Sherry in numbers Flashcards by Rob Findlay

Year Phoenicians founded Cádiz

1000 BC
(Oxford Companion says 1110 BCE)

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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.)

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Century when sherry first written (Šeriš)

9^th century

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Year first Spanish Wine Law published

1933

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Year Denomination of Origin Jerez-Xérèz-Sherry constituted

1935

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Bounding latitude/longitude

36° 58’ North
5° 49’ West

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Hectares of registered vineyard

7,000 ha

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Number of registered vineyards

2,300

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Average area of vineyard in Jerez de la Frontera

10 ha

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Average area of vineyard in Trebujena or San José del Valle

barely 1 ha

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Percentage area independent vineyard (i.e. not belonging to a bodega or partnered with a co-operative)

22%

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Elevation of highest vineyards

150m

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Incline rarely exceeds

12° to 14°

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Century pagos first defined

18^th

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Average annual temperature

17°C

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Winters seldom reach as cold as

4°C

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Summer maximum temperature

40°C

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Average annual hours of sunshine

3,000 - 3,200

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Sunny days per year

300

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Warmest main town and average / avg max summer temperature

Jerez
24.4°C / 32.2°C

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Annual average rainfall and rainy season

620 mm/year
autumn winter

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Wettest main town and average annual rainfall

El Puerto
598 mm/year

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Average Baumé and total acidity of palomino

palomino
avg 11.2° Baumé
3.8 g/L total acidity

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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]

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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](https://www.sherry.wine/documents/274/Pliego_Jerez_normal_consolidado.pdf) 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](https://www.sherry.wine/documents/274/Pliego_Jerez_normal_consolidado.pdf) 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](https://www.sherry.wine/documents/274/Pliego_Jerez_normal_consolidado.pdf) 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

Sherry in numbers Flashcards

(89 cards)