Law published
1933
Year Denomination of Origin Jerez-Xérèz-Sherry constituted
1935
Bounding latitude/longitude
36° 58’ North
5° 49’ West
Hectares of registered vineyard
7,000 ha
Number of registered vineyards
2,300
Average area of vineyard in Jerez de la Frontera
10 ha
Average area of vineyard in Trebujena or San José del Valle
barely 1 ha
Percentage area independent vineyard (i.e. not belonging to a bodega or partnered with a co-operative)
22%
Elevation of highest vineyards
150m
Incline rarely exceeds
12° to 14°
Century pagos first defined
18th
Average annual temperature
17°C
Winters seldom reach as cold as
4°C
Summer maximum temperature
40°C
Average annual hours of sunshine
3,000 - 3,200
Sunny days per year
300
Warmest main town and average / avg max summer temperature
Jerez
24.4°C / 32.2°C
Annual average rainfall and rainy season
620 mm/year
autumn winter
Wettest main town and average annual rainfall
El Puerto
598 mm/year
Average Baumé and total acidity of palomino
palomino
avg 11.2° Baumé
3.8 g/L total acidity
Maximum yield for production of wines protected by regulations
max: 80 hL/ha
In regs as 11,428 kg/ha
2022 regs specify maximum yields by year after planting, in kg/ha, which convert at 70hl/100kg to:
First year of planting: zero
2nd year: 20 hl/ha
3rd year: 40 hl/ha
4th year: 60 hl/ha
thereafter: 80 hl/ha
Excess production must be used for supplementary products such as alcohol or concentrated must; if production exceeds limits by over 25% then the whole production is disqualified]
Average yield of palomino
avg: 70 hL/ha
Average Baumé and total acidity of PX
PX
avg 12.8° Baumé at same harvest time as Palomino
(But PX wine is actually made only from overripe grapes picked later at 16°+ Baumé - as clarified by our tutor)
4.5 g/L total acidity
Age when a vine is considered mature and split into two arms
After fourth year
2022 regs only reach the maximum 80 hl/ha after the 4th year of planting]
Typical years a mature vine is in production
30-35 years
Number of bunches per producing cane
7-9 bunches per cane
Kilograms of grapes per vine
3 kg per vine
Vines per hectare
3600-4200 vines/ha
Ideal vine height
60 cm
Number of buds on a vara (stick)
at least 8 buds
Number of buds on a pulgar (thumb)
one or two buds
Total number of spurs and buds on a double cordon
3-4 spurs
6-8 buds
Minimum, average, and typical range of Baumé for Palomino at harvest
Min: 10.5°
Avg: 11.2°
Range: 11° - 12.5°
Proportion of mechanised harvest in DO
50%
(mechanised harvest usually happens at night; manual during daytime)
Maximum pressure when pressing grapes for ageing sherry wine
6 kg/cm2 (3.9 bar)
Maximum must yield per 100kg of grapes in DO sherry when pressing
70 L / 100 kg (for primera and segunda yema combined)
(Oxford Companion says 72.5 but the 2022 regs say 70)
Percentage of fermenting must (pie de cuba) added when inoculating
2-10% by volume
(but The Book of Sherry Wines says “it should not be under 10%” to accelerate fermentation and avoid undesired yeasts and pathogens)
Formula of alcoholic fermentation (from glucose/fructose)
C6H12O6 = 2CH3CH2OH + 2CO2 + Q
Usual volume of stainless steel fermentation tank
50,000 L
Temperature of first phase of fermentation
24°C
(Oxford Companion says fino is fermented at lower temperature than oloroso)
Alcohol of base wine (typical range)
11 - 12.5% abv
Fino and manzanilla are fortified to what alcohol content
15% abv
Alcohol tolerance of flor
16% abv
Oloroso is fortified to what alcohol content
at least 17% abv
After how long are the first and second classifications done during sobretablas?
A few weeks
6-12 months
Volume of ageing cask
600 L
Sugar content of must after asoleo (sun drying)
450 - 500 g/L
(enough to make initial fermentation very slow)
Moscatel and PX is fermented briefly then fortified up to what alcohol?
near 10% abv
(tierno; together with the high sugar content of over 400 g/L this is enough to stop fermentation)
Volume of arroba barrel in Jerez
1@ = 16.66 L = 4.4 gal
(16 L elsewhere in the Marco)
How many arrobas in a 600L bota?
36@
(based on a Jerez arroba, not a Sanlúcar arroba)
Percentage loss from barrel through evaporation/transpiration per year, and a name for the loss (in English)
3-4% per year by volume (mainly water)
Ullage (merma in Jerez)
(Lower if rainier / more humid, higher if drier / more levante.
This balances the loss of alcohol consumed by flor, and usually prevents alcohol falling below 15% and being vulnerable to acetic bacteria.)
Volume of wine absorbed in the staves of a 600 L barrel
up to 15 L
Height of tallest wineries
15 m
(with a standard footprint of 1 m2 per cask
Minimum thickness of winery side wall
60 cm
Minimum average age of sherry wine
2 years
Formula for average age
total volume in system ÷ volume extracted per year
(per Little’s Law)
Temperature and humidity for biological ageing
avg 20°C
min 65% humidity
stable
What does flor consume?
oxygen
alcohol
glycerine
volatile acidity
residual sugar
micronutrients provided by younger wine
What does flor increase?
acetaldehydes
Minimum sugar in dulce; moscatel; PX
dulce: 160 g/L
moscatel: 160 g/L
PX: 212 g/L
Minimum sugar in blend sherry
4 g/L
Base wines and ranges of sugar in the blends:
pale dry
pale cream
medium
cream
CSWS says:
pale cream: fino/manzanilla 4 - 115 g/L
but 2022 regs say:
pale dry 4 - 45 g/L
pale cream 50 - 115 g/L
medium: amontillado/oloroso 4 - 115 g/L
cream: oloroso 115 - 140 g/L
Minimum ageing in the solera and criaderas system for fino viejo and manzanilla pasada
7 years
(flor rarely withstands average ages of more than 8 - 9 years)
Temperature to store open sherry bottles
refrigerate 5 - 12°C
Temperature to store unopened sherry bottles
13°C
Closed/opened storage times for dry biological sherry wines
2yr / 2wk
Closed/opened storage times for dry oxidative sherry wines
3yr / 3mth
Closed/opened storage times for sweet sherry wines
indefinitely / 12mth
Closed/opened storage times for sherry blends
3yr / 10mth
Closed/opened storage times for very old sherry wines
3yr / 3mth
Serving temperature for dry biological sherry wines
7-9°C
Serving temperature for dry oxidative sherry wines
13-14°C
Serving temperature for sweet sherry wines
10-12°C
Serving temperature for sherry blends
10-12°C
Ageing period in solera and criaderas for sherry vinegar can exceed
10-20 years
How many processing (vinifying) co-operatives in the region?
7
(representing half the vineyard area and most vine-growers)
Minimum percentage of grapes from the pago, if labelled as that pago
85%
Dryest main town and average annual rainfall
Sanlúcar
505 mm/year
Coolest main town (in summer) and average / avg max summer temperature
El Puerto
23.8°C / 30.4°C
In which year did the Regulatory Council complete the official pagos list and include it in the regulations?
2015
How much pressure obtains the first press (mosto yema)?
Free run juice or intentional very light pressure
How many criaderas are typically used for vintage sherry?
None - vintage sherry is aged separately without any blending
Minimum ages of VOS and VORS?
20, 30 years (average age)
Serving size for:
Dry biological
Dry oxidative
Sweet
Blend
150ml
150ml
90ml
150ml
Regulations state: “musts destined for the production of protected wines will have at least [what?] Baumé”
10.5º Baumé
[all musts, not just Palomino]
In blends (cabeceos), what is the difference between medium and cream?
Sugar
Medium: 4 - 115 g/L
Cream: 115 - 140 g/L
