Posted 13 September 2019
by Jamie Ashcroft
Sherry is a fortified wine made primarily from the Palomino
grape, but also using Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel for sweeter styles. The name
comes from an Anglicisation of the Denominación de Origen, the area in which
the wine is created: Jerez, an area around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in
southern Spain.
A brief overview of the Solera method of ageing.
Generally not bottled as single vintages, Sherries are
created using the ‘solera’ system of ageing. This system blends wines of
various ages over extended periods of time, resulting in a consistent output.
As wine is removed from the oldest barrels (those on the floor level, hence the
name ‘solera’ - Spanish for “on the ground”) for bottling, the volume is
replaced from the next-oldest level of barrels (the second level up), and the
volume from those replaced from the third level. Each level is referred to as a
‘scale’. This process continues for as many scales as the individual winery
uses, with any new wine created being added to the top, youngest,
scale. The method creates a consistent level of wine, refreshing each barrel
each year and providing a product with an average age which increases
gradually, the speed of its ageing depending on how many scales are used.
A few of the Sherries available here at VWP.
Varieties
Fino is the driest variety of Sherry, as well as the most
clear and pale. Although the wine is aged in barrels, it sits under a layer of
flor (a variety of yeast) which prevents air coming into contact with the
liquid. Manzanilla is a lighter variety of Fino, produced around the area of
Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Fino Sherries are sometimes aged in barrels with
transparent fronts, for the benefit of tourists and consumers who are
interested in seeing the flor for themselves.
Amontillado is a variety which begins ageing under flor,
much like Fino, but subsequently loses the yeast ‘cap’. This can happen by
accident, if the flor doesn’t develop adequately, or if the flor is removed by
choice through malnourishment, filtering or fortification. Once the flor is
removed, the wine will oxidise slowly through the barrel – the process being
slowed by a second fortification to around 17.5% alcohol (if the flor wasn’t
killed by fortification originally). The slow oxidation after ageing beneath
flor results in a wine which is darker and richer than Fino, but less so than
Oloroso.
The four most well-known styles of Sherry: Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and the Jerez Dulce Pedro Ximénez.
Palo Cortado is less common than Fino, Amontillado or
Oloroso and finds its place somewhere between the latter two: it is a style
aged as an Amontillado at first, before gaining qualities more characteristic
of an Oloroso. This, similarly to Amontillado, can be achieved by accident or
design upon the death of the flor in its barrel which protects the liquid from
air contact.
Oloroso is fortified early on to kill any flor present, then
aged in a barrel allowing oxidation for a much longer period than Fino or
Amontillado. This results in a style which lacks the fresh yeasty taste of Fino
or Amontillado, but with increased effects of oxidation – a much darker,
nuttier and richer wine. The oxidative process requires more fortification to
manage, and so Oloroso Sherries are usually the most alcoholic of the varieties
at around 18-20%. This process is similar to the creation of Tawny Ports, and results in
the familiar nutty flavours associated with oxidation.
Jerez Dulce (Sweet Sherry) is made with more naturally sweet
grapes – Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel – to create an incredibly sweet, thick wine
with a deep, dark brown or black colour. Alternatively, sweet Sherries can be
made by combining a drier variety of wine with a sweeter one, or with unfermented grape must (juice). Pale Cream, Medium and Cream
Sherries are created in this way; by blending Fino, Amontillado or Oloroso
(respectively) to sweeten them. Therefore, while a Fino, Amontillado or Oloroso
will always be a dry style, if sweetened they will become Pale Cream, Medium or
Cream Sherries respectively.
Sherry is traditionally drunk from a ‘catavino’, a small
tulip-shaped glass which concentrates the wine’s aromas in its brim. When
sampled directly from the cask, a ‘Venenciador’ (named for the ‘venencia’ they
use as their tool) will insert their silver cup into the barrel through its
bung hole, capturing a sample of the wine inside before pouring it with a
flourish, from head height into the catavino. This image is synonymous with
Sherry itself, and recognised the world over even by newcomers to the wine
style.
A Venenciadora pouring Sherry from the venencia to the catavino with characteristic flair.
So, there you have it - a brief introduction to the world of Sherry. We at VWP are opening up our cellars to stock more of Jerez' finest, so if you would like to get your hands on a bottle simply search 'sherry' in the box at the top of the page!