Flor

Flor is a winemaking term referring to a film of yeast on the surface of wine and which is 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 Andaluca 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 fivesixths 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 Sanlcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Mara have a thicker cap of flor than those produced inland in Jerez. The yeast gives the resulting sherry its distinctive fres

NA

Source: Wikipedia