Technique
En Rama
Sherry bottling with minimal or no filtration. Literally 'from the branch'. Keeps flor flakes and turbidity. Pioneer release: Barbadillo Solear Pasada en Rama (1999).
What it is
En rama is Spanish for “from the branch” or “raw”. In sherry it refers to bottlings filled with minimal or no filtration. The wine goes straight from the bota (oak cask) into the bottle, sometimes through a light coarse filter, sometimes not at all.
Unlike regular commercial sherry, which is fined and filtered for clarity and shelf life, en rama bottlings keep flor flakes, proteins and aromatic compounds that filtration would otherwise remove.
For which styles
Mostly applied to biologically aged styles:
- Fino en Rama
- Manzanilla en Rama
- Manzanilla Pasada en Rama
Theoretically also possible for Amontillado or Oloroso, but it happens less; oxidative styles lose less in filtration.
Pioneer: Barbadillo Solear Pasada en Rama (1999)
In 1999 Bodegas Barbadillo in Sanlúcar de Barrameda released the first commercial en rama bottling: Solear Pasada en Rama. Four sacas per year, one per season (spring, summer, autumn, winter), each with its own flor conditions and therefore its own character. Limited release: about 3,000 bottles of 37.5 cl plus 100 magnums per saca.
The seasonal variation shows what the regular (filtered) bottlings hide: flor is alive, varies with humidity and temperature, and that variation sits in the wine.
Others followed
- La Gitana en Rama (Hidalgo, Sanlúcar)
- La Guita Manzanilla Pasada en Rama (Pérez Marín)
- Equipo Navazos La Bota series (rare sacas from old soleras)
- Tio Pepe en Rama (González Byass, Jerez): the best-selling en rama in the world
- Lustau 3 en Rama: four mini-bottlings from different soleras
- Valdespino Inocente en Rama
In the glass
Compared with regular bottlings: more complex nose, fuller palate, longer finish. The floral-yeasty, salty, bread-dough notes of the flor are more pronounced. Sometimes a slight haze and flor flakes at the bottom. Not a fault: just living sherry.
Shorter shelf life
The drawback: en rama sherry oxidises faster after opening and keeps less long. Recommendation: store cool (even unopened), drink within three to six months of production, and finish within two to three days once opened.
For the drinker
A bottle with a dégorgement date isn’t a Champagne-only thing. En rama sherry carries a saca date (release date). Ask how fresh the bottle is when buying. The fresher, the more flor expression.