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Showing 1 to 16 of 141 (9 Pages)

Buy Fortified wine

For centuries Andalusia, and specifically the region of Jerez located in the extreme south under the joint influence of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, has represented a special territory for the production of fortified wines

.

What makes Jerez unique for the exquisite production of fortified wines is: on the one hand the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Guadalquivir and Guadalete rivers have a moderating effect on temperatures in a dry climate where the average annual temperature is 22 degrees, so there are thermal jumps between day and night favoring the ripening cycle of the grapes; the albariza soils of spongy structure that retain water in the form of reserves to combat the months of drought during the summer. A white limestone soil very similar to that of Champagne, which is why the interpretations of both regions located in extreme zones are usually very interesting; and the Palomino Fino

variety with thin skin and juicy pulp, ideal for the traditional production of crianza en flor.

How is a fortified wine

made?

After receiving the grapes, the grapes are pressed and then cold static racking is carried out in the same way as for white vinification. Then the yeasts are sown in the must to start the alcoholic fermentation to obtain a wine of 11 to 12.5 degrees of alcohol. Once fermentation is complete, the wines are classified according to quality and body: lighter wines with low tannin concentration and more acid will be destined for the production of finos or manzanillas, while more opulent, structured and dark wines are destined for oloroso

wine. This classification will be determined by the winery foreman after a rigorous tasting of the musts and wines.

In Jerez, fortified wines must be aged for a minimum of three years in 500-liter American oak casks where two types of aging are carried out: biological aging under flor veil and oxidative aging

using the solera system.

Fino and manzanilla wines are fortified up to 15-15.5 degrees of alcohol by adding wine alcohol, where the biological aging takes place, while the wines destined for oloroso are fortified directly up to 18º and upwards, so they will only undergo oxidative aging by soleras, since the flor is not capable of reproducing at such high doses of alcohol. During the elaboration of a manzanilla or fino, if the foreman intervenes by re-fortifying it to a minimum of 17.5º and gives it an aging by soleras of more than five years, we will have an amontillado

. An amontillado is nothing more than an old manzanilla or fino.

What are the soleras of Jerez?

In order to create a solera system, an important reserve of wines is needed, distributed in different scales. The oldest scale is called solera and the butts containing these wines are at ground level. All the wines that are bottled come from the solera. Above the solera, the different criaderas are stacked, containing progressively younger wines up to the vintage wines located on the highest scale. The latter is filled with the vintage wines called sobretablas. The entire scale can have more than ten different levels. The objective is to blend wines from different vintages so that the final wine always has the same character.
Showing 1 to 16 of 141 (9 Pages)

Buy Fortified wine

For centuries Andalusia, and specifically the region of Jerez located in the extreme south under the joint influence of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, has represented a special territory for the production of fortified wines

.

What makes Jerez unique for the exquisite production of fortified wines is: on the one hand the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Guadalquivir and Guadalete rivers have a moderating effect on temperatures in a dry climate where the average annual temperature is 22 degrees, so there are thermal jumps between day and night favoring the ripening cycle of the grapes; the albariza soils of spongy structure that retain water in the form of reserves to combat the months of drought during the summer. A white limestone soil very similar to that of Champagne, which is why the interpretations of both regions located in extreme zones are usually very interesting; and the Palomino Fino

variety with thin skin and juicy pulp, ideal for the traditional production of crianza en flor.

How is a fortified wine

made?

After receiving the grapes, the grapes are pressed and then cold static racking is carried out in the same way as for white vinification. Then the yeasts are sown in the must to start the alcoholic fermentation to obtain a wine of 11 to 12.5 degrees of alcohol. Once fermentation is complete, the wines are classified according to quality and body: lighter wines with low tannin concentration and more acid will be destined for the production of finos or manzanillas, while more opulent, structured and dark wines are destined for oloroso

wine. This classification will be determined by the winery foreman after a rigorous tasting of the musts and wines.

In Jerez, fortified wines must be aged for a minimum of three years in 500-liter American oak casks where two types of aging are carried out: biological aging under flor veil and oxidative aging

using the solera system.

Fino and manzanilla wines are fortified up to 15-15.5 degrees of alcohol by adding wine alcohol, where the biological aging takes place, while the wines destined for oloroso are fortified directly up to 18º and upwards, so they will only undergo oxidative aging by soleras, since the flor is not capable of reproducing at such high doses of alcohol. During the elaboration of a manzanilla or fino, if the foreman intervenes by re-fortifying it to a minimum of 17.5º and gives it an aging by soleras of more than five years, we will have an amontillado

. An amontillado is nothing more than an old manzanilla or fino.

What are the soleras of Jerez?

In order to create a solera system, an important reserve of wines is needed, distributed in different scales. The oldest scale is called solera and the butts containing these wines are at ground level. All the wines that are bottled come from the solera. Above the solera, the different criaderas are stacked, containing progressively younger wines up to the vintage wines located on the highest scale. The latter is filled with the vintage wines called sobretablas. The entire scale can have more than ten different levels. The objective is to blend wines from different vintages so that the final wine always has the same character.