Flor
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Aitias
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:''This article is about the Spanish yeast. For the historical/genealogical abbreviation, see [[Floruit]], and for the argentine pop singer, see [[Flor (singer)]].''
'''Flor''' (Spanish and Portuguese for 'flower') is a [[winemaking]] term referring to a film of [[yeast]] on the surface of [[wine]] and which is important in the manufacture of certain 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 [[wine making]] it is essential to keep young wines away from exposure to air by sealing them in airtight barrels, to avoid infection 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 is a film of yeast cells which grows spontaneously during maturation on the surface of fermented [[must]]s, which will later be used for the making of certain types of Sherry especially Finos and Amontillados. It protects the wine from contact with the air, in that way avoiding oxidation and preventing the wine from becoming vinegary. The "velo de flor" on top of the wine looks like a thick white foam.
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 flavours 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.
A film of yeast similar to flor is also used in the production of [[vin jaune]] in the [[Jura wine|Jura]] wine region in eastern [[France]]. The French term used for this yeast film is ''voile'', meaning "[[veil]]".
{{wine-stub}}
[[Category:Oenology]]
[[he:פלור (שמרים)]]
[[nl:Flor (sherry)]]