Sherry the best varieties

Sherry

History

If we have decided to consider wine an aphrodisiac, then we cannot but ignore this, one of the most famous fortified wines, which Spain is famous for and which was famous already in the 6th century. Gabriel García Lorca has these lines: “Lights and flags flew over sleepy weather vane. In the depths of the ancient mirrors, dancers-shadows sob. In Jerez de la Frontera, midnight, dew and singing ... ”Indeed, the name of this wine was given by the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, on the banks of the Guadaleta River, where it was for the first time was produced. It is believed that the first vine was introduced to this region by the Phoenicians as early as 1100 BC. e., and already from 138 BC. NS. 8 million liters of wine from here were annually supplied to Rome, which at that time was an extremely large amount. The Arabs, who began to populate this area at the beginning of the 8th century, renamed this city Sherish, hence the English name for this wine sherry, which is still used in many countries of the world. Therefore, references to "excellent sherry", which today can be found in many translations and essays about drinks, will simply be considered a misunderstanding ... or the now fashionable "Anglomancy" - we mean exactly sherry (unless, of course, this is not a mistake at all: and this is not is about "cherry" - cherry brandy Cherry-Brandy).
The famous English pirate admiral Francis Drake first brought about 3 thousand barrels of Spanish sherry to England in 1587, after his fleet captured the Spanish city of Cadiz and destroyed the ships of the Invincible Armada that were preparing to attack England near its shores. The British liked this wine so much that the great Shakespeare himself could not remain indifferent to it. Through the lips of his hero Falstaff, he pronounces a real hymn to the sherry: “Good sherry is doubly useful. First, it rushes into your head, disperses all the pairs of stupidity, gloom and rudeness that have accumulated in your brain, inspires thought, and therefore, everything that flies off your tongue becomes a well-aimed word. The second effect of good sherry is that it warms the blood ... "
As a result, the UK now buys from Spain about 70% of all sherry produced there. Especially in this regard, the English company John Harvey & Sons (Harvey’s), founded back in 1796, became famous, which still specializes in supplying the best vintage wines to Britain and imports Spanish sherry into its country through the port of Bristol. It is in this city that the imported sherry is blended, sweetened and traditionally bottled in original blue cobalt glass bottles. In the 16th-17th centuries, some varieties of wines (including sherry and Madeira), which were exported from Spain and the Canary Islands, were called sack by the British. This word most likely comes from the Spanish saca - export, export, and not from the French sec - dry (as some believe). This name is still preserved in the English brands of some Spanish sherries - for example, one of the most famous dry sherries in Great Britain with a strength of 20.5% is called "Dry Sack Sherry".
Sherry is a wine with a low sugar content (the British specially sweeten it), for which they use mainly white Spanish grapes Palomino or, less often, Pedro Ximenez.According to the traditional technology, the grapes are harvested in the first week of September and dried on herbal magicians (for some varieties - two to three days, for others - up to two weeks) and then crushed, using only the best juice of the very first pomace for dry sherry. Alcohol is added to the wine and then kept in open American oak barrels with a capacity of 600 liters, which are filled to 5/6 of the volume. Moreover, the wine is aged under a film (the Spaniards call it flor) formed on its surface by special sherry yeast, which protects the future sherry from oxidation and saturates it with its aroma. In wine cellars, barrels are placed four rows high. At the bottom, called solera (soil), is the oldest wine, at the top, creador (creator), the youngest. These wines are mixed, or, as the Spaniards say, "marry", which guarantees consistently good results regardless of the harvest. That is why there is no sherry of any particular year - for mixing sherry varieties as one of the components, sherry can be taken even with a century (!) aging. For the same reason, it is customary to judge sherry not by age, but by its type, which will definitely be indicated on the label.

Sherry. Typical representatives

Sherry varieties

Jerez Fino (Fino; literally: "thin, exquisite") - a variety of the driest light sherry with a strength of 15-17%, which connoisseurs consider the best. It is produced in the bodega cellars of Jerez and Puerto Santa Maria. In the fino sherry, there is still a live yeast fungus, which dies when the alcohol content is 17.5%. This sherry with a slightly bitter almond flavor is best drunk young, as it loses its "liveliness" with age, and it is usually served chilled as an aperitif or with tapas, soups, seafood, fish, ham and spicy cheeses ... Experts advise buying this wine in small bottles, since it cannot be stored for a long time after uncorking. There is a variety of export fino sherry that is sweetened and called pale cream; for the first time such sherry was prepared by the Croft company - one of the oldest companies supplying port to Europe since 1678.
Sherry Manzanillo, (manzanilla; literally: "chamomile") is simply a variety of extremely dry Fino sherry with a strength of 15.5%, which is produced in the city of Sanluco de Barromeda (at the mouth of the Guadalquivir), from where in 1498 the caravels of Columbus set off on the third journey to America. The grapes for this wine are harvested early, when it has more acid, and the production of this type of sherry is especially favored by the local climate, since the yeast necessary for its production does not develop here for eight months, but all year round. Manzanilla has a slightly salty marine flavor, and Spanish culinary experts often use this wine to prepare the most sophisticated sauces, and also serve it cold with appetizers, soups, seafood, fish, ham and mild cheese. Sherry-manzanilla, aged a little longer than usual, is called "manzanilla pasada". In such a wine, the yeast fungus practically disappears and the aging of the wine begins - this is an intermediate stage of sherry, followed by sherry-amontillado.
Jerez Amontillado (amontillado) - a variety of semi-dry light amber sherry with a deep fresh aroma and a soft bouquet with tones of hazelnuts, named after the Spanish city of Mantilla, where it was originally produced. For the preparation of amontillado sherry-fino is used 4-5 years old, which is then kept in oak barrels for another 7 years. The usual alcohol content in such a wine is 16-18%, and in the best brands it reaches 20%, since alcohol is added to them to kill yeast mold. Classic Amontillado is an expensive wine rarely found outside of Spain, and its export version is usually sweetened and labeled as milk sherry; the British, who have long imported it through Bristol, call the sweetened amontillado sherry Bristol milk.
Jerez Palo cortado (palo cortado) - intermediate between amontillado and oloroso dark sherry with a very exquisite pleasant taste. This dry, but very soft and expensive wine can be found rather rarely today.
Jerez Oloroso (oloroso; literally: "fragrant") - a variety of rich, very aromatic dark golden sherry, which usually matures longer than other varieties and is therefore quite expensive. The strength of such a drink after aging reaches 24% - at the initial moment of maturation, this wine contains 18% alcohol, and the yeast in it has already been completely killed. In the export version, this sherry is usually sweetened and labeled as cream sherry or golden sherry; the British more often use the name Bristol cream.
Jerez Pedro ximenez (pedro jimenes) - slightly similar to oloroso, dark golden, sweet, very soft and quite rare type of sherry, named after the grape variety from which it is produced, in order to distinguish it from the Palomino grape variety. In recent years, this sherry has gradually become more and more popular as a dessert wine.
Young sherry can be drunk 4 - 5 months after the grape harvest, but its vintage varieties must be aged for at least 3 years - this is the minimum period for fino and manzanilla; amontillados last for at least 5 years, and olorosos for 7 years. Nevertheless, true connoisseurs believe that sherry should be aged for at least 50 years, and you can appreciate this wine only by tasting the century-old sherry. As the Spaniards say: "The grandfather should make sherry, and the grandson should drink ..."

Sherry glass

The production of sherry and the origin of the grapes used for it are controlled by the state, and the Romans were the first to do this, marking amphoras with wine from this region with four letters "A". In 1483, the city council of Jerez adopted a decree that wines and raisins exported from this region must meet certain quality standards (rules for harvesting and transporting grapes, characteristics of barrels, aging time of wine, etc.), which was confirmed by the city stamp. On October 27, 1733, the Royal Council of Castaglia issued a new decree for the guild of wine merchants regulating the storage, aging and transportation of wines called sherry. This decree even established a list of taverns in which sherry was officially allowed to be served. Finally, in 1935, a special Council (Consejo Regulador) was established to control the origin of all sherry wines.

Sherry in Russia

In Russia, they got acquainted with sherry a long time ago - it was imported back in the 16th-17th centuries under the name "sec", which, like the English sack, was also associated with the Spanish saca - export. It is interesting that it is precisely with Russia that the collapse of the centuries-old monopoly of Spanish winemakers on the production of sherry is connected, the secret of which they kept like the apple of their eye. They say that two "experts" of the Soviet delegation, which received an official refusal to ask to share the secret of this wine, exchanged a matchbox of the coveted sherry mold (by the way, quite good Russian vodka) for two bottles of vodka at the factory worker. Since then, sherry has been produced in Crimea as well. ... According to other sources, the Russian winemaker A. Frolov-Bagreev received the sherry mold as a gift back in 1908, which made it possible to establish sherry production in the Crimea. It is interesting that real Spanish sherry is the oldest wine stored in the territory of the former USSR: the only bottle of Jerez de la Frontera of 1775 (!) Is in the enacotheque (collection of wines) of the Yalta association Massandra in Crimea (now it is Ukraine), which Prince L. S. Golitsyn began to collect; today this collection contains about 800 thousand bottles and is one of the largest in the world.
Sherry is usually drunk from cone-shaped glasses with a capacity of 75-150 ml on a thick stem, filling them by one third so that the wine in the glass has freedom of movement.The British call such a glass, specially designed for dessert wines, sherry glass or madeira glass - in Russia, such a glass is also called "sherry" or "madeira". Dry sherries are drunk chilled to 9-11 ° C, dessert sherries - at room temperature. Dessert sherries are very helpful in the initial stage of colds.
That, perhaps, is all that we wanted to tell you about this wonderful wine, which perfectly quenches thirst, improves appetite and relieves fatigue. Our recommendations are quite simple - a glass of good sherry can easily stir up even the most "difficult" partner, because this drink contains the centuries-old experience of sultry Spain. Just close your eyes and try to imagine: midday heat, women in lace robes, men in something like that from Lope de Vega, tables are bursting with food, a couple of street guitarists turn on onlookers with fiery flamenco, and a figure of Carmen is spinning in a mad dance in the city square ... Isn't it true, I immediately want to put an angry bull into the arena with an accurate blow of the sword under the enthusiastic roar of the amphitheater, catch the biggest shark in the Bay of Biscay, and then, on a dark, moonless night, sing a serenade and climb a silk staircase to a balcony entwined with grapes ... Who after that dare to say that sherry is not an aphrodisiac!

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Sherry wine - wine fortified drink, traditionally produced in Spain. Sherry can also be found under the name "sherry". The drink is made mainly from white grapes. Production is concentrated in cities such as Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda. Depending on the type of wine, its strength is 15% -22%.

On the international market, only a drink made from white grapes in Spain has the right to be called sherry.

It is a refreshing drink with an almond-nut flavor. In its taste, a salty and bitter aftertaste is clearly felt, and the aroma is distinguished by a pleasant pungency.

The drink got its name from the name of the Spanish town of Jerez de la Frontera. This town used to belong to the Phoenicians, the Moors called it Sherez. The Spaniards, who then got it, began to call it Jerez. The drink was known already in the VI-VII centuries. The British called this wine simply "sherry". Wines became famous due to the rapid development of navigation, as well as as a result of Spain's trade with England, France, America.

This wine can rightfully be called a drink with a long history of existence, it traveled with Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan also took it with him on his travels. Queen Elizabeth I of England claimed that sherry is the best of wines.

The region in which such wines are produced is also called the "sherry triangle". It is here that the highest quality products are produced. The technology of their production was fully formed by the 18th century. The modern production of sherry practically does not differ from the one that has existed for many years. The climate of the region is characterized by dryness and high temperatures, which contributes to the production of dry wines.

This drink was first received thanks to a coincidence. As wines quickly deteriorated in the hot climate of Andalusia, winemakers suffered considerable losses. Once someone added a little bit of wine alcohol to a barrel of wine, as a result, the drink was not only well preserved, but also acquired new taste qualities.

Sherry can be stored for decades, not only without spoiling, but also improving its delicate taste. There is a wine that is about 100 years old.

The Spaniards say that a grandfather makes a good sherry, and his grandson drinks.

Today you can find sherry wines not only in Spain, but also in Romania, Ukraine, South Africa. In Spain, they sell sherry produced exclusively in Andoulasia.

Wine history

The history of the origin of sherry says that the birthplace of this wine is the Spanish town of Jerez de la Frontera, where wine production began at the end of the second millennium BC. The first to bring grapes to the city were the Phoenicians.The sherry of that time was famous for a very long shelf life, since no yeast was added to the wine, but simply boiled.

But in the eighth century AD, the territory of Spain was captured by the Moors. And among them was Caliph Alcahen II, who ordered the destruction of all vineyards so that wine would not be produced, since he believed that sobriety should be the norm of life. However, the farmers were against it and made Alkahen understand that grapes are needed to obtain juice, raisins and dolma for the warriors who participated in the campaigns.

During the Reconquista, the Europeans expelled the Moors from the city of Jerez de la Frontera, and there, in 1264, Alphonse X resumed mass winemaking.

However, only the British brought sherry immense popularity and demand all over the world. London nobles began to import wine to different cities, and soon decided to issue rules that indicated how to grow and when to harvest grapes for wine production.

Since 1944, sherry wine began to be made in the Crimea, and soon it received the name "Jerez Massandra".

Below is attached video information about the production of sherry.

Varieties and types of sherry

The drink can be classified according to different criteria. So, it is customary to distinguish light or dry and sweet or rich sherry. The most famous representative of light sherry is Fino, the strength of which is 16%. Similar to it is the Monzanilla sherry, which is produced near the sea coast, and therefore has a slight iodine flavor.

All sherries can be roughly divided into two kinds: Fino (fino) and Oloroso (oloroso). They differ in the type of production.

Jerez Fino before going on sale, it must be under a film for at least 3 years, which is formed by a special type of wine yeast. The drink is made from Palomino grapes, grown on chalk soil. This type of sherry is always obtained dry with an alcoholic strength of about 18%. Fino is considered the most popular type of sherry. It is aged in barrels, where sherry yeast accumulates for tens of years, under the influence of which the drink acquires its amazing taste and aroma.

Jerez Oloroso is under the yeast film for a short time. In translation, the name of this species means "fragrant". For certain reasons, this wine does not form "flor", that is, sherry yeast. Oloroso belongs to dessert wines and is very popular in Scandinavia and England.

In addition to the species Fino and Oloroso, they also distinguish subspecies, or varieties:

Manzanilla - refers to the basic type of Fino, its peculiarity is that it is produced exclusively in the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The climate of this city is very favorable for the life of sherry yeast. Microorganisms in this region are capable of multiplying all year round, and not only for 8 months. The grapes that go into the production of Manzanilla give the drinks a special taste.

Pale cream - also belongs to the basic type of Fino, differs in that one part of dessert wine is added to it.

Amontillado - the drink belongs to the basic type of Fino, it is produced after the sherry yeast has died. This can happen if some of the alcohol is added to the wine or as a result of unfavorable conditions.

Palo cortado - a transitional variety of sherry, for a start it is produced according to the Fino type, but then the technology is interrupted and goes according to the Oloroso type.

Pedro ximenes - this sort of sherry is considered the sweetest of all. The grapes for its production are used as ripe as possible, besides, they are additionally dried. This sherry has an impressive aging period (up to 30 years or more). The drink is very thick, has a dark color and a pronounced aroma.

Features of production

Like any other alcoholic drink, sherry has its own characteristics of production.

Vineyards for the production of this drink grow on chalky, clayey or sandy soils. The most successful samples are obtained from soils called "Albarisa", or chalk, white soil.Its characteristic features are that it easily absorbs moisture and retains it well inside. In this region, grapes, although they do not give huge yields, provide high quality of the resulting drinks.

For the production of sherry, mature grapes of certain varieties are used. So, in the south-west of Spain, it is made from varieties such as Palomino, Muscatel, Pedro Jimenez. In the production of sweet wines, the grapes are harvested and spread out in the sun for several weeks. Due to the special climatic conditions, the grapes are dried directly on the branches, which contributes to its high sugar content. The content of tannins in such grapes decreases slightly. The grapes are harvested by hand, then juice is squeezed out of it, which is then fermented.

Sherry types such as Fino and Manzanilla are characterized by the use of a special wine yeast in their production, which is also called "sherry yeast". These microorganisms not only contribute to the fermentation of the wine, but also cover the barrels with a film that prevents the oxidation of the sherry. This process even has its own scientific name - sherry. In Spain, the yeast required for this process, namely Saccharomyces oviformis var. Cheresiensis are called "flor". As a result of the vital activity of yeast, islands are formed on the surface of the wine, which then merge into a pinkish film, which later falls to the bottom of the container.

Oloroso and Amontillado wines, on the other hand, come into contact with air during aging and do not form a film. They are characterized by the so-called oxidative aging. To speed up this process, sherries are first kept in the sun for at least 3 years, and then stored in warm cellars called "bodegas".

The wine is fortified with grape alcohol with a strength of 96%. Sherry must go through a stage called sobretablas before aging. The sherry is aged in incomplete barrels according to the Solera and Criadera technology. These barrels are never completely filled or completely empty. The technology is a way of storing wine in barrels stacked in a slide. The bottom row of barrels is called a solera, and the top row is called a criadera. The upper row is filled with young wine, and after each year of aging, the barrel with the drink is lowered lower. Only the bottom row, or Solera, is bottled... In order not to destroy the sherry film, the barrel is never turned over. In barrels that belong to "Solera", there is always a part of the harvest, which makes it difficult to determine the age of the drink. This original way of storing wines allows you to get drinks that are stable in their taste.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of sherry wine are due to its composition. The drink is a great way to lower bad cholesterol levels. Moderate doses of sherry will not only not harm, but also protect the cardiovascular system from various diseases. In addition, wine has a great effect on digestion, increases appetite.

How to choose the best sherry?

To choose the best sherry, you need to consider several very important recommendations:

It is best to buy sherry that was produced in Spain as it is of higher quality than its counterparts. However, experts say that the sherry produced by Massandra is not inferior in quality.

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the manufacturer, brand and expiration date are indicated on the label. The best among the wines of this variety are sherries from:

• Antonio Barbadillo (his famous brands Oloroso Seco Cuco and Manzanilla Solear are best drunk before meals as an aperitif);
• Emilio Lustau Almacenista (the famous Palo Cortado brand is characterized by a rich aroma and goes well with cheese);
• Garvey (vintage wines Amontillado, Onana, San Patrico are recommended to be drunk slightly chilled and tasted with seafood);
• Gonzalez Byass (Oloroso and Fino go well with blue cheese, biscuit, pudding and fruit);
• Osborne (Sherry wine is best used with hot dishes, meat and fish products, smoked cheese);
• Sanchez Romate (Pedro Ximenez vintage wine is characterized by a rich color and sweet taste, as well as a thicker consistency among other alcoholic beverages).

Real sherry wine can be found on the shelves of specialized collection shops.

Ask the seller when the sherry was bottled. The spill period should not exceed twelve months.

How to drink and what to eat?

In order to understand the taste and aroma of sherry, you need to know how to use it correctly.

Jerez is rightfully considered the king of aperitifs. It is recommended to combine it with smoked meats, fish, meat, and other fatty dishes.

To enjoy the taste of this noble Spanish drink, you need to take care of special glasses. They drink wine from tulip-shaped glasses, in the absence of which it is quite possible to use wine glasses. It is customary to drink sherry in small sips, without haste.

Fortified wines of this type with a light taste are served chilled to 5 degrees, they go well with cheeses, seafood, fish dishes. Dessert ones are recommended to be combined with desserts or sweet pastries. Some types of sherry are usually eaten with olives. Almonds or walnuts are also great as a snack. You can also eat sherry with spicy cheese.

In the event that the wine remains unfinished, it must be corked as soon as possible and the bottle must be refrigerated.

Cooking use

In cooking, sherry wine is widely used to prepare a variety of alcoholic cocktails. It is customary to combine it with vodka and whiskey. Instead of sherry, you can use white vermouth in cocktails.

Also, sherry can be used to prepare various meat dishes or sauces and gravy. For example, you can cook paella with rabbit... To do this, you will need a rabbit carcass, rice, carrots, mushrooms, red onions, mussels, spices, and sherry. To begin with, the rabbit is cut, the meat is cut into portioned pieces, fried in a pan with onions, carrots, mushrooms, sherry is added. Next, boil 8 mussels for 10 minutes. In another saucepan, boil 600 g of rice, then put boiled mussels in it, then add fried vegetables and meat. Paella is left to cook over low heat. When the water boils away, add spices. Garnish with paella with fresh carrots.

What can be substituted in recipes (analogs of sherry)?

Sherry can be substituted in recipes with only a few wines. If the recipe requires dry sherry wine, its analogue is dry white vermouth. If you need to use sweet wine for cooking, sherry can replace red sweet vermouth.

Sometimes culinary experts advise replacing sherry with fruit juice, which should be boiled first, and then add spices (cinnamon and cloves) and dried dates with figs to it.

To prepare hot dishes (soups), roast instead of sherry, you can use mirin.

If the recipe requires sweet sherry, it can be replaced with sugar or honey syrup.

An analogue of sherry for making sauce is Cahors.

For example, to make a dish of marinated beef with sesame seeds, sherry can be replaced with regular white wine.

To make Peking duck, sherry can be substituted for either wine or rice vinegar in the recipe.

How to do it at home?

Real sherry, of course, is made in Spain, but you can make your own homemade counterpart.

This will require 10 kg of white grapes, 100 g of chalk, 200 g of sherry yeast. The grapes are harvested by hand, then they are kept for three days in the sun to wither the berries. Then the grapes are crushed, before pressing, the specified amount of chalk is added to it. The juice is fermented; oak barrels are best suited for this purpose.The juice begins to ferment, as a rule, after 12 hours, then it is kept in barrels for 40-50 days, after which 200 g of sherry yeast is added to the young wine. Under the influence of yeast, a film forms on the wine, which protects the sherry from oxidation. The finished wine tastes very much like real Spanish sherry.

Sherry wine benefits and treatment

The benefits of this drink have long been known to folk medicine. This wine has long been considered a medicine. Doctors recommended drinking a glass of sherry in case of apathy, as well as after serious illnesses. It was believed that sherry helped to gain strength and recover faster after physical or mental stress. English pharmacists at one time even introduced sherry into general use as a medicinal drink.

The harm of sherry wine and contraindications

The drink can harm the body with individual intolerance, as well as with excessive use. Like any other alcoholic drink, sherry is contraindicated for use by pregnant and lactating women, as well as children. For some chronic diseases, for example, with an ulcer, wine is also contraindicated.

Héres, or sherri (Spanish.Jerez, fr. Xérès, eng. Sherry) is a fortified wine produced in Spain from white grapes, in the triangle between the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria, located in the southern autonomous community of Andalusia. The alcohol content is from 15% to 22%, depending on the type of sherry. The sugar content for different varieties varies in a very wide range - from 0-5 to 400 grams of sugar per liter of wine.

A distinctive feature in the production of sherry varieties such as Fino and Manzanilla, is the fermentation of grape must under a film of a special type of sherry yeast (the so-called flor). In some types of sherry, this film remains on the surface of incomplete barrels during the entire maturation period of the wine, preventing its oxidation. For sherry varieties such as Oloroso and Amontillado, the so-called oxidative aging is characteristic, when the wine is aged in a barrel, in contact with air (without flora).

Wine brand

Nowadays the word "sherry" is a trademark of wine, controlled by origin.

Vineyards and grape varieties

Vineyard with soil "albariza" in the province of Sanlúcar de Barrameda

The soil of the vineyards that bear fruit for the production of sherry is chalky, clayey and sandy. The best wines come from chalky soils called "albariza" (Albariza - "white" in Spanish). It is a soft, porous soil with a high chalk content that easily absorbs water and retains it well in depth. Accordingly, vineyards are divided into two categories by soil type: Jerez Superior (located in areas with soil Albariza) and Zona (located in areas with clay and sandy soils).

The following grape varieties are most common:

1. Palomino bianco, which ripens earlier than anyone else and produces first-class wines; two types of Mantuo, from which a good wine is made and which grow well on sandy soils with a calcareous or chalky subsoil;
2. Two types of Mollar, Albillo and Perruno, from which dry wines are made, especially appreciated for their flavor;
3. Pedro-Ximenez, Moscatel and Tintilla-de-Rota produce the highest quality sweet wines.

Sherry production

A barrel with a transparent wall showing the flora on the surface of the wine

The wine is made from grapes that are quite ripe, for which they resort to partial, repeated collection. In the production of sweet sherry varieties, most often grapes are laid out on straw mats before crushing or pressing, sometimes exposed to the sun for up to two weeks. After that, the grapes, sprinkled with a small amount of gypsum, are squeezed out. Juice (grape must) is fermented in 40-50 bucket barrels or stainless steel food tanks.If initially it is not planned to obtain oxidatively aged sherry - during the fermentation process, a culture of sherry yeast is added to the wort, which form a yeast layer on the surface of the wort - the so-called flor (from Spanish flor - flower), preventing the contact of wine with air.

Coated or not covered with flora, the wine is pre-aged in a barrel for about a year. After that, the young wine is tested and the chief winemaker determines whether the resulting wine will go for the varieties Fino and Manzanilla (which are aged under a layer of flora) or for oxidatively aged sherry - Oloroso - which is aged without flora, contacting with air and oxidizing).

Then the future sherry is fortified, for which they use neutral grape alcohol with a strength of 96% (usually locally produced, although spirits from neighboring regions can also be used). In order not to shock the young wine with pure alcohol, the fixing process is carried out in stages: first, the required volume of alcohol is diluted with an equal amount of wine in a 50/50 proportion, and then the operation is repeated. Thus, a solution with a strength of 24% is obtained and the bulk of the wine is already fortified with it.

The wine that was selected to obtain the Fino sherries (Fino) or "Manzanilla" (Manzanilla), is attached to no more than 15.5%, which is the limiting flora for survival. Into the wine that was selected for Oloroso (Oloroso) or "Amontillado" (Amontillado), alcohol is added to a strength of 17% or more, and even if there was flor in the barrel, it dies and further aging of the wine occurs in open contact of the wine with air.

The aging of sherries is usually made in incomplete barrels using the Solera y criaderas technology. Before entering the aging system, the wine rests in incomplete barrels from six months to a year. This stage is called sobretablas.

Solera technology is the simultaneous storage and aging of wines from different years of harvest. In the pyramid of barrels, the barrels of the lower row are called directly "Solera" (from Spanish. suelo, "Floor"), the rest of the barrels are called "kriadera". Sherry is bottled strictly from the bottom row, for which a small part of the wine is selected (no more than one third). This part of the wine is topped up from the barrels of the overlying layer of the pyramid. And so on until the very top row, into which young wine is poured. The total number of levels of a solera is usually 3-5.

This method of aging results in the production of sherries that are stable and practically identical in composition and taste properties for many years.

Sherry varieties

There are the following main types of sherry: Fino, Manzanilla, Pale Cream, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, Pedro Ximenes.

Conventionally, all of them can be divided into two large groups: sherries of the type Fino and sherries like Oloroso... The main difference between these two types of wine is the length of time the wine stays under the flora. Fino, manzanilla, amontillado remain under the flora film for a period of at least 3 years. Wines of the Oloroso type either do not form a layer of sherry yeast at all on the surface, or spend a fairly short time under it.

Fino - Made from Palomino grapes (isp. Palomino) grown on chalk soil. After careful selection of the raw material, the most promising samples are fixed to 15% and placed in a solera. The whole aging process takes place under flora. This sherry is always dry. Its strength reaches 18%.

Manzanilla Is a type of fino produced exclusively in the city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Thanks to the microclimate, the flora actively reproduces in Sanlúcar all year round, and not eight months a year, as in other regions. This makes it possible to add more young wine to the Solera. In addition, grapes for manzanilla are harvested a little earlier, when they are less sugary and more sour, which also gives this wine a special taste.

Pale cream - classic fino, to which a part of the dessert wine is added for sweetness, usually from Pedro Ximenez or Moscatel grapes.

Amontillado - fino, aged after the flor has died.This can happen both due to harmful external conditions, and due to the addition of additional alcohol (more often). As a rule, the strength of amontillado is from 16.5 to 18%.

Palo cortado - a rare type of sherry, transitional type. Palo Cortado begins its development as a classic fino and spends considerable time under the flora. However, sometimes in the middle of the wine maturation process, the flora disappears from the surface, and the further process proceeds according to the oloroso technology.

Oloroso - sherry, which, due to the peculiarities of the wort and the addition of a certain amount of alcohol, did not form flora (its strength is 16% and higher). Oloroso means "fragrant" in Spanish. Oloroso can be not only dry, but also semi-dry and sweet, depending on the cooking technology and the moment when fermentation stops.

Pedro ximenez Is the sweetest kind of sherry. It is made from the grapes of the same name, harvested in the phase of maximum sugar content and additionally withered. Aged in Solera for very long periods (up to 30 years or more). It has a dark, almost black color, an extremely thick consistency, and a strong aroma.

Sherry based cocktails

Jerez has found wide application in the preparation of cocktails-aperitifs. When preparing mixed drinks, it goes best with vodka, gin, whiskey. If necessary, sherry can replace dry white vermouth.

see also

• Sherry yeast
• Sherry brandy
• Sherry vinegar
• Solera

Notes (edit)

Literature

• Mendeleev D.I., Tairov V.E. Heres // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb., 1890-1907.

Links

• Official website of the Supervisory Committee of Sherry Producers
• Sherry website in Russian
• How Jerez is made
• Sherry history and production process
• The most famous Spanish sherries.