The Different World of Sherry

The Different World of Sherry

By Rebecca Murphy

Sherry may conjure the image of old ladies drinking a cloyingly sweet wine. Yet, this fortified wine from southern Spain made predominantly from one grape variety comes in a dizzying array of styles, colors and sweetness levels, ranging from straw-colored, pungent and bone dry to viscous, black coffee-colored and syrupy. Then again, perhaps that's the reason sherry is so underappreciated in the U.S. It's complicated and confusing. It's also unique, a wine like no other, offering something for everyone.
Sherry is different from almost anything else in the whole world of wine. In most delimited wine regions, where the grapes are grown is perhaps the most important factor, but for sherries, where and how the wine is aged is more important. For example, grapes for manzanilla, the most delicate sherry, can come from anywhere within the delimited area, but must be aged in Sanlucar de Barrameda, because its proximity to the sea enables a thicker layer of flor (on which more below). Additionally, the base wine for sherries starts out like any other dry wine, but a sherry's style is determined by its aging regimen, biological for finos and manzanillas or oxidative for olorosos. New oak is not welcome; indeed, leaky barrels are not replaced in the solera, only their deficient staves. You won't find caves drilled into the hillsides. No underground cellars here, wines are aged in above ground buildings, or bodegas, with 14 feet tall ceilings. The grandeur of the bodegas has led to calling them cathedrals.
The sherry region is located in southern Spain near Cadiz, considered to be the oldest European city still standing. The name sherry is derived from the city of Jerez de la Frontera, one point on a triangle that defines the region, the other two being Sanlucar de Barrameda and La Puerto de Santa Maria. The history of winemaking here goes back to 1000 BC, starting with the Phoenicians and continuing with the Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans. The Moors conquered the region in the eight century AD and ruled for 500 years. They taught the locals the process of distillation. Grape growing and winemaking continued during this time to produce raisins and wine for medicinal uses. During Spain's years of global exploration, Cadiz was a major port of embarkation and wine was a part of a usual provision. No doubt it was discovered that wines fortified with distilled spirits were more stable, and since the Spanish conducted many voyages to the Americas, perhaps this is also the time when American oak was introduced to the region. The sherry we are familiar with today, fortified and aged in solera, did not appear until the early 1800s.
Southern Spain is a warm-climate growing region with an average annual temperature range of 2º - 42º C (35.6º - 107.6º F). When I was there in mid-July, the thermometer registered 47º C (116.6º F). Two wind patterns affect growing conditions. From the southeast comes a warm, dry wind called levante, and from the west a fresh, moist wind called poniente. Rainfall averages just under 25 inches annually. The preferred soil for growing the palomino grape, albariza, is chalky and high in calcium carbonate and poor in nutrients, but it retains water well. Grape growers have developed special tactics for capturing and holding rain throughout the growing season. During the rainy season, when the vines are dormant, they dig trenches between the vine rows to collect water, pictured below. In the dry season, they plow over the trenches and smooth the surface to prevent the soil's moisture from evaporating.





Courtesy of Harvey's Courtesy of Harvey'sViticultural tasks are mostly performed manually, but some houses are moving to mechanical methods, especially for harvesting. Few growers are practicing organic or biodynamic viticulture; instead, many work at sustainable agriculture, minimizing the use of chemicals and utilizing integrated pest management.
Sherry begins as many other wines, fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. At the press, free-run juice is intended for finos and manzanillas, first press for olorosos and further pressing for lesser wines or distillation. It is at this point that sherry winemaking becomes unique. The new wine, called must through its first year after fermentation, is evaluated to determine whether it is destined to be a fino or an oloroso. Those selected as finos or manzanillas are fortified to 15-15.5º alcohol, to encourage the growth of flor yeasts. Future olorosos are fortified to 17º alcohol, a level at which flor yeasts cannot grow.
The new wines then spend 6-8 months resting in "butts," 600 liter American oak barrels, in the sobretables. Then comes the second classification of the wine. Those barrels that were initially destined for fino must have plentiful flor and be in perfect condition to continue as fino. These barrels are marked with a special symbol. Occasionally wines that began as finos fail to develop flor, a rare condition, and are marked with yet another symbol to become palo cortado. Those barrels initially classified as oloroso, and will continue as such are also marked with a different symbol. The barrels that do not measure up in quality are marked with an #, and are thereby destined for distillation.
So what is flor and how does it affect the wine? It is a film-forming yeast that grows on the surface of the wine in the barrel protecting it from oxidation, thus explaining the pale color of finos and manzanillas. It lives on the alcohol in the wine and oxygen in the atmosphere and needs refreshing with new wine to continue to live. Flor reduces the glycerine level of the wine, giving fino and manzanilla their characteristic lean structure. It also produces acetaldehyde, which imparts aromas of hazelnuts. The process of aging wine under flor is called biological aging.
Demonstration of flor growth in barrel at Emilio Lustau
Olorosos are fortified to 17º alcohol, which is a level at which flor cannot survive. Consequently, the wine is exposed to oxygen which darkens the wine's color and develops aromas of caramel and butterscotch. Glycerine levels are increased, giving the wine round, rich mouthfeel. Below is a chart comparing the effects of biological vs oxidative aging on various components of the wine:
After the wines have been classified for the second time, they are introduced to the solera, a dynamic aging system utilizing fractional blending of different vintages, producing wine of consistent quality over time. The term solera can be a bit confusing, since the entire structure is called a solera, yet only the oldest level of barrels in the system (usually, but not always the bottom layer) is called solera. Only the fino or manzanilla soleras are consistently placed on the ground level because they need the cooler temperature and higher humidity at the floor level. In the bodegas, barrels are stacked at least three high, since by law a sherry must be aged at least three years, and usually in the following order: ground level of barrels called solera, meaning soil or ground, since they are closest to the floor; the second level is called the first criadera, or nursery; the third level is called the second criadera, etc.
Courtesy of the Consejo Regulador
The idea is that wine is continually being removed and refreshed in the solera. Usually at least three times annually, wine is removed from the oldest level of barrels. Those barrels are refilled with wine from the first criadera, which gets refilled from the second criadera, and assuming a three level system, the newest wine from the sobretable is used to refill the second criadera. To ensure uniformity of the blend, wine from a barrel in one level is divided among several barrels in the next. The blending of new wine with older wine benefits both. The new wine is especially important for finos and manzanillas because it replenishes nutrients for the flor. Conversely, the new wine in the system quickly takes on character from the older wine. When wine is removed from the oldest set of barrels, it may be refortified, is fined, filtered, cold stabilized and bottled for market.





Bodega at Williams and Humbert Between bodegas at Emilio Lustau
As noted above, the wines are aged in above-ground buildings with 14 foot ceilings instead of caves. They are physically positioned to take advantage of winds from the sea and designed to provide natural temperature control. Windows are placed high on the walls to allow hot air to escape. Windows and doors are covered with woven grass mats that keep out sunlight but allow air circulation. Outside walls of bodegas positioned close together are planted with bougainvillea or espaliered citrus trees to mitigate heat from sun on walls. Regular sprinkling of water on the floors, which are made of the same hard-packed alberzo soil found in bullrings, helps cool the bodega and add humidity
Courtesy of the Consejo Regulador
Two factors determine the diversity of sherry styles: the levels of oxidation and sweetness. With the exception of naturally sweet sherries, all sherries start out dry. Dry styles are fino, manzanilla, amontillado, palo cortado, and oloroso. Blended sherries, which are labeled semi-dry, sweet or cream are dry wines that have had naturally sweet wines or concentrated grape must added.
Naturally sweet wines are traditionally made from Pedro Ximénez and Muscat of Alexandria, which is called Moscatel in Jerez. However, many now are being made with Palomino grapes. The grapes are placed on grass mats and dried in the sun. They are covered at night to protect them from moisture. The dried grapes are partially fermented, and alcohol is added to stop fermentation before the natural sugar is fully transformed. The wine is aged oxidatively. These are very sweet, viscous wines.
Finos and manzanillas are the most delicate and pale of the sherries. They are aged biologically and are bone dry. Manzanilla is aged in Sanlucar de Barrameda, where, due to its nearness to the sea, the flor grows very thick, making this the most ethereal sherry. They are aged at least three years, though some houses may age them longer, and show their best the first year in the bottle. They should be treated like a white table wine and served chilled. Indeed, their 15 to 15.5º alcohol level is not much higher than many white wines on the market today. Once opened, a bottle of fino or manzanilla should be consumed within a few days. Left longer in the fridge, they begin to oxidize and loose their freshness.
Amontillado starts out as a fino. It is aged biologically about three years, then either its flor dies naturally or it is fortified to 17º alcohol to kill the flor, then it is aged oxidatively. Therefore, it has the some of the pungent aromas and mouthfeel of a fino and the darker color and roundness of an oloroso. Finished amontillados are amber to light mahogany in color and bone dry with aromas of butter and nuts. They are light, smooth and round on the palate, and can have an alcohol level from 16º to 20º. The difference between an amontillado and a palo cortado is rather murky. Most definitions say that palo cortado is the rarest of sherries, with the nose of an amontillado and the mouthfeel of an oloroso, and most accounts hint vaguely of some mysterious circumstances in its origins. I was delighted to find a research paper by Ken Mackay MW that investigated this enigmatic wine. Basically it is a fino, the palest and finest of the base wines, that just doesn't properly develop flor, so most of its life it is aged oxidatively. Today, some bodegas achieve purposefully what in the past only happened in nature. After conducting tasting exercises involving trade and consumers, Mackay places palo cortado between amantillado and oloroso in color, flavor and body, and concludes that 'There is a discernible distinctiveness to the Palo Cortado category, and it is more than just a marketing label.'
Olorosos have been aged oxidatively and develop a deep mahogany color. They have full, concentrated aromas of caramel, toasted nuts and butterscotch. In the mouth, they are full bodied, warm, round and complex. Glycerine levels are high because of oxidative aging and a dry oloroso may have the sensation of sweetness. Finished alcohol level is 17 to 22º.
The naturally sweet wines made from Pedro Ximenez, also called 'PX,' are intensely sweet and coffee-black in color, with aromas of dried figs and raisins. In the mouth, they are viscous and mouth-coating. Those made more rarely from Moscatel grapes have the benchmark heady, flowery, orange blossom aromas of the grape. Serve these wines at a cool room temperature with--or as--a dessert. In Jerez they like to pour a bit on vanilla ice cream.
Blended sherries come in several forms. Pale Cream is a sweetened fino, so it has the pale, straw-yellow color and pungent nutty notes and lower alcohol of a fino. In the mouth, it is sweet, between 4.5 and 11.5% residual sugar, but light and fresh on the palate.
Medium sweet sherries are amber to light mahogany in color, with slightly pungent, nutty aromas with an alcohol content between 15 and 22%. They are lightly sweet, smooth, and round on the palate. When highly colored and full-bodied, medium sherries are referred to as 'golden.'
Cream sherries are dark mahogany in color, with the intense aroma of oloroso combined with notes of raisins. They usually have more than 11.5% residual sugar and are full-bodied, sweet and velvety on the palate.
The Consejo Regulador has authorized fairly new designations, V.O.S., very old sherry, for wines 20 years old and V.O.R.S., very rare old sherry, for wines at least 30 years old. It is only applicable to amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado and Pedro Ximénez and must meet fairly stringent criteria.
As you can see, the wines of Jerez are amazingly complex considering they are made primarily one grape variety, Palomino, with the support of two others, Pedro Ximénez and Muscat of Alexandria or Moscatel. The best part is that they are also very well priced, so you can afford to explore these wines to find your favorite style.
Rebecca Murphy is a freelance wine writer based in Seattle, WA. She writes regularly for The Dallas Morning News and contributed to the third edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine and the sixth edition of The World Atlas of Wine. She is founder and producer of The Dallas Morning News Wine Competition judges several competitions including the International Wine Challenge, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Critics Challenge.

Origin: winereviewonline.com