What Starting Flor Reveals About This Pedro Ximénez Fortified Wine
I’ve been working on an unusual little project this vintage, picking a small batch of Pedro Ximénez fruit I discovered growing by accident in an old vineyard block mostly planted to Cabernet. We call it the thousand-vine block; it’s about 73 years old, with mature rootstock. Some of the older wood got broken by a machine harvester, allowing the rootstock to send up shoots.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve been picking those grapes separately, and this vintage we got about 32 kilos. I pressed and fermented the juice, and then fortified it a few weeks back. The plan is to take this towards a Fino-style fortified wine.
Fino is traditionally made from Palomino, which we don’t have planted here. Pedro Ximénez often results in a richer and sweeter style, but given what I had, this was the closest option.
Now, the real next step is getting the flor culture established on the wine’s surface. Flor is a yeast film that lives at the top of some sherries during maturation. It protects the wine from oxygen and creates distinctive flavours like nuttiness and minerality, qualities you find in Fino.
Right now, the wine looks pretty neutral. It’s pale straw in colour and still sitting on yeast lees after fermentation. I can detect some light citrus notes and a touch of creaminess from the lees, but no strong character just yet.
On the palate, it’s quite fresh with good acidity and a bit of natural sweetness from the alcohol, which is around 14%. There’s no harsh heat.
Getting the flor going will be interesting. I’ve contacted a couple of Barossa wineries who grow flor, and they’ve agreed to share some yeast cultures. The process involves using a tissue to collect some of the yeast film and transferring it to the wine. I’m about to give that a go.
This step is significant because flor is a living organism that influences the flavour and texture as it grows. It breaks down dead yeast cells and imparts unique nutty, fresh notes. Without flor, the full Fino experience is missing.
It’s a patient process. Once the culture starts, it can take time for those characters to develop. I’m curious to see how it evolves here, especially with Pedro Ximénez instead of Palomino.
At Smidge, much of what we focus on comes down to understanding how different yeast influences and maturation environments can add layers to our wines. This trial with flor on Pedro Ximénez offers a practical view of how those subtle forces work over time, which feeds into how we decide on ageing approaches or yeast management.
I’ll keep you posted as this little Pedro Ximénez wine starts its flor journey and see what it teaches me along the way.