Jerez has a great tradition on wine manufacturing. There are some circumstances for the characteristic aroma and flavour of these wines: the geographic location, near Atlantic Ocean and rivers such as Guadalquivir and Guadalete. Cadiz Mountains play an important role also, with soft hills, which facilitate stumps exposure to sunlight and wind movement. These circumstances are worth to get great quality grapes.
Grapes are ripened on August and September, when they are collected: harvest has begun. After that, grapes are selected and pressed. Best juices are not obtained from pressing, but from the own weight of the grape.
Juice fermentation is the wine. Sugar is turned on alcohol. Expert people make quality test drinking and smelling this liquid, and they decide what kind of growing is needed. Double-blind tests are usual to avoid failed valuations due to subjective expectations. Then wines are fortified with adding alcohol from other wines. They add also the so-called "wine flower". This is yeast on the liquid surface that comes from the grapes. The yeast modifies the wine slowly, giving an own character to it.
When this process ends, wines are kept in wineskins for three years minimum, although it's more usual periods of forty years or more. Best wines are older but more expensive.
By Carlos Ercilla
5º B
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