Sherry/ Jerez Flashcards
VOS sherry must come from a solers how old?
20 years old
For every liter of sherry drawn from a solers, how much must remain?
2L
What are the authorized grapes of sherry production?
- palomino fino / de jerez
- moscatel de alejandria
- pedro ximinez
- perruno
- beba
- vigiriega
Why don’t oloroso style sherries develop flor?
they are fortified to such a high alcohol percentage (approx 18%) that yeast cannot survive
Manzanilla must be aged in what city?
Sanlucar de Barrameda
What is desfangato?
A clarification method in which post sulfur application, sherry must is decanted or racked to clear the must of solids (spanish for de-mudding)
What is the max yield of juice during pressing in the sherry region?
70 L/ 100 kg
Dulce pasta and mistela are both types of what?
sweetening agents used in sherry production
What are arrope and pantomima?
grape syrups used for sweetening
arrope - concentrated grape must heated and reduced to one-third of its original volume
pantomima - concentrated grape must heated and reduced to 50% of its original volume.
What river borders Sanlucar de Barrameda?
Guadalqivir River
What are the 3 soil types in the sherry region?
- Albariza (chalky, porous limestone)
- Barros (clay)
- Arenas (sandy)
What is the purpose of flor in fino style sherries?
- protects from oxidation
- consumes acid
Sherry producers are allowed to import PX from what city?
Montilla -Moriles
VORS Sherry must come from a solera how old?
30 years old
What is the name for a master blender in Sherry making?
Almacenista
In Spain, what does ‘generoso’ mean?
forified
Why is new oak not used in the Solera system?
wood tannin would disrupt flor formation
What 3 cities make up the Sherry Triangle?
- Jerez de la Fronters
- El Puerto de Santa Maria
- Sanlucar de Barrameda
What are the 3 stages of pressing in sherry production?
- Primera Yema (free run juice)
- Segunda Yema (press wine)
- Mosto Prensa (used for distillation)
Under sobretablas classification, what will a palma wine likely become?
fino sherry
unfortified, dried PX and moscatel can be sold as what in the sherry region?
Vino dulce naturel
What is trasiegos?
the movement of sherry through each criadera of a solera
Under sobretablas classification, what will a palma cortada wine likely become?
amontillado
What 2 winds affect the sherry region?
- Levante (hot and dry)
- Poniente (humid/atlantic)
How many months must manzanilla be aged before release?
24 months
What is the aging requirement for sherry?
min 2 years in the solera
What are the 2 initial classifications of fermenting sherry?
- Palo (destined for biological aging, marked with a slash)
- Gordura (destined for oxidative aging, marked with a circle)
What is the abv range for fino, amontillado, and oloroso?
- Fino 15-18%
- Amontillado 16-22%
- Oloroso 17-22%
What is the common vine training method in the sherry region?
vara y pulgar (stick and thumb) is a method of prunining back to one longer cane on one side and one shoot on the other. Production is alternated between the cane and shoot on opposite years
What two towns outside of the Sherry Triangle are also at the center of production?
- Chipiona
- Chiclana
What are the 2 DO zones in Sherry?
- Jerex-Xerex-Sherry
- Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barrameda
There is a high concentration of Albariza soils in which sub region
Jerez Superior
What is the largest Pago in Jerez?
Macharnudo
Which soil type of sherry is common near the coastal areas?
Arena
What are the maximum yields in Jerez Superior?
80 hl/ha
Name the 2 stages of fermentation in Sherry production
- The tumultuous early fermentation, a hot and vigorous initial phase lasting up to a week
- The lenta, or slow fermentation, in which high temperatures subside and any remaining sugar in the wine is converted to alcohol over a period of weeks
What is used to fortify the wines of Sherry?
Mitad y mitad - a gentle mix of grape spirit and mature Sherry
What type of oak is traditionally used in Sherry production?
Used 600 litre American butts
What is the name of the specialised set of yeast that metabolise glycerin, alcohol and volatile acid in Sherry production
Saccharomyces
Sherry wines that are aged biologically (flor) are classified a second time after 6 - 12 months. Name the classifications
Palma: Fine, delicate Sherry in which the flor has flourished, protecting the wine from oxidation. Such wines will generally develop as Fino styles.
Palma Cortada: A more robust Fino, which may eventually emerge as Amontillado.
Palo Cortado: A rarity. Although flor is still present, the wine’s richness leads the cellar master to redirect the wine toward an oxidative aging path. The wine will be fortified after Sobretablas to at least 17% abv, destroying the veil of flor that protects it from oxygen.
Raya: Despite its initial promise, flor growth is anemic, or the protective yeast has died completely. The wine’s robust character is reinforced by further fortification to 17-18%, and the wine emerges from Sobretablas as an Oloroso.
Dos Rayas: The wine’s flor has disappeared, but its character is rough and coarse. Characterized by high levels of volatile acidity, these wines are either blended and sweetened for lower quality Sherry or removed from the Sherry-making process, often finding new life as Sherry vinegar.
What is a tier of butts known as in Sherry?
Criadera
Name the classifications for vino de licor wines in Sanlucar de Barrameda
- Manzanilla Fina
- Manzanilla Pasada
- Manzanilla anada
Define Vino Generoso de Licor
Vino Generoso blended with Vino Dulce Natural or concentrated must
Dry: 5-45 g/l residual sugar
Medium: 5-115 g/l residual sugar, usually produced from Amontillado
Pale Cream: 45-115 g/l residual sugar, usually produced from Fino
Cream: 115-140 g/l residual sugar, usually produced from Oloroso
What are tresbolillo, marco real, marco rectangular?
tresbolillo - pattern of equilateral triangles with vines planted 2 meters apart
marco real - vines spaced in a grid of 1.5 meters apart
marco rectangular - rows are spaced 2.3 meters apart to allow for machine harvesting
What is aserpia / alumbra? When would this happen? What is alomado?
- the building up albariza soils into a series of ridges around the base of the trunk to trap humidity and moisture
- would occur in October
- alomado (removing soil ridges from the base of the trunk) done in years where there might be too much rain as to avoid soil erosion
What are two primary viticulture threats in sherry?
- Downy mildew
- Powdery mildew
What is a Bota No?
a cask that is special/superior in some way and is put off to the side for the Bodega owner
What is a Bota Punta?
the barrel at the end of the solera where the most has been pulled to sample. It is the least filled and most concentrated
Define Captaz
the cellar master
What caused palomino to become the preferred grape of Sherry?
Phylloxera
What is an alias for palomino?
- listan blanco
- jerez
- ojo de liebre
- horgazuela (in santa maria)
What clone of palomino is considered more delicate and high quality?
Palomino fino (palomino de Jerez is more of a workhorse)
What is the humidity level in Jerez during the growing season?
low
What is the term for the juice obtained from the first foot crushing in sherry?
de yema
What is the Spanish term for the drawing off the solera?
saca
What is the Spanish term for replenishing each scale of the solera?
rocio
Why do soleras need to be refreshed?
to maintain a supply of nutrients and oxygen for the flor to survive
Where would you find the estates Barbadillo, Pedro Romero, Hidalgo, La Cigarerra?
Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barremeda
What is Manzanilla pasada?
wine in which the older flor has started to lessen, leading to a mix between amontillado and fino in flavor
Who makes the wines Toneles, Inocente, and Tio Diego?
Valdespino
What is merma?
the term for evaporation in sherry
An oloroso marked “pata de gallina” indicates what?
an oloroso with much more glycerol than normal, leading to a rich and luscious style
Why would a producer add PX to an oloroso at bottling?
Sweetness will help to round and temper the effects of oxidation, as well as bring into balance the high glycerol and abv
How long will most wine spend in sobretables?
6-12 months
Does PX Sherry increase or decrease in abv as it ages and why?
ABV decreases - high sugar content prevents wine from being soaked into the wood barrel, thus ethanol will evaporate faster than the water
What is the difference in the way PX is produced in Jerez vs Montilla-Moriles?
- in Jerez, PX is fortified to a higher abv (18%), with some head space, and less residual sugar
- in Montilla, PX is fortified to 15%, with topped up barrels, and more residual sugar
What does the label ‘Viejos de Jerez con Indicacion de Edad’ indicate?
wine from a 12 or 15 years old solera (has age, but not old enough to qualify for VOS/VORS status)
In what year were the labels VOS/VORS established?
2000
What style of wine is made from sun dried moscatel?
moscatel pasas
Name a pago from Sanlucar de Barrameda?
- Miraflores
- Torre Breva
- Hornillo
Name a pago from Jerez
- Carrascal
- Macharnudo
- Anina
- Balbina
How much abv does flor consume?
1% per year (why regular refreshing is needed)
What is a fainting barrel (bota desmayoda)?
a barrel of low abv fino that hasn’t been topped up or has aggressive flor eating too much abv too fast.
What is the optimal temperature for flor?
62-64 degrees F and high humidity
What is the RS requirements for Vin Dulce Natural in Jerez DO?
Dulce/Moscatel - 160 g/L
PX - 212 g/L
What is the term for unfiltered sherry?
en rama
What is the average rainfall in Jerez?
20-25 in
How long must Manzanilla Pasada be aged?
min 7 years
What is fino viejo?
A new term for fino-amontillado, must be aged 7 years
What is the term for dead lees in sherry production?
cabeza
What is the significance of the Methuan Treaty?
Established the solera system, as producers had leftover stocks they could not sell due to Portugal’s new preferred tax rate with the English.
Sanlucan and El Puerto lie on what body of water?
Gulf of Cadiz
What is tajon and why is it undesirable?
a type of high lime albariza soil, can cause chlorosis due to high lime content
At what abv does flor die?
16%
Define the following terms:
Bodegas de Crianza y Espedicion
Bodegas de Crianza y almacenados
Bodega de Elaboracion
Bodega de Zona de Produccion
Bodegas de Crianza y Espedicion: firms which both mature and sell wine they must hold 250hl of wine and 60%must be sold under the DO label
Bodegas de Crianza y almacenados: firms which mature and keep stocks of wine of almacenistas / they may sell young or aged wine in bulk to the Crianza y espadicion
Bodega de Elaboracion: winemaking bodega allowed to hold stocks of wine before selling it on
Bodega de Zona de Produccion: winemaking bodegas permitted to mature wine but not sell wine
