Jerez
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2007
1
9
36
Trip End
May 19, 2007
Jerez,
Spain
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Fascade of the cathedral - Jerez
Yesterday (Sat. Feb 4, 2007) my friend Ish and I made a day trip down to Jerez, a wine town an hour by bus south west of Seville. A small city fueled by its main export, Jerez sherry, it is a charming town. We walked by the cathedral and main plaza on the way to Tio Pepe, one of the larger "bodegas" (wineries). The winery exports its product to over 150 countries, beating out any other spanish product. The climate in southern spain is particularly perfect for grape cultivation: a mediterranean climate with tons of sun, heavy winter rains, and chalky white soil allows the vines to hold onto the moisture from winter all the way through the scorching summers. The sherry is made by mixing two principle grape varieties: Palomino and Pedro Ximenez. After picking, crushing, and de-stemming the mixture is placed into steel vats for fermentation. In the fermentation vats the finos are separated and identified by the 'flor' on the surface of the mixture. This layer of yeast protects the finos from the air, prevents oxidation, and leads to different characteristics in the finished sherry.
The 'flor' - Jerez
The developing wines are fortified with pure grape spirits, raising the level of alcohol from around 11 per cent to around 18 percent for olorosos, 15.5 per cent for finos. The wines are aged using a unique form of mixing referred to as the 'soltera' system. The barrels (American oak) are stacked in pyramids. From the bottom barrels 1/3 of the contents are removed and bottled. This empty space is replaced by wine from the center barrels, and the center barrels are replenished with wine from the top barrels. Wine from the most recent harvest is placed in the top barrels. This system ensures consistency from year to year, combining the characteristics of the longer aged wine with the vitality of the newest harvest. Because of this, however, strict vintages are impossible as each bottle contains grapes from over 15 harvests.
Ageing cellar - Jerez
