Sherry

Question 1

What are the 3 towns of the Sherry Triangle?

Answer 1

Jerez de la Frontera
Sanlucar de Barrameda
Puerto de Santa Maria

Question 2

What’s the climate like in the Sherry region?

Answer 2

Hot, sunny and Mediterranean, slightly cooler by the coast

High rainfall but limited in the growing season

Question 3

What are the cool, humid and hot, arid winds called?

Answer 3

Poniente = Cool, humid, westerly
Levante = Hot and arid

Question 4

What is the soil in Sherry region, what is it largely made up of and how do Vine growers use it to best effect?

Answer 4

Albariza
Very high Chalk content
Good drainage of Winter rain but retains water at deep levels to sustain vine through hot Summer
Pits dug in Autumn to catch water, smoothed over in Spring
Forms hard crust to seal moisture in and limit evaporation

Question 5

What grapes are used to make sherry?

Answer 5

Palomino - vast majority
Pedro Ximinez
Muscat of Alexandria

Question 6

How is Palomino processed to make base wine

Answer 6

Into winery and pressed ASAP to avoid oxidation

Steel tank ferment, high temp, 20~25c to produce neutral wine

Question 7

Once Palamino is made into base wine which two directions can it head in?

Answer 7

Lighter, more finessed wines - Biological ageing (under Flor)
Darker wines - Oxidative ageing (no Flor)

Question 8

To what % is base wine fortified?

With what? What strength is it?

Answer 8

Biological ageing wines - 15%~15.5%
Oxidative ageing wines - 17%
Fortified with pure grape spirit at 96% abv

Question 9

Where do wines spend time before introduction into the Solera system?

Answer 9

In the Sobretabla for a few months

Question 10

How are grapes processed for Sweet styles?

Answer 10

Sun dried to raisin them
Ferment to a few % abv as yeast struggles with so much sugar
Fortified to 17%

Question 11

What size are the barrels in the Solera system?
What are they called?
How full are they kept?

Answer 11

600 ltr
Buts
5/6th full to allow oxygen

Question 12

What does flor need to survive?

Answer 12

Cool, humid conditions

Eats and drinks alcohol and nutrients in the wine

Question 13

What does Flor excrete in similar amounts?

Answer 13

CO2

Acetaldehyde

Question 14

What are the levels of the Solera system called?

Answer 14

Criaderas

Question 15

How is wine removed from the Solera System and how is it topped up?

Answer 15

Taken from the bottom level called the Solera
Blended wine from 1st Criadera tops up Solera
Blended wine from 2nd Criadera tops up first
Blended wine from 3rd Criadera tops up 2nd etc etc etc
Wine in Sobretabla used to top up the top level Criadera

Question 16

What does Acetaldehyde do to sherry?

Answer 16

Gives Biological Sherry its unique aromas and flavours of Citrus fruit, almonds, herbs and bready aromas

Question 17

Which sherries are completely aged Biologically?

Which two sherries start under flor before being transferred to oxidative Solera system?

Answer 17

Fino, Manzanilla and Pale Cream - 100% Biological

Amontillado and Palo Cortado starts Biologically then transferred to Oxidative Solera. Also Medium sherry

Question 18

Which sherries are aged Oxidatively?

Answer 18

Oloroso, Cream, PX, some Muscats

And Amontillado after in comes in from Biological system

Question 19

Why, in particular, does the Oxidative Solera system need to be kept fed with young wine?

Answer 19

To avoid over oxidation of wine in the Solera System

Question 20

Are sherries fined and filtered?

Answer 20

Yes, but kept to a minimum to maintain flavour

Question 21

What do you call Fino sherry from Sanlucar?
How does it differ from that of Jerez and why?
How is it labelled if really minimal fining and filtering?

Answer 21

Manzanilla de Sanlucar de Barrameda
Cooler coast keeps Flor active all year = more tangy sherry
Minimal fining and filtering = En Rama

Question 22

Which ageing method is used for Oloroso

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 22

Oxidative

Brown, full bodied. Toffee, leather, spice and walnut

Question 23

What ageing process is used for Amontillado?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 23

Biological then Oxidative

Amber or brown, lighter than Oloroso. Yeasty plus oxidative aromas

Question 24

Describe Palo Cortado and why is it unusual?

Answer 24

Aroma of Amontillado but body of Oloroso
Starts out Biologically but flor dies so starts ageing oxidatively
When cellar master realises, fortified to 17.5% abv then continues being oxidised

Question 25

What is Pale Cream and what is it sweetened with?

Answer 25

Sweetened Fino, sweetened with RCGM

Question 26

What is Medium sherry and what is it sweetened with?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 26

Sweetened Amontillado, sweetened with PX

Balances toffee, leather and walnut of dry wine with dried fruit of PX

Question 27

What is Cream sherry and what is it sweetened with?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 27

Sweetened Oloroso, sweetened with PX

Balance of toffee, leather, walnuts of dry wine with dried fruit of PX

Question 28

Which sherries are naturally sweet?

Give simple tasting notes

Answer 28

PX - Deep brown and lusciously sweet (upto 500g/L sugar)
Pronounced dried fruit, coffee and liquorice
Muscat - Similar to PX but keeps dried citrus peel character

Question 29

What are the age indications for Sherry?

Answer 29

VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry) - 30yo
VOS (Very Old Sherry) - 20yo
Each batch tested to ensure it complies
Also 12 and 15yo but these classifications are applied to the whole Solera System

Question 30

Pale Cream Sherry is a sweetened ………………….?
Medium Sherry is a sweetened ……………………?
Cream Sherry is a sweetened ……………………..?

Answer 30

Pale Cream is a Fino sweetened with RCGM
Medium Sherry is an Amontillado sweetened with PX
Cream sherry is an Oloroso Sherry sweetened with PX

Question 31

Where do grapes used to make Pedro Ximénez sherry come from?

Answer 31

Montilla-Moriles, neighbouring the Jerez region

Question 32

Which grape accounts for the majority of plantings in Jerez, what sort of base wine does it make?

Answer 32

Palomino

It produces a wine with natural low acid and very little varietal flavour.

Question 33

Not all sherries qualify for age indicated status, which sherries can qualify?

Answer 33

Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso and PX

i.e. only sherries that have been through the oxidative process