What is the hottest growing wine region in Spain?
Jerez
- home to Sherry production
- located within the coastal province of Cadiz, flanked by the Guadalquivir River to the Northwest.
Name 3 towns of Sherry production.
- Jerez de la Frontera
- El Puerto de Santa Maria
- Sanlucar de Barrameda
Name the 2 DO zones of Sherry.
Jerez-Xeres-Sherry
Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barrameda
Describe the Levante winds.
hot and dry
-blows from the east and cooks the grapes on the vine during ripening
Describe the Poniente winds.
- humid, Atlantic
- alternates with the Levante
- promotes the growth of Flor
What are the 3 principle soil types of the Jerez region?
- albariza: limestone rich
- barros: more fertile, higher proportion of clay
- arenas: common in coastal areas, sandy
Which soil type produces the best Sherry?
Albariza
- chalky, porous, limestone-rich soil that is has a brilliant white color
- moisture rententive
Where is the sub-region of Jerez Superior located?
between Sanlucar de Barrameda and the Guadalete River which flows into the Bay of Cadiz just south of the Jerez de la Frontera
Where are 80% of the appellation’s vines located?
Jerez Superior
Where are most of the the appellation’s (Jerez) Pagos located?
Jerez de la Frontera
What is the largest Pago of Jerez?
Marchanudo
-over 2,000 acres
List the 3 white grapes authorized for Sherry production.
- Palomino (Listan)
- Pedro Ximenz (PX)
- Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria)
What is Vara y Pulgar?
- a system of vine training that is traditional in Jerez
- growers prune alternate spurs each year
What are the maximum yields of Jerez?
80hl/ha-Jerez Superior
100hl/ha-everywhere else
Name 3 Pagos of Jerez
Marchanudo
Añina
Carrascal
What is mosto de yema?
Must
Name the 3 divisions of must in Jerez.
- primera yema: free run juice, 60-70%
- segunda yema: press wine
- mosto prensa: poor quality wine for distillation
True or False:
Must is acidified prior to fermentation.
True
-Palomino provides a naturally low-acid must
What is desfangando?
Racking-to clarify must
Name 2 vessels used for the fermentation of Sherry.
- 600L American oak butts (classic)
- temperature controlled stainless steel tanks of 50,000 liters
What are the 2 stages of fermentation?
1) the tumultuous fermentation, a hot and vigorous initial phase lasting up to a week.
2) lenta or slow fermentation
Define “palo” and “gordura”.
- palo: wines fortified to 15-15.5% abv and become delicate Fino of Manzanilla sherry
- gordura: wines fortified to 17-18% abv, too high of alcohol for flor to grow and become Oloroso sherry
What type of aging do Fino and Manzanilla sherries undergo?
biological aging under flor
What are the prerequisites for the development of Flor?
- a moderate temperature between 60-70 degrees F
- an absence of fermentable sugars
- an alcoholic strength of 15-15.5% abv
