Sherry Vinegar
Encyclopedia
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
made from Sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
. It is produced in the Spanish province of Cádiz
Cádiz (province)
Cádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
and inside the triangular area between the city of Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
and towns of Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and...
and El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María is a municipality located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. , the city has a population of c...
, known as the "sherry triangle".
To be called vinagre de Jerez, by law the Sherry vinegar must undergo ageing in American oak for a minimum of six months, can only be aged within the "sherry triangle" and must have a minimum of 7 degrees acidity. Most Sherry vinegars are aged using the same solera
Solera
Solera is a process for aging liquids such as wine, beer, vinegar, and brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years. A solera is literally the set of barrels or other...
system as the Sherry wines and Brandy de Jerez
Brandy de Jerez
Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that is produced only in the Jerez area of Andalusia, Spain . Besides being sold as a brandy, it is also an ingredient of some sherries...
.
The production and quality of sherry vinegar is monitored and controlled by the Consejo Regulador and Sherry vinegar has its own Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...
, which is protected by Spanish and EU law. The only other vinegars with similar protected designation of origin are "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale"
Balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar is a condiment originating from Italy.The original traditional product , made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and not a vinegar in the usual sense, has been made in Modena and Reggio Emilia since the Middle Ages: the production of the balsamic vinegar is...
from Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy and "Condado de Huelva
Condado de Huelva
Condado de Huelva is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the south-east of the province of Huelva . The wines known as the Wines of the Discovery of America are produced there....
" in Spain
Age Categories
- Vinagre de Jerez has a minimum of 6 months ageing in wood.
- Vinagre de Jerez Reserva has a minimum of 2 years ageing in wood.
- Vinagre de Jerez Gran Reserva is a new category with a minimum of 10 years aging in wood.
Styles
The style of sherry vinegar depends mainly on the grape variety used to produce the wine it is made from.- PalominoPalomino (grape)Palomino is a white grape widely grown in Spain and South Africa, and best known for its use in the manufacture of sherry.-Wine regions:In Spain, the grape is split into the sub-varieties Palomino Fino, Palomino Basto, and Palomino de Jerez, of which Palomino Fino is by far the most important,...
: Most sherry vinegar is produced from wines which were made from the Palomino grape. The wine being used to produce the vinegar can be young wine or can be a wine which has already aged.
- al Pedro XiménezPedro XiménezPedro Ximénez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry...
: Wines produced from the Pedro XiménezPedro XiménezPedro Ximénez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry...
grape are usually sweet, often very sweet, and consequently the vinegars produced from these wines are usually sweeter than other sherry vinegars or at the very least have a sweet raisin nose. Sometimes Palomino vinegars are sweetened with the addition of a small amount of Pedro XiménezPedro XiménezPedro Ximénez is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry...
wine (residual alcohol can not be more than 3%).
- Moscatel: Small amounts of sherry vinegar are produced from the Moscatel grape.
Uses
Sherry vinegar was originally "discovered" by French chefs. In 2008 France was the largest market for sherry vinegar.Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette
The word vinaigrette or vinegarette can refer to:*Vinaigrette, the salad dressing or sauce...
made from sherry vinegar is particularly flavourful compared to vinagrette made from standard wine vinegar and matches well with many foods.
In Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
a traditional dish is "Riñones al Jerez": lambs kidneys with a sauce made from sherry wine and sherry vinegar.
The best sherry vinegars have a deep, complex flavour and enhance the flavours in soups, stews, sauces, casseroles and dressings.
Use Sherry Vinegar to make the perfect Gazpacho
Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a cold Spanish/Portuguese tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucía. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal and parts of Latin America...
or Salmorejo
Salmorejo
Salmorejo is a cream consisting of tomato and bread, originating in Cordova in the south of Spain. It is made from tomatoes, bread, oil, garlic and vinegar. Normally, the tomatoes are skinned and then puréed with the other ingredients...
.
History
Vinegar from sherry has been around since sherry was first produced in and around Jerez. In the sherry bodegas wines which had undergone acetic fermentation and turned to vinegar used to be considered failures, however since the 1950s winemakers started to view sherry vinegar as a product in its own right and now even encourage it. They also began to carefully age their vinegars in the same way as their wines and brandies.Barrels containing vinegar are always quickly removed from the wine bodega, this is to prevent other barrels of wine also turning to vinegar. Any barrels which have contained vinegar cannot usually be used to store wine again due to the risk of acetic fermentation. In the past the vinegar was given away to staff and family of the owner or sold at the bodega door. Some barrels were stored separately and often forgotten about. These vinegars, many over 50 years old, are now being re-discovered.
External links
- Consejo Regulador
- ORDEN de 22 de febrero de 2000, por la que se aprueba el Reglamento de la Denominación de Origen Vinagre de Jerez (Andalusian regional law protecting sherry Vinager)
- Resolución de 24 de marzo de 2009, de la Dirección General de Industria y Mercados Alimentarios, por la que se concede la protección nacional transitoria a la Denominación de Origen Protegida "Vinagre de Jerez" (Spanish national law protecting sherry Vinager)