Sherry Wines are a brand of special wines that are made only in the Sherry Triangle region in Spain. The special grape varieties grown there are used to create these wines and typically they are aged for over a decade to give them the distinct taste. The wines from this region are not only special do to their protected designation of origin clause but also in the manner in which they are made. As a digression from regular procedure of wine making the Sherry Wines are shocked with Brandy to stop the fermentation and to give them the distinct taste and alcohol content.
• Here are the steps to make great tasting Sherry Wine
• Pick grapes from the Sherry triangle and ripen them. The riper the grapes are the higher is the sugar content and the better they would ferment.
• Mash the grapes in a crush pad and separate out the must which is the clear or yellowish liquid that comes from the grapes. This must would be used for preparing the wine.
• Pour the must in a stainless steel vat, cover it and leave it to ferment for a couple of months. Typically after the first 45 days is a good time start checking for the alcohol percent. Generally these wines would reach around 11-12% concentration. This would mean that most of the sugar has been fermented.
• If the fermentation does not start early you can add some yeast cultures to the wine and also some sugar to kick start the process.
• Once the wine has fermented, add brandy to shock the mixture and avoid further fermentation. The quantity of brandy added also increases the alcohol content in the wine. Sherry wines can have alcohol of as much as 17% concentration too.
• Always ensure that the pH scale of the wine is around 3.0 to 3.5. If required use winemaker’s acid to adjust the acidity levels.
• Now comes the aging process. Once the alcohol level and the pH levels of the wine are fixed, you can now pour the wine in wooden oak casks and age them for a long time. Typically, the yeast formed on top of the wine immediately cuts off the air from the rest of the wine allowing it to age well and develop the flavour.
• Sometimes, if you are making them in your home, you may not be able to age them for decades but you can surely keep them for about a year or two to give a distinct taste. Sometimes you also get oak chips that you can add to the wine to give it a woody taste.
This is the simple procedure that can be used to make sherry wines. Always note that in the original sherry wine all the sugar is fermented so it would be very dry. Any sweetness needed would have to be added separately.