Sherry lovers will be delighted that Beltran Domecq, new President of the CRDO Jerez will attend this fantastic tasting in central London. Such a tasting will give a real fillip to the slowly emerging renaissance of Sherry here in the UK - so long as you live near London. It promises to showcase the biggest range of Sherries ever presented at a tasting, as well as promoting the "en rama" style Finos and Manzanillas.
With a dramatically squeezed budget the Institute and its director, Graham Hines, do fantastic work, mainly from sheer dedication to and love of Sherry. But could the budget not accommodate a tasting in Scotland too? Are the bodegas not chipping in for the tasting? It costs us north of the border a fortune to get to and fro London, with the almost inevitable overnight stay. It will cost me much the same to go to Jerez itself.
Many others already do two tastings; Australia and New Zealand are only two examples, but then their budget is probably much bigger. Hey ho.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
News from Jerez 7.8.12
Bodegas Sanchez Romate are sponsoring a competition for "Flashfiction" (or "Microfiction") in conjunction with the Jerez writer Mauricio Gil Cano to promote literary creativity in relation to Sherry and Brandy de Jerez. The "I Certamen de Microrelatos Cardenal Mendoza" is open to anybody over 18 who submits a text not exceeding 200 words in Spanish. Subject matter is entirely open as long as there is mention of Sherry or Brandy de Jerez. The full rules can be found at www.romate.com/noticias.
Three prizes will be awarded, the first being 300 euros, a bottle of Cardenal Mendoza Non Plus Ultra brandy and a case of Sanchez Romate Sherry. The closing date for entries is 1 November. Go on, pour a glass of Sherry and get creative!!
Three prizes will be awarded, the first being 300 euros, a bottle of Cardenal Mendoza Non Plus Ultra brandy and a case of Sanchez Romate Sherry. The closing date for entries is 1 November. Go on, pour a glass of Sherry and get creative!!
Vinification in Jerez: Making the Wine
The dry wines
With the grapes harvested and brought to the bodegas the next phase begins: making wine. First the grapes are analysed for sugar content (they will need to ferment to a minimum of 10.5 % vol to be able to make Sherry), then total acidity and pH are checked. Next the grapes go into a destemming machine and on to a crusher where they are gently squeezed to make the job of the press a little easier. Sometimes some stems are left in to help the juice drain better from the pulp in the press. Great care must be taken to avoid the risks of oxidation and excess tannin. The harder you press, the more juice you extract, but the more tannic it gets, so the pressing is very carefully done. The first juice (must) to come out is called "primera yema" and accounts for around two thirds of the total extracted. This is the finest juice, low in phenolics and will go on to produce the Finos, Manzanillas and Amontillados. The "segunda yema" accounts for about 25% of the must and is more phenolic and so destined for the oxidatively aged wines, the Palos Cortados and olorosos.
Once extracted, the musts are lightly filtered to remove any solids then the pH is corrected if necessary with the addition of tartaric acid. With the acidity correct, all that remains to be done is to add a touch of SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and leave the juice - or "mosto" to settle for a day or so. Now the must is pumped to the fermentation tanks where a tiny amount of already fermenting must ("pie de cuba") is added to help the fermentation get under way.Control of fermentation temperature is less critical in Jerez than in other places, and it proceeds at about 23-25 degrees C which helps the yeast to convert all the sugar into alcohol. After about a week the fermentation comes to an end and the must is left to settle and the lees separated off. During settling a film of yeast appears on the surface of the must which is called "Flor". Malo-lactic fermentation may or may not be carried out.
Now is the time for the first classification of the musts. They are examined sensorially and analytically, and depending on their characteristics are classified into two broad groups: those which will age biologically and become Finos, Manzanillas and Amontillados, or those which will age oxidatively and become Palos Cortados or Olorosos. Each must will be classified with a marking thus: / ("raya") /. ("raya y punto") or //("dos rayas") according to its lightness or fullness of body. After clasification, the musts will be fortified to 15.5 % vol for the biological raya and raya y punto musts, which will allow the flor to grow, and to 18 % vol for the oxidative dos rayas musts which precludes the growth of flor. The musts are now racked - transferred to clean butts - and stored. In the case of the biological musts they are called "sobretablas", and the oxidative wines are called "anadas". Both are only now referred to as "wine". Here the wine will wait for further, more precise classification before going to the appropriate solera.
These sweet wines
Meanwhile, the PX grapes which are picked at about 16 Beaume (or about 300 grams per litre (g/l) of sugar) and then dried under the hot Andalucian sun have reached incredible levels of (natural) sugar - 450-500 g/l of must! They have also dried out - raisined ("pasificada") and cannot be pressed in the same way as the Palomino. So vertical presses are used which exert far more pressure than the paltry 5 or 6 kg/cm2 used for Palomino. In order to let the (much more viscous) juice run from the pomace, the presses are loaded carefully using "esterillas" (round esparto mats) alternately with bunches of raisins ("pasas") like a huge sandwich. When the pressure is applied and aromatic honey like juice runs free. Fermentation generally starts spontaneously but slowly and the must will be fortified to about 10% vol to stabilise it. The following spring after it has settled out the solids, the wine will be fortified to between 15 and 17 % vol and filled into butts ready for the solera. These wines have higher than usual levels of tannin as the raisins cannot be removed from the stems, however with all that sugar and flavour you wouldn't really notice.
The Moscatel grapes are treated either in exactly the same way as PX, or without the "asoleo" (drying in the sun). Many Moscateles are made simply with super ripe grapes picked straight from the vine which are pressed in a normal press then fortified soon after fermentation has begun. The result is a pale golden wine, very sweet and with the aromas of fresh rather than dried grapes. It requires no ageing.
The colouring wines
These are produced in small quantities for the purpose of giving the expected colour to the blended wines such as Cream and Medium. While they contain a lot of sugar, they are not good enough as sweetening wines. Palomino grape must is boiled down on direct heat to concentrate the must down to 1/5 of its original volume and to caramelize the sugars. This liquid is called "arrope" and is also used for making desserts and as a preservative in jams. To make colouring wine, the arrope is mixed 1/3 to 2/3 with Palomino must and slowly fermented to about 8 % vol, and after settling it is fortified to 15 or 17 % vol and aged in soleras ready for the commercial Medium and Cream blends.
See also: Asoleo
With the grapes harvested and brought to the bodegas the next phase begins: making wine. First the grapes are analysed for sugar content (they will need to ferment to a minimum of 10.5 % vol to be able to make Sherry), then total acidity and pH are checked. Next the grapes go into a destemming machine and on to a crusher where they are gently squeezed to make the job of the press a little easier. Sometimes some stems are left in to help the juice drain better from the pulp in the press. Great care must be taken to avoid the risks of oxidation and excess tannin. The harder you press, the more juice you extract, but the more tannic it gets, so the pressing is very carefully done. The first juice (must) to come out is called "primera yema" and accounts for around two thirds of the total extracted. This is the finest juice, low in phenolics and will go on to produce the Finos, Manzanillas and Amontillados. The "segunda yema" accounts for about 25% of the must and is more phenolic and so destined for the oxidatively aged wines, the Palos Cortados and olorosos.
Once extracted, the musts are lightly filtered to remove any solids then the pH is corrected if necessary with the addition of tartaric acid. With the acidity correct, all that remains to be done is to add a touch of SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and leave the juice - or "mosto" to settle for a day or so. Now the must is pumped to the fermentation tanks where a tiny amount of already fermenting must ("pie de cuba") is added to help the fermentation get under way.Control of fermentation temperature is less critical in Jerez than in other places, and it proceeds at about 23-25 degrees C which helps the yeast to convert all the sugar into alcohol. After about a week the fermentation comes to an end and the must is left to settle and the lees separated off. During settling a film of yeast appears on the surface of the must which is called "Flor". Malo-lactic fermentation may or may not be carried out.
 |
| Flor seen through the bunghole at Los Caireles (foto:pacobarroso) |
Now is the time for the first classification of the musts. They are examined sensorially and analytically, and depending on their characteristics are classified into two broad groups: those which will age biologically and become Finos, Manzanillas and Amontillados, or those which will age oxidatively and become Palos Cortados or Olorosos. Each must will be classified with a marking thus: / ("raya") /. ("raya y punto") or //("dos rayas") according to its lightness or fullness of body. After clasification, the musts will be fortified to 15.5 % vol for the biological raya and raya y punto musts, which will allow the flor to grow, and to 18 % vol for the oxidative dos rayas musts which precludes the growth of flor. The musts are now racked - transferred to clean butts - and stored. In the case of the biological musts they are called "sobretablas", and the oxidative wines are called "anadas". Both are only now referred to as "wine". Here the wine will wait for further, more precise classification before going to the appropriate solera.
These sweet wines
Meanwhile, the PX grapes which are picked at about 16 Beaume (or about 300 grams per litre (g/l) of sugar) and then dried under the hot Andalucian sun have reached incredible levels of (natural) sugar - 450-500 g/l of must! They have also dried out - raisined ("pasificada") and cannot be pressed in the same way as the Palomino. So vertical presses are used which exert far more pressure than the paltry 5 or 6 kg/cm2 used for Palomino. In order to let the (much more viscous) juice run from the pomace, the presses are loaded carefully using "esterillas" (round esparto mats) alternately with bunches of raisins ("pasas") like a huge sandwich. When the pressure is applied and aromatic honey like juice runs free. Fermentation generally starts spontaneously but slowly and the must will be fortified to about 10% vol to stabilise it. The following spring after it has settled out the solids, the wine will be fortified to between 15 and 17 % vol and filled into butts ready for the solera. These wines have higher than usual levels of tannin as the raisins cannot be removed from the stems, however with all that sugar and flavour you wouldn't really notice.
The Moscatel grapes are treated either in exactly the same way as PX, or without the "asoleo" (drying in the sun). Many Moscateles are made simply with super ripe grapes picked straight from the vine which are pressed in a normal press then fortified soon after fermentation has begun. The result is a pale golden wine, very sweet and with the aromas of fresh rather than dried grapes. It requires no ageing.
The colouring wines
These are produced in small quantities for the purpose of giving the expected colour to the blended wines such as Cream and Medium. While they contain a lot of sugar, they are not good enough as sweetening wines. Palomino grape must is boiled down on direct heat to concentrate the must down to 1/5 of its original volume and to caramelize the sugars. This liquid is called "arrope" and is also used for making desserts and as a preservative in jams. To make colouring wine, the arrope is mixed 1/3 to 2/3 with Palomino must and slowly fermented to about 8 % vol, and after settling it is fortified to 15 or 17 % vol and aged in soleras ready for the commercial Medium and Cream blends.
See also: Asoleo
Monday, 6 August 2012
News from Jerez 6.8.12
Two items today:
In the light of this year's small harvest, some in Jerez are wondering if the "adjustment" (grubbing up vines to balance supply and demand) has gone too far. The mean years which have seen dozens of growers ruined or close to ruin - and some bodegas too, are thought to be over and the crisis to have bottomed out, but there is little agreement on what steps to take now.
Grape price rises are inevitable, and while bodegas and the CRDO are happy with moderate rises, the growers want compensation for the mean years whose effects can be widely seen. The countryside once dominated by the green of vineyards is now full of bald patches where vines once grew.
The CRDO calculates a quota of 3 litres of wine in crianza for every 1 litre sold guaranteeing 4 years of sales, but some worry that after 4 years there might be shortages - especially after this year's small crop. One can see the wisdom of Grupo Estevez' canny move in buying 400 hectares of old Domecq vineyard. There are now only 6,900 hectares registered at the CRDO, of which only 6013 are in production for Sherry. The remaining 887 hectares are either used for concentrated must or vino de color, or are in a poor state due to abandonment. Unattended vineyards give cause for concern for the spread of infections and insects, the latter prevalent in dry years such as this one. Putting these back into production will cost more than anyone has.
While EU planting liberalisation could help recuperate part of the vineyard area without the need to pay for planting rights - which are still held by the beneficiaries of EU sponsored grubbing up or victims of abandonment - it would take until at least 2018 to come into force.
Construction companies have caused further worries by buying up speculatively vineyards close to the city intending to build. They too, however have been hit by the crisis, and nothing has been built, leaving these vineyards abandoned and uncared for. The demise of Nueva Rumasa has caused Garvey's San Patricio
vineyard to be untended, and it is not alone.
Luckily there is also some good news from Jerez!
Gonzalez Byass is hosting a classical concert performed by The Soloists of London on the 14th August. It will be conducted by Andrew Coman, and is the first of a series of annual events planned by the bodega. The idea is that guests will tour the bodega, stopping at particularly nice spots and enjoy a glass of fine Sherry while the 17 musicians play. Afterwards an a la carte dinner will be served in the open air. Future events will provide a variety of music, including Flamenco and Jazz. Yet another innovation from GB!
In the light of this year's small harvest, some in Jerez are wondering if the "adjustment" (grubbing up vines to balance supply and demand) has gone too far. The mean years which have seen dozens of growers ruined or close to ruin - and some bodegas too, are thought to be over and the crisis to have bottomed out, but there is little agreement on what steps to take now.
Grape price rises are inevitable, and while bodegas and the CRDO are happy with moderate rises, the growers want compensation for the mean years whose effects can be widely seen. The countryside once dominated by the green of vineyards is now full of bald patches where vines once grew.
The CRDO calculates a quota of 3 litres of wine in crianza for every 1 litre sold guaranteeing 4 years of sales, but some worry that after 4 years there might be shortages - especially after this year's small crop. One can see the wisdom of Grupo Estevez' canny move in buying 400 hectares of old Domecq vineyard. There are now only 6,900 hectares registered at the CRDO, of which only 6013 are in production for Sherry. The remaining 887 hectares are either used for concentrated must or vino de color, or are in a poor state due to abandonment. Unattended vineyards give cause for concern for the spread of infections and insects, the latter prevalent in dry years such as this one. Putting these back into production will cost more than anyone has.
While EU planting liberalisation could help recuperate part of the vineyard area without the need to pay for planting rights - which are still held by the beneficiaries of EU sponsored grubbing up or victims of abandonment - it would take until at least 2018 to come into force.
Construction companies have caused further worries by buying up speculatively vineyards close to the city intending to build. They too, however have been hit by the crisis, and nothing has been built, leaving these vineyards abandoned and uncared for. The demise of Nueva Rumasa has caused Garvey's San Patricio
vineyard to be untended, and it is not alone.
Luckily there is also some good news from Jerez!
Gonzalez Byass is hosting a classical concert performed by The Soloists of London on the 14th August. It will be conducted by Andrew Coman, and is the first of a series of annual events planned by the bodega. The idea is that guests will tour the bodega, stopping at particularly nice spots and enjoy a glass of fine Sherry while the 17 musicians play. Afterwards an a la carte dinner will be served in the open air. Future events will provide a variety of music, including Flamenco and Jazz. Yet another innovation from GB!
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Fino Marismeno 15%, Bodegas Sanchez Romate Hnos.
Appearance
Slightly deeper than some Finos, strawy gold, not 100% bright so not over filtered by the look of it, legs.
Nose
Full, quite penetrating and complex, traces autolysis, saline Flor, almond, slight hints of oxidation, yellow fruit - mainly Palomino, bread dough, even Marmite, lovely.
Palate
Broadly similar, lots of flavour starting with fruit then evolving through saline Flor, then bread and then bitter almond and yeast, all the time with some weight. Not particularly acidic yet very tangy, and very long. lovely.
Comments
A delicious wine. Such depth and flavour along with the autolytic flavours show some age and in fact it is about 7 years old. This wine comes from a solera of 836 butts with 3 criaderas. A third of the solera (227 butts) is drawn 2-3 times annually and some goes for bottling and the rest feeds the NPU Amontillado solera. Superb. Worth every penny. "Marismeno" presumably refers to the marshes at the mouth of the river Guadalquivir near Sanlucar which are a protected wildlife zone.
Slightly deeper than some Finos, strawy gold, not 100% bright so not over filtered by the look of it, legs.
Nose
Full, quite penetrating and complex, traces autolysis, saline Flor, almond, slight hints of oxidation, yellow fruit - mainly Palomino, bread dough, even Marmite, lovely.
Palate
Broadly similar, lots of flavour starting with fruit then evolving through saline Flor, then bread and then bitter almond and yeast, all the time with some weight. Not particularly acidic yet very tangy, and very long. lovely.
Comments
A delicious wine. Such depth and flavour along with the autolytic flavours show some age and in fact it is about 7 years old. This wine comes from a solera of 836 butts with 3 criaderas. A third of the solera (227 butts) is drawn 2-3 times annually and some goes for bottling and the rest feeds the NPU Amontillado solera. Superb. Worth every penny. "Marismeno" presumably refers to the marshes at the mouth of the river Guadalquivir near Sanlucar which are a protected wildlife zone.
Price
£14.95 from Drinkmonger. UK Importers are Marussia Beverages
Bodegas: Sanchez Romate Hnos.
One of the few larger bodegas to remain in family hands, Sanchez Romate was established in 1781. The founder, a restless, educated man called Juan Sanchez de la Torre was born in 1756 and came, like many bodegueros, from Ruiloba in Santander. He enjoyed the bustle of Jerez in the formative years of Sherry's success and was a noted benefactor to the city, founding various schools and institutes. He also lent money and even wine to smaller bodegas. A street is named after him. He had no children and on his death in 1838 the business passed to to those of his brother with whom he had been associated, one of whom married into the Romate family, and to their children's children. He must have been extremely successful as he is said to have left 12 million reales de vellon in his will.
In 1887 the fourth generation of the family introduced a new product, brandy. It had been intended for the use of family and friends, but was so good they decided to market it. They chose the name Cardenal Mendoza after a XV century cardinal who helped Columbus, and the brandy has been very successful ever since, providing a worthwhile income while sales of Sherry are depressed. In 1909 the firm was appointed official supplier of Sherry to the House of Lords, and in 1917 to the Vatican. One of the bodegas contained three enormous toneles, each with a capacity of 20,000 litres, named after the three sons of Noah: Sem, Cam and Jafet. These were used for making large quantity blends and were later substituted by tiled cement vats.
 |
| Facade in C/Lealas showing fungus from brandy ageing |
The company owns about 100 hectares of albariza vineyard, the Viña Soledad in the pago Balbaina for the production of Finos and a little parcel of PX, and the Viña Santa Genoveva in the pago Carrascal mainly used for Olorosos and Palos cortados. They buy in Moscatel from Chipiona. When Fernando de Castilla bought the soloeras of Jose Bustamante, Romate bought the bodega next door and also that of the old firm of Wisdom and Warter (though not the soleras which went to Gonzalez Byass). The Romate bodegas, built mostly in 1820, have an interesting device to maintain the necessary 70% humidity. Instead of simply spraying water from a hose, they have a high pressure mist spray system on the walls. It is efficient and economical with water.
Now in its 10th generation, Romate exports to over 40 countries, and produces much BOB (buyer's own brand) Sherry. One prominent client is the Wine Society. Some of the firm's bottlings have magnificent old fashioned labels of Victorian ladies, for example their Manzanilla "Viva la Pepa" and the 8 year old Fino Perdido from the 85 butt Celestino solera (a different solera to Marismeño). The firm also contract bottles wine for Cayetano del Pino and Fernando de Castilla, as well as supplying occasional almacenista wines for Viniberia.
The range consists of: Brandy, Vinegar, table wine from Rueda and Ribera del Duero, and Sherry:
Old and Plus:
Amontillado, Oloroso and PX from 200 year old soleras once kept back for family use. They are sold in 50cl decanters and are well over 30 years old and easily VORS, but the firm does not believe in this system.
Other special wines:
Other special wines:
Fino Perdido, Amontillado Olvidado, Oloroso Encontrado.
Special Reserve:
Fino Marismeno, and the following are all 15 years old: NPU Amontillado; Palo Cortado Regente; Oloroso Don Jose; Iberia Cream; PX Duquesa; PX Cardenal Cisneros; Moscatel Ambrosia
Romate:
Fino; Medium Amontillado; Dry Oloroso; Cream; PX. Also Manzanilla Viva La Pepa (once Fernando A de Terry)
Brandy:
Romate, Cardenal Mendoza, cardenal Mendoza Lujo, Cardenal Mendoza Carta Real, Cardenal Mendoza NPU, Uno en Mil (static aged single cask brandy)
Liqueur:
Angelus - based on brandy with bitter orange, lemon, cardamom and clove
Rum:
Ingenio Manacas (own solera in Jerez)
Officially they don't offer visits, but might be persuaded...Rum:
Ingenio Manacas (own solera in Jerez)
Tel: (+34) 956 182 212
Web: www.romate.com
.jpg)
News from Jerez 1.8.12
At a recent meeting between the Mayor of Jerez, Maria Jose Garcia Pelayo and councillors, and Beltran Domecq and Cesar Saldana, President and Director General respectively of the Consejo, the two parties agreed to continue collaborating, and especially for the forthcoming harvest festival (Fiesta de la Vendimia), which of course is really all about Sherry.
Meanwhile in Mallorca, a judge in Palma has ordered the arrest of Jose Maria Ruiz Mateos for failing to appear at court on fraud charges connected with the purchase of a local hotel. Ruiz Mateos blamed his absence on a broken foot, but the judge ruled that there were insufficient medical or legal grounds for him not to appear on a new date set for the 23rd August. She said that while he had rights, one of them was not to laugh at justice.
Meanwhile in Mallorca, a judge in Palma has ordered the arrest of Jose Maria Ruiz Mateos for failing to appear at court on fraud charges connected with the purchase of a local hotel. Ruiz Mateos blamed his absence on a broken foot, but the judge ruled that there were insufficient medical or legal grounds for him not to appear on a new date set for the 23rd August. She said that while he had rights, one of them was not to laugh at justice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)