Spain: Southern Flashcards
In what province is Jerez? What are the 3 towns for Sherry?
Cadiz provice
Jerez de la Frontera
El Puerto de Santa Maria
Sanlucar de Barrameda
What is the climate like in Jerez? Influencing factors?
hottest region in Spain
hot dry Levante wind- blows from East
poniente: humid atlantic wind
Guadalquivir River to northwest
List the 3 soil types in Sherry
Albariza- white, chalky, most prized
Barros- more clay, in valleys
Arenas- sandy soils more common in coastal areas
Grapes authorized for Sherry production
Palomino (Fino, Jerez), Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel de Alejandriá
2022 regulations now allow: Beba, Cañocazo, Mantúo Castellano, Mantúo de Pilas, Perruno and Vigiriega.
What is the soleo process?
also called pasificación (from the Spanish word for raisin: pasa) Sherry grapes are dried for 1-3 weeks on esparto grass mats in the sun. Usually for PX and Moscatel. Palomino oxidizes quickly and must be pressed as soon as possible
What are the 3 stages of quality in Sherry must?
Primera yema - free run, usually best suited for biological aging.
Segunda yema - press wine- the must is more affected by the solids, better suited for oxidative aging
Mosto prensa - poorer quality press wine
Sherry extraction limit
70 litres for each 100kg of grape may be used to produce Sherry Wine
the remainder is used for declassified wine or distillation
What is desfangado?
racking- in Sherry, to clarify the juice prior to fermentation
What are the two stages of Sherry fermentation?
first a short, hot tumultuous fermentation, lasting up to a week. usually in stainless steel, though some still use sherry butts, which was traditional.
second, the lenta, or slow fermentation. this can last a few weeks
What are the two initial classifications for Sherry?
after fermentation, the wine is either classified as palo, or destined for biological aging. marked with a slash/ palma
gordura- destined for oxidative aging, marked with a circle
the wines are classified, then fortified to the appropriate strength.
To what % abv are palo wines fortified?
15-15.5%
flor dies at 17%
To what % abv are gordura wines fortified?
17-18% - a high enough level of alcohol that will not permit the growth of flor
What styles of wine come from casks marked “palo”?
Fino or Manzanilla, and Amontillado
What styles of wine come from casks marked “gordura”?
Olorosso- or oxidative
What is sobretables?
An intermediary stage for sherries aged biologically - after initial classification, the wine will age 6-12 months before being classified for it’s final form
What are the second classifications for sherry?
Palma
Palma Cortado
Palo Cortado
Raya
Dos Rayas
(for wines undergoing biological aging)
What kind of wine is classified as Palma?
For sherry undergoing biological aging- this wine has a flor that has flourished, and it will likely be a Fino style
What kind of wine is classified as Palma Cortado?
This is a more robust Fino, that may emerge as Amontillado
Palo Cortado
The flor is still present, but the wine is too rich for Fino. The wine will be redirected toward oxidative aging, and fortified to bring the alcohol up to around 17%. This has the rich body and color of an Olorosso, but the aromatics of Fino sherry.
high glycerine at 8-10 g/l
TA 4-6 g/l
What kind of wine is classified as Raya?
For sherry undergoing biological aging, the flor has died, and the wine is redirected toward oxidative aging, becoming Olorosso.
What kind of wine is classified as Dos Rayas?
For sherry undergoing biological aging, the flor has died and the wine is rough and coarse. It will be blended for lower quality sherry, or become vinegar
What is the minimum aging for sherry?
2 years before bottling.
What are the three classifications of Manzanilla Sherry?
Manzanilla Fina (like Fino)
Manzanilla Pasada (like Amontillado)- min 7 years
Manzanilla Olorosa
all must come from Sanlucar de Barrameda
What does generoso indicate for Sherry?
Dry
What is cabeceo in Sherry production?
the process of small scale blending and sweetening before sale. The wines are blended and sweetened in a test tube, then the proportions are applied on a large scale
What sweetening agents are used in Sherry?
Dulce pasa - must of sundried Palomino
Dulce de almibar- blend of invert sugar and Fino
Mistela - must of dried Moscatel and PX
Name a single vineyard sherry
Valdespino: “Inocente” Fino
Valdespino: “Tio Diego” Amontillado
List 3 producers of Sherry
Lustau
Osbourne
Gonzalez Byass
Valdespino
What is the difference between vermouth and quina quina?
Vermouth requires woormwood as primary bittering agent, Quina Quina is quinine
Prominent French producers of Quina Quina?
Lillet, Byrrh, Bonal
sherry butt
or “bota,” american oak 600 litre cask or 36 arrobas (an arroba is an old measure equal to 16.66 litres
these are typically filled to 500L to leave space for flor to develop
Jerez climate
Atlantic influence.
very mild winters, and very hot summers where temperatures frequently rise above 40ºC. The region enjoys a very high average of between 3,000 and 3,200 hours of effective sunlight.
average 22 inches rain/ year
why is albariza soil prized?
it retains moisture well, storing each winter’s rainfall in order to nourish the vines during the dry months. the upper levels of soil bake hard under the heat of the summer, thus preventing the evapotranspiration produced by the region’s high levels of sunlight.
Albariza soil is easy to work and, being very moisture retentive, facilitates an excellent distribution of the root system
notable pagos sherry
pagos are small areas of vineyard delimited by topographical features and possessing homogeneous soils and mesoclimate.
Macharnudo
Carrascal
Añina
Bilbaina
Miraflores
where can sherry aging take place?
until 2022, the final stage of aging had to take place in the sherry triangle of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda
2022 update allows producers in the other municipalities to complete production in their own municipalities- Trebujena, Lebrija, Chipiona, Rota, Chiclana and Puerto Real
Fino Viejo
new category of Jerez DO sherry created in 2022 for wines aged minimum 7 years
Manzanilla equivalent: Pasada
sherry “en rama”
wines that are not subjected to clarification or cold stabilisation processes.
(as of 2022 updates)
2022 sherry updates
- expanded aging area for Jerez DO to all municipalities
- added 6 new grapes
- added Fino Viejo/ Manzanilla Pasada- min 7 yrs aging
- defined “en rama” (not cold stabilized or clarified)
- fortification is NO LONGER MANDATORY
- all biologically aged wines from Sanlucar will be Manzanilla (no more fino. 10 years to phase out)
does Sherry have to be fortified?
not anymore! as of 2022- If the wines reach naturally the ABV required for each type (15% for finos and manzanillas, 17% for olorosos, etc.), it will not be mandatory for the bodegas to add more alcohol
Jerez vine training
“vara y pulgar” (stick and thumb) or jerezana: a traditional method of pruning specific to this Denomination consists of training each vine’s trunk into two branches.
These are pruned on alternate years leaving one long branch, or “stick”, with at least eight or buds on it, whilst the other is pruned to a shorter shoot, or “thumb”, with only one or two buds on it.
The year’s grapes develop on the on the longer “stick”, whilst the buds on the shorter “thumb” sprout to form the following year’s “stick”, whilst this year’s stick is then cut back to become a thumb once the grapes have been picked
aserpia
or “alumbra,” a practice unique to Jerez- building up ridges of earth between the vine rows to create a series of rectangular pits that serve to catch and store rainwater during the autumn and winter months, preventing it from running off and being lost down the hillside slopes. When spring arrives the aserpia channel walls are demolished and the topsoil broken up and levelled out.
pie de cuba
fermentation starter for sherry- a small amount of already fermenting must is sometimes added to start fermentation
levels in a solera
bottom is solera (name comes from suelo, spanish word for floor)
then next up is 1st criadera (“nursery”) and so on
correr escalas
name for process of effecting the sacas and rocíos in a solera (running the scales)
saca
in sherry production, this is the extraction of a portion of sherry to then add to the next layer down in the solera system
rocío
“sprinkling” in sherry production- this is the process of topping off with wine that was extracted from the layer above
Condado de Huelva DO
Andalucia, on Atlantic coast
- Blanco rec: Zalema, auth: Palomino Fino, Listán B, Pedro Ximénez, Garrido Fino, Moscatel de Alejandría, Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
- Blanco Joven: fermentation temp. can’t exceed 20°C
- Tinto: Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Blanco Tradicional: traditional fermentation
+ fortified
soils: chalky sand, best on Albariza
Granada DO
Andalucia, promoted to DO in 2021 (newest in Spain)
red, white, rose, sparkling
lots of varieties
Montilla-Moriles DO
Andalucia- the higher altitude and more extreme climate here result in stronger musts, which historically allowed it to be shipped without fortification.
fortified AND unfortified Vino Generoso (sherry style)
sweet fortified
Recommended: Pedro Ximénez (planted in approximately 75% of the DO vineyards)
Authorized: Layren (Airén), Baladí (Verdejo), Moscatel, Torrontés
Vino Dulce Natural (fortified)
Pedro Ximénez: min. 272 g/l residual sugar
Moscatel: min. 160 g/l residual sugar
List the Canary Islands
Tenerife DO - largest, has 5 sub DO
Lanzarote DO
La Palma DO
La Gomera DO
El Hierro DO
Gran Canaria DO
Fuerteventura - does not have it’s own DO, covered by overarching Islas Canarias DO
Describe the geography of Tenerife
the largest of the Canary Islands
Mount Teide, Spain’s tallest peak (3,718 meters) is an active volcano at the center, forms a sort of rain shadow on the southern part of the island- humidity is trapped on the north side. This allows for higher elevation plantings on the slopes.
vineyard holdings are in small parcels (suertes)
List the DOs on Tenerife
North: Tacoronte-Acentejo, Valle de la Orotava,Ycoden-Daute-Isora
South: Abona and Valle de Güímar
Where are Europe’s highest elevation vineyards?
Abona DO, on Tenerife - more than 1600 meters in elevation.
Describe the soil and landscape on Lanzarote
soil is called ceniza - it is a sandy substance derived from the ash and lava of a six-year eruption from the 1730s
Condado do Huelva DO - fortified styles
Condado Pálido: Generoso style produced in a solera, biological aging
Condado Viejo: Generoso style produced in a solera, oxidative aging
Vino Generoso de Licor: Generoso style produced in solera, may be released as “pale dry”, “cream”, “pale cream”, and “medium”
predominantly from white grape Zalema
list the Balearic Islands
Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, Menorca
off the coast of Valencia, in the western Mediterranean- close to Catalonia in identity
DOs on Mallorca
in the Balearic Islands
Binissalem DO
Pla i Llevant DO
Binissalem DO
on Mallorca, in Balearic Islands. blanco, rosado, tinto, espumoso
vineyards are confined to the center of the island, northeast of the capital, Palma de Mallorca. The Serra de Tramuntana range shields Binissalem’s vines from cold northerly winds
blanco: min 50% Moll or 50% Moscatel (either de Grano Menudo or de Alejandría). Moll’s naturally low acidity similarly mandates the contributions of other grapes.
tinto: min 30% Manto Negro
DO est 1991
more heavily planted than Pla i Llevant
Pla i Llevant
on Mallorca, in Balearic Islands. larger area but less planted than Binissalem DO. very fla, pla = plain
French grapes, such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay, dominate the appellation, though Moll, Manto Negro, Callet, and the red native Fogoneu are also authorized.
