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All sherry is matured through a system of barrels called the solera system. Sherry wine has a unique property in that it takes on the characteristics of the older wine once blended. The Solera System has therefore been developed to take advantage of this. At each stage the wine is taken from the bottom row of barrels ie the solera or shipping solera and then is filled from wines from younger criaderas (or sherry nurseries as they are known). At each stage about a third of wine is taken out and replaced with wine from the one above until the new wine of the year goes in. In this way, the wine in each butt is refreshed at least three times a year. There is no virtually other wine which is blended in this way. It takes at least 4 years minimum to reach the age of consistency in the solera at which the wine might be bottled. The secret of fine Sherry lies in its ageing and blending. A Sherry blend, whether it is a Fino from El Puerto de Santa Marķa, an Amontillado or an Oloroso, will consist of many different wines taken from butts containing wines of different ages. A collection of butts of the same wine is known as a Solera. The work of blending is not just a craft, it is an art, using all the senses but especially the sense of smell. In the laboratory, small quantities of wines from different soleras are blended in a test tube to create a Cabeceo. The amount of wine alcohol needed to fortify the wine before bottling will also be decided at this time. Once this is made satisfactorily, it can be scaled up to produce quantities sufficient for shipping. Click Here for more information.
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