Sherry

Question 1

Oxidative aging

Answer 1

Oloroso, PX, and some Muscat Sherries

Amontillado ages oxidatively after biological

Can mature oxidatively over 30 years

Alcohol can rise to 22%

Question 2

Sherry Styles - Naturally Sweet

Answer 2

Sweet wines that undergo oxidative aging

Mostly used as a component

Question 3

Sherry Grapes

Answer 3

Palomino - low acid, lacks obvious aromatics

Pedro Ximenez (PX) - lacks aromatics, thin skin suits well for sun drying (sweet sherries). Can be grown in a neighboring region…

Muscat of Alexandria - only a small amount, used for sweet sherries

Question 4

Sweetened Styles

Answer 4

Pale cream - short biological aging then sweetend with RCGM. Similar to fino but have flor character

Medium and Cream - diverse category

Medium - characters of both oxidative and biological

Cream - oxidative characters only

Question 5

Flor - Biological Aging

Answer 5

Flor yeast produces acetaldehyde

Needs the right alcohol, temperature, humidity

The Flor needs to be kept alive and maintained

It looses freshness after bottling, so need to drink

Question 6

Sherry Styles - Oloroso

Answer 6

Oxidative aging only

Brown color, full body, toffee, leather, spice, walnut

Becomes concentrated with age

Question 7

Sherry Styles - Amontillado

Answer 7

Biological aging followed by oxidative

Refortified after biological to 17% and fed into new Amontillado solera

Amber or brown, less body than Oloroso

Very distinctly complex from both effects

Question 8

Sweet style

Answer 8

Picked and then sun-dried to raisins

Press and ferment, yeast sticks, fortify to 17%

Question 9

Sherry Styles - Palo Cortado

Answer 9

Rare sherry, characteristics of both Amontillado and Oloroso

Question 10

Blending and Finishing

Answer 10

Often multiple soleras combine to balance

Most undergo fining and filtratin but now there’s a move for less intervention

Question 11

Solera maturation

Answer 11

600-L oak barrels ‘butts’, used on unfortifieds first

Only filled 5/6 full, kept cool. Up to 14 levels

Bottling taken from bottom level, partially only

Space is topped from level above (mixed tank)

That space is then topped, continuously, with new wine added at the very top level

Solera is the bottom, 1st criadera is next, 2nd…

Question 12

Sherry Styles - Pedro Ximenez (PX) and Muscat

Answer 12

Deep brown and lusciously sweet, often 500g/L

Question 13

Jerez, Spain - Climate

Answer 13

Southern Spanish town Jerez de la Frontera

Hot, sunny, mediterannean but vineyards on the coast so they get a cooling ‘poneinte’ ocean wind

Highly chalky deep soil ‘albariza’, gives water holding capacity to survive hot dry summers. Forms crust in summer that prevents evaporation

Question 14

Dry style

Answer 14

Palomino, press quickly to avoid oxidation

Ferments 20-25C (make neutral) to 11-12%

First classification - biological vs oxidative aging

Lighter wines from cool areas > biological

Fortified with 96% neutral spirit

Biological - fortify to 15-15.5%, allow flor to grow (wait a few months), make sure it’s OK for the solera and the put down

Oxidative - fortify to 17%

Question 15

Sherry Styles - Fino and Manzanilla

Answer 15

Only biological aging

Pale lemon, citrus, almonds, herbs, bready notes

Tangy or salty and do not age