Flor

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For other uses, see Flor (disambiguation).

Sherry barrel with transparent front so visitors can see the natural development of flor

Flor (Spanish and Portuguese for flower) in winemaking, is a film of yeast on the

surface of wine, important in the manufacture of some styles of sherry. The flor is
formed naturally under certain winemaking conditions, from indigenous yeasts found
in the region of Andalucía in southern Spain. Normally in winemaking, it is essential
to keep young wines away from exposure to air by sealing them in airtight barrels, to
avoid contamination by bacteria and yeasts that tend to spoil it. However, in the
manufacture of sherries, the slightly porous oak barrels are deliberately filled only
about five-sixths full with the young wine, leaving "the space of two fists" empty to
allow the flor yeast to take form and the bung is not completely sealed. The flor
favors cooler climates and higher humidity, so the sherries produced in the
coastal Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María have a thicker cap of
flor than those produced inland in Jerez. The yeast gives the resulting sherry its
distinctive fresh taste, with residual flavors of fresh bread. Depending on the
development of the wine, it may be aged entirely under the veil of flor to produce
a fino or manzanilla sherry, or it may be fortified to limit the growth of flor and
undergo oxidative aging to produce an amontillado or oloroso sherry.
During the fermentation phase of sherry production, the flor yeast
works anaerobically, converting sugar into ethanol. When all the sugar has been
consumed, the physiology of the yeast changes to where it begins
an aerobic process of breaking down and converting the acids into other compounds
such as acetaldehyde. A waxy coating appears on the cells' exterior, causing the
yeast to float to the surface and form a protective "blanket" thick enough to shield the
wine from oxygen. This process drastically lowers the acidity of the wine and makes
sherry one of the most aldehydic wines in the world. Studies have shown that for the
flor to thrive, the wine must stay in a narrow alcohol range of 14.5% to 16% ABV.
Below 14.5% the yeast will not form its protective cap, and so the wine will oxidize to
the point of becoming vinegar. Above 16% the flor cannot survive, and so the wine
essentially becomes an oloroso.[1]

Contents

 1Other regions
 2See also
 3References
  4External links

Other regions[edit]
A film of yeast similar to flor is also used in the production of vin jaune in the Jura
wine region in eastern France. The French term used for this yeast film is voile,
meaning "veil".
A similar yeast to flor is used in the production of Szamorodni szaraz in
the Tokaj wine region in northeastern Hungary. The Hungarian name for this yeast
is hártya which means film.
Natural yeast film was traditionally used in Gose beer to seal bottles, instead of caps
or corks.
Flor is also present in some Vernaccia di Oristano D.O.C. a wine from the italian
region of Sardinia.