Sherry of Jerez, Spain
by Marisa D'Vari

A glass of sherry imparts a sense of warmth and relaxation. You've heard the 'name' sherry but perhaps you've never had the opportunity to try it. You may also wonder if it is a wine or liquor, and if it refers to a single 'style' or several.

Sherry is indeed a wine, although one that has been fortified with alcohol to give it its unique taste. This wine is produced in the southern Spanish city of Jerez, where the sun shines 300 days a year and the subtropical temperature can reach 130 degrees.
Many Americans are unfamiliar with Sherry as it rose to popularity with the British. Today, however, Sherry is quickly gaining popularity in the United States and marks the consumer as one with a sophisticated palate.

When you go to a restaurant, wine bar, or wine store, you will find many different types of Sherries, though the two main styles are called Fino and Oloroso.
All Sherry starts out in the same way. In September, Palomino grapes are picked from vines grown on the special white chalk soil known as Albariza. This soil, unique to the Jerez area of Spain, is very high in limestone and gives good drainage (crucial for quality wine) without retaining moisture. Since the temperature at vintage can be high (and thus spoil or oxidize the grapes) the Palomino grapes are immediately pressed, often with press-houses established in the vineyards. 70% of the first juice (called 'free run') marked to be 'Fino' Sherry and next 20% remaining to be 'Olorosa' Sherry.

Immediately after pressing, the juice (now called mosto) is acidified with tartaric acid and held with sulpher dioxide for twenty-four hours before being pumped into stainless steel vats. Here, fermentation - the process of turning grape juice into wine - under temperature control. Fermentation of the Palomino grape takes place between 25 and 30 degrees °c (higher than most white wines) so the aldehydes (factors that give wine its flavor) can develop.

After fermentation, the wine is poured into casks and left to age in a bodega (Spanish for winery). In December or January, a capataz (head cellarman) examines each barrel and makes the decision of which wines are to be the finest variety, called 'Fino,' and which are to be 'Olorosa'." The more delicate wines are singled out to be Fino (and branded with one stroke on the cask, una raya) and which are to be Olorosa (two strokes, dos rayas).
The capataz uses one other method for separating the potential Finos from the Olorosa, and that is the all-important sign of Flor.
Flor is a spider-like web of yeast that sits on top of the type of Sherry marked as Fino. It feeds on oxygen, alcohol, and glycerin beneath the surface of the wine and in the process, prevents oxidation.

At this point, you may remember that Sherry destined to be Fino and Olorosa were decided upon during the pressing process. Why, you may ask yourself, is the caparaz going around making another cut? And why didn't Flor form on all the Sherry destined to be Fino?
Flor is fickle. No one can explain why it forms on some barrels of Sherry and why not on others. But this is the quality that makes Fino Sherry so special.
Fino Sherry is then fortified to about fifteen percent alcohol using a method called mitad y mitad (a mix of high-strength alcohol and old wine).
While the Sherry marked to be Fino is left to age and will ultimately undergo the fractional blending process known as the Solera, Olorosa Sherry is also fortified to eighteen percent.

Maintaining Flor
Barrels of Fino Sherry are checked regularly to ensure they retain their Flor. Sometimes the Flor mysteriously disappears. In this case, the Sherry is taken aside and labeled Palo Cortado, a very rare and delicious Sherry with aromas and flavors similar to an Amontillado Sherry, but the full dry body of a dry Oloroso.

The Solara Process
The Fino Sherry is now ready to enter the Solera system, a method of fractional blending in which old wine is constantly refreshed with younger wine. Because Sherry producers strive for a 'house style' over the decades and centuries, it's important to maintain a (consistent) style.

Enjoyment
When the Sherry has matured to the celler master's specifications, it is ready to bottle and ship. Enjoy sherry as an aperitif with almonds, with the soup course (black bean soup is a natural) or with high tea.