1. Key Choices Affecting Style, Quality and Price in Fortified Wines Flashcards
Fortified wines are made in a very diverse range of styles. What are these styles?
Red, white and rosé;
Dry to sweet;
Youthful and aromatic to fully developed and oxidative.
What are the key production stages and choices that influence the style, quality and price of the principal fortified wines as a category?
Grape variety
Vineyard site
Timing of harvest
Skin contact and extraction
Timing of fortification
The fortifying spirit
Maturation
Blending
Finishing
How grape variety can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
The grape variety provides to the wine:
- Its own aroma and flavour characters or simply may be used as a relatively neutral base for the flavours of maturation. Examples:
- Vins Doux Naturels (VDNs) from Muscat - a fortified wine where the grape variety provides the main flavours of the wine (enhanced by protective winemaking and early release from the winery).
- Palomino - a relatively neutral variety - the characteristic aromas of Sherry all come from the maturation process. - Structural components - acidity, and in black grapes, colour and tannin.
a) Acidity:
- Madeira - high acidity - it is made with a number of
grape varieties, such as Sercial and Verdelho (naturally high levels of acidity).
- Sherry - Palomino grape (acidity is low) - the combination of a bone-dry palate and high alcohol can give a sensation similar to acidity in some Sherries, although acidity is low.
b) Colour (important in red wines):
- Port is usually made from a blend of grape varieties and one of the factors considered in the blend will be attaining a suitable level of colour in the base wine.
- The aims are very different in a basic Tawny Port, which needs to look aged in a short period of time and hence will be made from wines that are light in colour when compared to a Vintage Port (deep colour over decades of bottle maturation - grape varieties that can enhance the intensity of colour include Touriga Nacional and Sousão).
c) Tannins in black grape varieties:
- Early drinking styles of red fortified wines such as Ruby Port or Maury Grenat - high levels of tannins are not required nor desirable.
- In long-aged wines - the role of tannins in colour stability makes medium (+) or high levels of tannins beneficial. Tannins soften with age, and therefore in these wines, even high levels of tannins can become
integrated into the wine and, on the palate, provide necessary structure and balance.
How vineyard site can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
Vineyard location and climate are important influences on the base material used in the production of fortified wines. Examples:
- Douro: Vineyards of the Douro are scored
according to factors such as location, aspect and altitude, and this score determines how much Port wine that plot of land can produce. Vintage Ports will often be made from the grapes of certain vineyard plots known for their ability to produce outstanding-quality wines that will age well. - Muscat-based VDNs: Muscat de Frontignan in the Languedoc produces slightly fuller wines with riper flavours from low altitude vineyards, than the high-altitude sites of Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois.
How timing of harvest can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
- Botrytis is not desirable, even as noble rot - growers will be looking to harvest before the increased risk of rain, and hence increased humidity, in the autumn.
- For some styles, fruit will be picked when it reaches or goes just beyond the minimum level of potential
alcohol required by law. Unripe fruit flavours will be avoided, but in the case of Sherry made
from Palomino, the potential alcohol and health of the grapes are much more important for determining harvesting date than the range of flavours in the grapes. - In other styles, such as Rutherglen Muscat, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel Sherry, the grapes are typically left on the vine longer in the season to concentrate the sugars, necessary in these wines that have very high levels of residual sugar.
How skin contact and extraction can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
- Red fortified wines are often sweet and made by adding the fortifying alcohol midway through the fermentation process, limiting the period of maceration
to as little as 2–3 days. Especially in wines that are to undergo long ageing and hence need high concentrations of colour, tannin and flavours, this means that extraction techniques need to be as effective as possible. The Port industry in particular has developed specialist equipment that permit maximum extraction whilst remaining gentle enough not to crush seeds and release bitter tannins. - Basic Tawny and Rosé Ports: less extraction is desirable to create wines with a paler appearance.
- White fortified wines (Madeira, Muscat-based VDNs and White Port): may let their white grapes macerate for a limited time on skins, generally to increase body, texture and extract additional flavours.
- Biologically aged Sherries such as Fino and Manzanilla: skin contact is not desirable as the phenolic compounds extracted can restrict the growth of flor yeast.
How timing of fortification can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
- Dry fortified wines - fortified once fermentation is complete.
- The majority of sweet fortified wines are produced by fortifying midway through fermentation, stopping the fermentation by raising the overall alcohol level above that at which yeasts can operate and leaving residual
sugar that was present in the grapes (producers will usually calculate the timing of fortification according to the level of residual sugar that is desired in the final wine; the greater the amount of sugar, the earlier the fortification). - Pale Cream, Medium and Cream Sherries are made by fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component, creating wines in
different styles than would be possible by fortifying during fermentation. Example: Cream Sherry - a dry Oloroso is often blended with PX, combining the characteristics of aged, dry Palomino with raisined PX.
How the fortifying spirit can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
- The majority of fortified wines are fortified with 95–96% abv grape spirit - such high alcohol content are neutral in aroma and flavour, and hence these spirits do not mask the characteristics of the wine. Furthermore, the high level of alcohol minimises the volume of spirit needed to bring the fortified wine to the required alcoholic strength (usually between 15–22% abv depending on style) leading to less dilution of the base wine.
- Exception - Port - must be fortified with a grape spirit of 77% abv (+/– 0.5%). As the spirit is distilled to a lower level of alcohol, it is more characterful and contributes more of its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the blend. Also due to its lower strength, a significant volume of spirit is required to bring the partially-fermented must up to its required alcoholic strength of 19–22% abv, again, meaning that the style and quality of the spirit has an important influence of the style and quality of the final wine.
- Although some producers choose to use more aromatic styles of spirit, especially in red Ports, in Rosé Ports a relatively subtle spirit will be chosen so as not to overpower this more delicate style of wine.
- The strength and volume of fortifying spirit added influences the final alcohol level of the wine.
How maturation can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
Maturation - a defining stage in the production of many fortified wines.
- A number of VDNs, Ruby and Rosé Ports and some White Ports are released relatively early from the winery (they should be drunk soon after release). Often, these wines are stored in stainless steel or concrete and are protected from oxygen; they therefore show youthful, primary flavours.
- Vintage and some LBV Ports are released after a short period of ageing (they will improve in bottle). They will be stored for a few years either in large oak vessels before bottling. As these wines are designed to age in bottle, they will generally be very concentrated with high levels of tannins on release. After
a number of years in bottle, the fresh fruit develops to dried fruit and the tannins soften and
integrate. - Premium Tawny Ports, Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscats and some styles of VDNs and Sherries, are aged oxidatively, often for extended periods of time.
Their maturation is usually carried out in relatively small wooden vessels to encourage oxygen
exposure. The small size also increases the rate of evaporation from the vessel and leads to
ullage. It is a choice of the winemaker how often to top-up the vessels and whether to fill them
completely to the top as part of managing exposure to oxygen. A number of these wines are
also matured in warm or heated conditions, which further speeds up oxidation, evaporation
and general maturation. The oxidative ageing tends develop aromas of nuts, caramel and
dried fruits. - Fino and Manzanilla Sherries (biological ageing). These wines are aged under a veil of flor yeast which protects the wine from oxidation, while lowering levels of glycerol (and hence body) and contributing aromas of hay, apple skin, bread dough and nuts.
What is Maderisation?
The process whereby a wine is heated and oxidised. The term taking its name from the process of maturation that is used, and
has been for a number of centuries, for the wines of Madeira.
What is Rancio?
A tasting term used to describe a collection of aromas and flavours that are found in some styles of wines. Aromas are varied but typical descriptors include leather, wood varnish and strong coffee. The chemistry concerning their origin is not well understood, but it appears that the compounds extracted from wooden vessels, oxygen
and time all play a role.
How blending can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
Blending is one of the most important processes in fortified wine production. Grapes, must or wines from different grape varieties, vintages, and vineyard sites may all be blended, depending on the regulations for the wine style being made, as well as wines that have been handled differently in the winery.
The key aims of blending include:
- Balance: For all fortified wines, alcohol is relatively high (compared to unfortified wines) and therefore in
wines of good quality and above, this should be integrated within the other components
of the wine. As stated in Maturation, many styles of fortified wines undergo long periods of
ageing. These wines become increasingly concentrated and lose their primary fruit characters.
Although these wines are complex, a better balance in the final wine is usually achieved by
blending some younger wines with the older wines, to provide a degree of freshness against
the developed flavours. This is a practice that is particularly notable in Sherry and Rutherglen
Muscat. - Consistency: Many fortified wines are non-vintage products and it is expected that they will show
consistency year on year. In some regions, the wines of different vintages mature separately (called static maturation). At a certain point, skilled blenders will taste a variety of wines from different vintages and use their experience to create the blend. In Sherry production, a solera system is used. This is a method of fractional blending which ensure consistency amongst
the vessels of a particular age. A modified version of a solera system is used for Rutherglen Muscat. - Style: Blending is an essential method of influencing style. In Port, the blend of grape varieties will
be an important factor in the level of colour, tannin and flavour concentration in the young wine and therefore its ability to age. In sweetened Sherries, the blending in of the sweetening component, such as PX wine, completely transforms the style of the final wine. Brands are important in most fortified wine categories, and therefore blending is often used to create a
certain ‘house style’ across the product range. - Complexity: Wines of different ages or that have been treated differently in the winery may be blended to gain a greater range of flavours.
- Volume: In most regions producing fortified wines, vineyard holdings are small and therefore it is
necessary to blend grapes from a number of different producers. Similarly, a number of fortified wines are matured in small vessels and therefore blending of these vessels is usually needed before bottling to make up a sufficient volume of consistent wine. - Price: Fortified wines can reach premium and super-premium prices, but a significant proportion of sales volumes are made up of wines that are mid-priced or even inexpensive. Meeting a competitive price point is essential and in order to obtain the best value product, the producer may decide to add a small amount of older wine to give some complexity to a blend of
younger, more simple wines.
What are the key aims of blending when talking about fortified wines?
Balance
Consistency
Style
Complexity
Volume
Price
How finishing can affect the style, quality and price of the fortified wine?
The majority of fortified wines will be stabilised, fined and filtered before bottling to ensure
they are clean and clear for the consumer.
- Vintage Port, Single Quinta, Crusted and some LBVs, are purposely not filtered so they continue to develop in bottle. Sediment may be noticed when these wines are opened and poured, and decanting or passing the wine through a wine funnel and strainer may be necessary.
- Sherry termed ‘en rama’ either undergo a light fining and filtration or not be fined or filtered at all. In style they are generally more pronounced and complex than
their fined and filtered counterparts.
