Editing Sherry (section)

==Production==
===Climate===
The Jerez district has a predictable climate, with approximately 70 days of rainfall and almost 300 days of sun per year. The rain mostly falls between the months of October and May, averaging {{cvt|600|mm|0}}. The summer is dry and hot, with temperatures as high as {{cvt|40|C}}, but winds from the ocean bring moisture to the vineyards in the early morning and the clays in the soil retain water below the surface. The average temperature across the year is approximately {{cvt|18|C}}.

===Soil===
There are three [[List of vineyard soils|types of soil]] in the Jerez district for growing the grapes for sherry:<ref name="MacNeil pg 438">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 438 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref>
* ''[[Albariza]]'': the lightest soil, almost white, and best for growing Palomino grapes. It is approximately 40 percent chalk, the rest being a blend of clay and sand. Albariza preserves moisture well during the hot summer months.
* ''Arenas'': yellowish soil, also 10 percent chalk but with a high sand content.
* ''Barros'': dark brown soil, 10 percent chalk with a high clay content.

The ''albariza'' soil is the best for growing the Palomino grape, and by law, 40 percent of the grapes making up a sherry must come from ''albariza'' soil. The ''barros'' and ''arenas'' soil is mostly used for Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes.

The benefit of the ''albariza'' soil is that it can reflect sunlight back up to the vine, aiding it in [[photosynthesis]]. The nature of the soil is very absorbent and compact so it can retain and maximize the use of the little rainfall that the Jerez region receives.<ref name="MacNeil pg 438" />

===Grapes===
Before the [[phylloxera]] infestation in 1894, there were estimated to be over one hundred varieties of grape used in Spain for the production of sherry,<ref>T. Stevenson, ed. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' (3rd Edition)</ref> but now there are only three white grapes grown for sherry-making:
* [[Muscat (grape and wine)|Moscatel]]: used similarly to Pedro Ximénez, but it is less common.
* [[Palomino (grape)|Palomino]]: the dominant grape used for dry sherries. Approximately 90 per cent of the grapes grown for sherry are Palomino. As [[varietal]] [[table wine]], the Palomino grape produces a wine of very bland and neutral characteristics. This neutrality is actually what makes Palomino an ideal grape because it is easily enhanced by the sherry winemaking style.<ref name="MacNeil pg 438" />
* [[Pedro Ximénez]]: used to produce sweet wines. When harvested these grapes are typically dried in the sun for two days to concentrate their sugars.

Sherry-style wines made in other countries often use other grape varieties.

===Fermentation===
The Palomino grapes are harvested in early September, and [[pressed (wine)|pressed]] lightly to extract the [[must]]. The must from the first pressing, the ''primera yema'', is used to produce Fino and Manzanilla; the must from the second pressing, the ''segunda yema'', will be used for Oloroso; the product of additional pressings is used for lesser wines, distillation, and [[Sherry vinegar|vinegar]]. The must is then fermented in stainless steel vats until the end of November, producing a dry white wine with 11–12 per cent alcohol content. Previously, the fermentation and initial aging were done in wood; now it is almost exclusively done in stainless steel, with the exception of one or two high-end wines.

===Fortification===
Immediately after fermentation, the wine is sampled and the first classification is performed. The casks are marked with the following symbols according to the potential of the wine:
{|border="0" cellpadding="2"
|-
!/
|a single stroke indicates a wine with the finest flavour and aroma, suitable for Fino or Amontillado. These wines are fortified to about 15 per cent alcohol to allow the growth of flor.
|-
!/.
|a single stroke with a dot indicates a heavier, more full-bodied wine. These wines are fortified to about 17.5 per cent alcohol to prevent the growth of flor, and the wines are aged oxidatively to produce Oloroso.
|-
!//
|a double stroke indicates a wine that will be allowed to develop further before determining whether to use the wine for Amontillado or Oloroso. These wines are fortified to about 15 per cent alcohol.
|-
!///
|a triple stroke indicates a wine that has developed poorly and will be [[Distillation|distilled]].
|}

The sherry is [[Fortified wine|fortified]] using ''destilado'', made by distilling wine, usually from [[La Mancha]]. The distilled spirit is first mixed with mature sherry to make a 50/50 blend known as ''mitad y mitad'' (half and half), and then the ''mitad y mitad'' is mixed with the younger sherry to the proper proportions. This two-stage procedure is performed so the strong alcohol will not shock the young sherry and spoil it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerez de la Frontera Sherry Wine Tours from Seville &#124; Spanish Fiestas |url=https://www.spanish-fiestas.com/jerez-sherry-wine-tours/ |website=spanish-fiestas.com|date=8 October 2020 }}</ref>

===Aging===
[[Image:FLOR-ValdiviaJerez59.jpg|thumb|Sherry barrel with transparent front so visitors can see the natural development of ''flor'']]
The fortified wine is stored in 500-litre casks made of North American [[oak (wine)|oak]], which is more porous than French or Spanish oak. The casks, or ''butts'', are filled five-sixths full, leaving "the space of two fists" empty at the top to allow [[flor]] to develop on top of the wine.

Sherry is then aged in the [[solera]] system where new wine is put into [[wine barrel]]s at the beginning of a series of three to nine barrels. Periodically, a portion of the wine in a barrel is moved into the next barrel down, using tools called the ''canoa'' (canoe) and ''rociador'' (sprinkler) to move the wine gently and avoid damaging the layer of flor in each barrel. At the end of the series, only a portion of the final barrel is bottled and sold. Depending on the type of wine, the portion moved may be between five and thirty percent of each barrel. This process is called "running the scales" because each barrel in the series is called a scale. Thus, the age of the youngest wine going in the bottle is determined by the number of barrels in the series, and every bottle also contains some much older wine than is stated. Sherry is aged in the solera for a minimum of two years.<ref>https://www.sherry.wine/sites/default/files/pliego_de_condiciones_de_la_do_jerez-xeres-sherry.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621152250/http://www.sherry.wine/sites/default/files/pliego_de_condiciones_de_la_do_jerez-xeres-sherry.pdf |date=21 June 2017 }}, art. C3 c)</ref> A large solera system may consist of scales that require more than one barrel to hold. The word 'solera' means 'on the ground'; this refers to the stacking system that was, and sometimes still is, used, with the youngest barrels at the top and the oldest scale, also somewhat ambiguously called 'the solera', at the bottom. Of late, sherry producers and marketers have been bottling their wines ''en rama'', with only a light filtration, and often a selection of a favored barrel from a larger solera.  Such sherries can be considerably more complex in flavour than the standard bottlings, and, according to many, are worth seeking out.<ref>Liem, Peter and Barquín, Jesús, Sherry, Manzanilla, and Morilla, a guide to the traditional wines of Andalusia, New York: Mantius, 2012.</ref> In order to allow the sale of reliable average age-dated sherries, the regulating council has set up a system that accurately tracks the average age of the wines as they move through their solera. Two average age-dated categories are recognized:  VOS ('Vinum Optimum Signatum' – 20 years old average age minimum) and VORS ('Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum' – 30 years old average age minimum).<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 February 2015|title=Age statements: VOS / VORS sherry|url=https://www.sherrynotes.com/2015/background/vos-vors-sherry-age/|access-date=4 July 2016|website=sherrynotes.com}}</ref>

[[File:Garvey-VORS-PedroXimenex-Jerez P1080824.JPG|thumb|right|30-year-old sherry]]

Sherry-seasoned casks are sold to the [[Scotch whisky]] industry for use in aging [[whisky]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Types of Sherry Cask Used To Make Whisky, And Their Effect on Flavour |url=https://topwhiskies.com/blogs/whisky-blog/sherry-casks-effect-whisky-flavour |access-date=26 July 2022 |website=TopWhiskies}}</ref> Other spirits and beverages may also be aged in used sherry casks. Contrary to what most people think, these sherry-seasoned casks are specifically prepared for the whisky industry, they are not the same as the old (and largely inactive) butts used for the maturation of sherry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2016 |title=Sherry and oak |url=https://www.sherrynotes.com/2016/background/sherry-and-oak/}}</ref>