Andalucían Sherry

Virtually all the genuine sherry that is available anywhere is the world comes from “The Sherry Triangle’, an area bordered by Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria in the Andalucían province of Spain. Between them, they produce 19.8 gallons of sherry a year. The Andalucíans have no problem giving away the secret of their sherry success as it is unlikely to be replicated anywhere else. Crumbly, chalky, moisture-retaining albariza soil, damp climatic conditions and the innovative solera system that is used to blend various vintages is what gives Andalucían sherry its distinctive taste.

It was either the Phoenicians or the Greeks who introduced vine cultivation to this region as far back as 3000 years ago. They called this location Xera. Thanks to conducive climate and soil the grapevines flourished. Many years and several name changes later, invading Moors changed the name yet again and called it Seris, from which the present name, Jerez, is derived.

The majority of the bodegas that make and mature Sherry lie enclosed within ‘the Sherry Triangle’. They enjoy a fairly predictable climate with 295 days of sunshine and 70 days of modest rainfall between October and May. The Albariza soil is perfect for cultivating sherry grapes. It is approximately 40% chalk, which retains abundant moisture during winter, making it available to the grapevines during the long hot summer growing season. Almost all grapes are of the Palomino de Jerez variety.

The onset of the vintage is usually in the first week of September and lasts for about 20 days. The grapes are then collected and fermented and alcohol is added to it. Now the three main elements of Sherry production come into play.

Flor is a unique blanket of bacteria that grows on the surface of the freshly pressed grape juice and blocks the oxygen from entering and affecting the wines. This helps preserve the light character of the wines. In order to make the darker varieties such as Oloroso, alcohol is added to the grape juice, raising the level to 17%, which kills the flor and allows the wines to oxidize.

The wines are then stored for aging in oak barrels called butts. Though the butts have a capacity of 600 litres, they are never filled to more than 500 litres. This gives the flor space to develop and for the Finos and oxygen to work on Olorosos. The oak butts can be used and re-used and could even be over hundred years old. They are only changed when they are too old to be used or when they need some repairs done.

The Solera System was developed as a way to ensure consistent ageing and quality. It is based on the introduction of younger wines to older wines, enabling the younger ones to acquire some of the character and flavour of the older. In the Solera system, rows of butts are placed on top of each other, with the oldest year’s vintage at the bottom and the youngest wines on the top row. The wine is drawn off from the lowest layer of the Solera for blending and bottling after about three years of maturing. As it is being drawn off, the wine from the levels above cascades down. Only about one-third or less is drawn off at a time, allowing the blending process to be continuous year after year.

Sherry is mainly classified as either Fino or Oloroso. Classic Finos are pale gold colour, light, very dry and fragrant. It is always served well chilled and is an ideal accompaniment to tapas, sea food, ham and cheeses. The colour of Oloroso ranges from amber to dark mahogany. It contains 17 to 22% alcohol and is more suited to red meat. The sweetness in Cream Sherry is achieved by adding Pedro Ximenez wines prior to bottling.

Manzanilla finos are got exclusively from the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. These Sherries can only be described as Manzanilla if they have been matured in the bodegas of this town. The open windowed bodegas sit on the cliffs above the town and the salty Atlantic breezes that blow through them give this sherry a subtle salty taste.

A tour of the bodegas of this region is a fascinating lesson in the fine art of Sherry making.