2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Sherry (sherry) is a liqueur wine that is distilled around the city of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In Spanish, wine is called vino de Jerez and according to the legislation of the country sherry are called those drinks that originate from the triangle formed by the cities of Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El de Santa Maria.
There are three main types of soils in the region, on which the plantations are grown sherry:
Sandy soil Arena - it has a high content of iron, which turns it a rusty brown color. The limestone content is also significant. Arena is easy to handle and very productive, but the wines grown on it often suffer from a lack of elegance.
Albarisa - is a soil with a high content of limestone and very good water permeability. When wet, it is slippery and muddy, and when it dries it becomes a hard crust that does not allow water to evaporate. It is on it that the highest quality sherry wines are grown.
Barro - this is the third type of soil in the area and is a dark clay. It is also the most fertile of the three soil types, providing very high yields. Its wines are characterized by a dense body, but are of lower quality than those grown on Albarisa soil.
History of sherry
There are several theories about the origin of the name of this liqueur wine and to this day it is not clear whether the name sherry comes from the city of Hera, which is located near the columns of Hercules, mentioned by ancient Greek authors, or from the Roman city of Ceritium.
As early as the time of Henry I, England was a major customer and consumer of wines produced in this region. In 1530, an English merchant was even sentenced to half a year in prison and a severe fine for trying to compete with local merchants. In the 18th century, English merchants increased in the city and by the 19th century their number had grown significantly. As far back as 1850, about 40% of the wine imported into England was sherry.
The UK is still a significant market today, but sherry, like most liqueur wines, has already lost some of its popularity. One of the main reasons for this is that in the 70s and 80s of the last century the market was flooded with low quality wine, which seriously damaged the reputation of the wine region.
Sherry varieties
At the beginning of the 19th century, more than 40 different grape varieties were grown, and today they are limited to only 3:
Palomino - this is the most important variety for the production of sherry wine. It represents more than 90% of the total production. Palomino is a variety that was born only for the production of sherry. On the soil, the albaris around the town of Jerez Palomino makes its most serious contribution to the production of sherry. Elsewhere in the world, he can't make good wine.
Pedro Jimenez - according to legend, this variety was named after a soldier from the army of Charles V Peter Siemens, who brought the variety from Germany. Most likely, however, the opposite happened - the variety was brought from Andalusia to Germany. After picking, the grapes are left to dry in the sun so that the sugar can be concentrated in it. The resulting wine of this variety is used for sweetening.
Moscatel - this is the third grape variety. It is of little importance for the production of sherry, and small batches of it are used for sweetening.
Production of sherry
The grapes are harvested in the first week of September, and in order to avoid possible injuries, the harvest is done by hand. The Pedro Jimenez grapes were spread in the sun to concentrate the sugar, and the Palomino grapes were immediately pressed. Often the pressing takes place on the vineyard itself, because due to the high temperatures during the harvest there is a real danger of oxidation.
Sulfur dioxide is added to the grape must and it is left to stand for 24 hours so that it can be clarified. It is then placed in tanks, where the fermentation process begins with the help of specific yeast. It should be noted that sherry is a dry wine and any sweetening is done at a later stage.
There are three main styles sherry - Fino, Oloroso and Palo Cortado. Whether a wine will be Oloroso or Fino depends on both natural resources and winemakers. After the completion of the fermentation process in the months of December or January, each tank or barrel is tasted and classified.
The presence or absence of flora yeast is a very important detail for achieving a certain type of sherry. These are types of yeast that feed on alcohol, glycerin and oxygen, while reducing the acidity in the wine.
The style is finely achieved with the presence of floral yeast, and Oloroso on the contrary - with their absence and with the help of oxidation, to which the wine is subjected in the process of maturation.
Once the wines are categorized in one style or another, they are alcoholized with a specific mixture of 95.5% wine distillate and old wine in equal parts. Old wine is needed to reduce the shock of reinforcement.
Characteristics of sherry
As we mentioned, over the years a very colorful palette of styles has developed sherry, however, which can be assigned to the three main groups - Fino, Oloroso and Palo Cortado between them.
Fine - this is a pale-colored wine, light, clean and dry. It is consumed young, because after bottling it quickly loses its freshness. There are three types of this style:
Manzania - fine, which has matured in the cellars of the town of Sanlúcar de Barameda. It has a very elegant, slightly salty note.
Amontiado - this is matured fine, which is stronger than the classic fine and can be sweetened or dried. It has an amber color and taste of nuts. Its name comes from the neighboring wine region of Montia.
Pale Cream - this is the youngest member of the family sherry. It has a light body and delicate color.
Oloroso is the second main style of sherry. This is a thick wine with a rusty color, intense nutty taste and excellent aging potential. Manufacturers often adjust its taste, depending on the market. Thus, 4 main types are obtained:
Amoroso - slightly sweetened Oloroso, which is often found under the trade name Bristol Milk.
Cream - Oloroso, which is sweetened by adding wine from the varieties Moscatel or Pedro Jimenez.
Brown sherry - this is Cream sherry, to which is added thickened must.
Pedro Jimenez - a very elegant dessert wine, whose sugar content can reach a sugar content of up to 400 g / l.
Palo Cortado is a very rare style of sherry, which is similar in aroma to Amontiado, but has the dense body of dry Oloroso.
Serving sherry
After its bottling sherry does not mature, because over time its qualities do not improve. However, it is not a problem to store for a long time, because they do not deteriorate. Sherry is served in special tulip-shaped cups.
Sherry, like other dessert wines such as port, should not be mixed with foods much sweeter than the wine itself, because that way its taste will be lost. Sherry can be served with a wide variety of foods - almonds, olives and even ice cream. You don't have to worry about experimenting to find the combination you like best.
Finely served at a temperature of 4-7 degrees and served as an aperitif. It goes great with soups, cheeses, seafood, caviar, oysters, smoked salmon, ham. Manzania is served in the same way as fine.
Oloroso is served at room temperature - about +15 degrees. It goes well with game and red meat.
Sherry Pedro Jimenez is also drunk at room temperature and goes well with dark chocolate, sweet desserts and vanilla ice cream.
Amontiado goes well with white meat, seafood and fine cheeses.
