1: Key choices affecting Style, Quality and Price Flashcards
Name the 9 key choices that affect style, quality, and price.
- GRAPE VARIETY
- VINEYARD SITE
- TIMING OF HARVEST
- SKIN CONTACT AND EXTRACTION
- TIMING OF FORTIFICATION
- THE FORTIFYING SPIRIT
- MATURATION
- BLENDING
- FINISHING
In what styles are fortified wines made?
very diverse range of styles:
- red, white and rosé
- dry to sweet
- youthful, aromatic to fully developed, oxidative
How does the grape variety influence the final wine?
- provide its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the wine
- used as a relatively neutral base for the flavours of maturation
- provide structural components such as acidity, and in black grapes, colour and tannin
Give an example of a fortified wine where the grape variety provides the main flavours of the wine.
Vins Doux Naturels (VDNs) from Muscat
Give an example of a fortified wine where the grape variety doesn’t provide much influence on the flavors of the wine. Describe why.
Sherry
- Palomino is a relatively neutral variety, and the characteristic aromas of Sherry all come from the maturation process
Give an example of a fortified wine where the specific grape variety used helps to impart structure on the final wine.
Madeira
- notable for its high acidity, it’s made with a number of grape varieties, such as Sercial and Verdelho, that have naturally high levels of acidity
Name 2 grape varieties that provide color intensity in Vintage Port.
Touriga Nacional and Sousão
For what styles of fortified wine is a high level of tannin not desired? Give 2 examples.
- early drinking styles of red fortified wines
- examples: Ruby Port or Maury Grenat
What is a benefit of tannins in long-aged wines?
medium (+) or high levels of tannins are beneficial in the color stability
Why are the vineyard site and climate important?
- location, aspect and altitude determine how much wine a plot of land can produce
- low altitude sites can producer fuller wines with riper flavors
Is botrytis desirable in the production of fortified wines?
in no case is botrytis, even as noble rot, desirable
To avoid botrytis, what might the grower do?
growers will be looking to harvest before the increased risk of rain, and hence increased humidity, in the autumn
What styles might be left on the vine longer?
Rutherglen Muscat, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel Sherry
What effect does leaving the grapes on the vine longer have? In what types of wines is this necessary?
- concentrate the sugars
- necessary in these wines that have very high levels of residual sugar
In what types of wines is the extraction of colour, tannins and flavour from the grape skins a key process?
red fortified wines
How long do red fortified wines undergo a period of maceration?
as little as 2-3 days
Why is it important to extract as much compounds as possible during the maceration period? For what types of wines is this most important?
- only have a short period of time to extract
- wines that are to undergo long ageing and hence need high concentrations of colour, tannin and flavours
What industry has developed specialist equipment that permit maximum extraction whilst remaining gentle enough not to crush seeds and release bitter tannins?
Port
In what types of wines is less extraction desirable?
basic Tawny and Rosé Ports
- wines with a paler appearance
Why might a fortified wine producer allow their white grapes to macerate for a limited time on skins? Give examples.
increase body, texture and extract additional flavours
- Madeira, Muscat-based VDNs and White Port
For what types of wines is skin contact not desirable?
- biologically aged Sherries such as Fino and Manzanilla
- the phenolic compounds extracted can restrict the growth of flor yeast
When are dry fortified wines fortified?
once fermentation is complete
When are the majority of sweet fortified wines fortified? Describe how this works.
- midway through fermentation
- stops the fermentation by raising the overall alcohol level above that at which yeasts can operate
- leaving residual sugar that was present in the grapes
How do producers 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
How else might sweet fortified wines be made?
- fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component
Give examples of wines made by fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component.
Sherries such as Pale Cream, Medium and Cream
With what are the majority of fortified wines fortified?
95-96% abv grape spirit
Describe high abv grape spirit added to fortify the wine.
- neutral in aroma and flavour
- do not mask the characteristics of the wine
Why is fortifying with a high abv spirit necessary?
- the high level of alcohol minimises the volume of spirit needed to bring the fortified wine to the required alcoholic strength
- leads to less dilution of the base wine
What is the one exception that’s not fortified with a 95-96% abv grape spirit? With what is it fortified?
- Port
- 77% abv (+/- 0.5%) grape spirit
How does the 77% abv grape spirit affect the wine?
- more of an effect
- lower level of alcohol means it’s more characterful and contributes more of its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the blend
- significant volume of spirit required to bring the partially-fermented must up to its required alcoholic strength
How is the final alcohol level of the wine determined?
by the strength and volume of fortifying spirit added
Give some examples of fortified wines released relatively early from the winery with the intention that they should be drunk soon after release.
VDNs, Ruby and Rosé Ports and some White Ports
How are early-drinking fortified wines stored? What flavors do they exhibit?
- stored in stainless steel or concrete and are protected from oxygen
- youthful, primary flavours
Give some examples of fortified wines released after a short period of ageing with the intention that they will improve in bottle.
vintage and some LBV Ports
How are the fortified wines released after a short period of ageing with the intention that they will improve in bottle stored? Describe how they start and how they age.
- stored for a few years in large oak vessels before bottling
- generally 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
Give some examples of fortified wines that are aged oxidatively.
Tawny Ports, Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscats and some styles of VDNs and Sherries
Describe how fortified wines are aged oxidatively.
maturation is usually carried out in relatively small wooden vessels to encourage oxygen exposure
Why are smaller wooden vessels important for oxidatively-aged fortified wines?
small size also increases the rate of evaporation from the vessel and leads to ullage
What choices the the winemaker have when aging oxidatively?
- how often to top-up the vessels
- whether to fill them completely to the top as part of managing exposure to oxyge
How might the winemaker speed up oxidative aging?
- matured in warm or heated conditions
- speeds up oxidation, evaporation and general maturation
What flavors does oxidative aging impart on the wine?
nuts, caramel and dried fruits
What is biological ageing?
wines are aged under a veil of flor yeast which protects the wine from oxidation, while lowering levels of glycerol (and hence body)
Give 2 examples of fortified wines that go through biological ageing.
Fino and Manzanilla Sherries
What flavors does biological aging impart on the wine?
hay, apple skin, bread dough and nuts.
What is rancio? Where does it come from?
- tasting term used to describe a collection of aromas and flavours such as leather, wood varnish and strong coffee
- compounds extracted from wooden vessels, oxygen and time all play a role
What is maderisation?
the process whereby a wine is heated and oxidised
What types of wine might be blended?
Grapes, must or wines from:
- different grape varieties
- vintages
- vineyard
- wines that have been handled differently in the winery
What are the 6 main aims of blending?
- balance
- consistency
- style
- complexity
- volume
- price
What is important for fortified wines when it comes to blending?
- alcohol is relatively high (compared to unfortified wines)
- therefore wines of good quality and above, this should be integrated within the other components of the wine
How do wines change as they age?
become increasingly concentrated and lose their primary fruit characters
How are wines that undergo long periods of ageing blended? Why?
- 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
Why is it expected that many fortified wines will show consistency year on year?
many fortified wines are non-vintage products
What is static maturation?
- wines of different vintages mature separately
- skilled blenders will taste a variety of wines from different vintages and use their experience to create the blend
What is a solera system?
method of fractional blending which ensure consistency amongst the vessels of a particular age
Give 3 examples of blending for style.
- 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
- sweetened Sherries, the blending in of the sweetening component, such as PX wine, completely transforms the style of the final wine
- house style/brand
Give an example of blending for complexity.
wines of different ages or that have been treated differently in the winery may be blended to gain a greater range of flavours
Give two reasons why of blending for volume is necessary.
- most regions producing fortified wines, vineyard holdings are small and therefore it is necessary to blend grapes from a number of different producers
- 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
What price point are most fortified wines in?
- can reach premium and super-premium prices
- significant proportion of sales volumes are made up of wines that are mid-priced or even inexpensive
Why might a producer decide to add a small amount of older wine to a blend of younger, more simple wines?
to add complexity
Before bottling, what happens to most fortified wines? Why?
- stabilised, fined and filtered
- ensure they are clean and clear for the consumer
What styles of wines are purposely not filtered? Why?
- some styles of Port, such as Vintage, Single Quinta, Crusted and some LBVs
- continue to develop in bottle
What might be noticed when opening a bottle of unfiltered fortified wine? What might be necessary?
- sediment
- decanting or passing the wine through a wine funnel and strainer may be necessary
What is en rama?
some styles of Sherry termed ‘en rama’ either undergo a light fining and filtration or not be fined or filtered at all
Describe en rama wines.
generally more pronounced and complex than their fined and filtered counterparts
What is the one area of difference of the SAT for fortified wines?
assessment of level of alcohol
All fortified wines have abv over what?
15%
What is the alcohol scale used for fortified wines?
- low: 15–16.4% abv
- medium: 16.5–18.4% abv
- high: 18.5% abv and above
