The classic sherry vine is the Palomino, said to take its name from one of Alfonso X's knights, Fernan Yanez Palomino, from whom a well-known Jerez family, still active in the wine trade, claims descent. But there are in fact two Palominos that are related yet different. Historically the Jerez...
Important Sherry Vines
Author: Allison Ryan
The classic sherry vine is the Palomino, said to take its name from one of Alfonso X's knights, Fernan Yanez Palomino, from whom a well-known Jerez family, still active in the wine trade, claims descent. But there are in fact two Palominos that are related yet different. Historically the Jerez vineyards were planted with the Palomino de Jerez, now known as the Palomino Basto, which is still found growing in the older vineyards.
This has now been supplanted by the Palomino Fino, originally found growing in vineyards near Sanlucar known for their Merlot, Muscat, and Mourvedre. It is clearly the better of the two, both in the quality of wine it provides and in the yield, flourishing particularly well on albariza soil. It is a sub-variety, with different flowers and grapes, and is pollinated more easily.
Also known as Listan, Horgazuela, Tempranilla, Palomina, Ojo de Liebra, Temprana, and Alban, its grapes are of medium size, tasty, and quite sweet, though by no means as good as table grapes; they are pale green in color but ripen to a translucent golden ochre under the sun, and are generally ready for picking during the first three weeks in September. Nowadays the sherry growers, like most wine growers, practice clonal selection, selecting the finest vines and propagating them.
Of course this has led to a better yield, but (unlike, for instance, Burgundy or Malbec) the wine yield has been incidental. The main object of such a practice is to select those vines that are particularly free from disease: a matter of consistency rather than of quantity. Individual vines are examined to eliminate both those with too high a yield and those with too low a yield.
The experience of one grower, which was probably typical, was that the Basto gave five butts per aranzada, which cultivation with tractors increased to seven. His yield now, with the Palomino Fino and modern cultivation, is nine to ten butts.The famous Pedro Ximenez vine is next in order of importance. It is grown on the lower slopes of the albariza vineyards and produces medium-sized bunches of golden, transparent, and intensely sweet grapes that ripen during the first half of September.
It is particularly noted for making superb sweet wines, (Pinot Grigio, Viognier) but it can also be used for preparing dry sherries of the highest quality, depending on the way the grapes are treated, though for this purpose it is less satisfactory than the Palomino. It is also harder to cultivate and more prone to disease, so it is now rarely planted and only forms a very small proportion of the whole, being much more common in Montilla-Moriles where it grows particularly well.
It is likely to decline even more in the future as it has been found that excellent sweetening wine can be vinified from Palomino Fino grapes. These vines account for by far the greatest part of the production, and these, together with the Moscatel, are the only varieties which may now be planted. When Palomino and Pedro Ximenez vines grow in the same vineyard, the difference in their appearance is striking, the former tending to spread horizontally while the latter grows upright.
The remaining varieties are unimportant, but nevertheless they still exist in old vineyards and are likely to for some years yet. The Canocazo, or Mollar Blanco, combines to some extent the properties both of the Palomino and of the Pedro Ximenez. It is a useful compromise between the two, but is gradually falling into disuse, as it is hard to fertilize and there is a danger of the crop failing. It is also very easily attacked by mildew, much like Malbec, Petite Sirah, or Grenache.
The Albillo Castellano, or Calgalon, is also sometimes found on albariza soils. Its grapes, which are sweet and juicy, ripen in the second half of September and give quite a good wine, but it is rather vulnerable to insects. It may well be identical with the vine that Columella referred to as albuelis. Columella was a practical wine grower born in Cadiz and anyone reading his De Re Rustica (c. A.D. 64) will see that wine growing has not changed all that much over two millennia.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/important-sherry-vines-1129347.html
About the Author:
Allison Ryan is a freelance marketing writer from San Diego, CA. She specializes in unique wine varietals such as Petite Sirah , Pinot Grigio, and Muscat . For a great selection of Malbec and other interesting reds and whites, stop by http://www.wineaccess.com/ .
