1. Key choices in affecting style, quality and price in fortified wines Flashcards
What is an example of a grape variety and two corresponding styles of fortified wine where the grape provides the main flavours to the wine?
1) Muscat.
2) Vin Doux Naturels (VDNs)/Rutherglen Muscat.
How are the fruity flavours of Muscat enhanced in the winemaking of VDNs?
Protective winemaking and early release.
Madeira is notable for what key structural attribute?
High acidity.
How is the high acidity in Madeira achieved?
It is made with a number of grape varieties that have naturally high levels of acidity including Sercial and Verdelho.
The acidity levels in Fino and Palomino is generally what level?
Low.
What three attributes of Fino and Manzanillo give the sensation of high acidity?
1) Bone-dry palate
2) Low glycerol
3) Acetaldehyde pungency
Is Port usually made from a single grape or a blend?
A blend.
To achieve a deep colour in Vintage Port, what grape varieties might be used?
Touriga Nacional
Sousao
How are the vineyards of the Douro scored (3 factors)?
1) Location
2) Aspect
3) Altitude.
What does the score of a Douro vineyard determine?
If and how much Port wine that plot of land can produce.
What style of wine does Muscat de Frontignan (Languedoc) produce when compared with Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois?
Fuller wines with riper flavours.
What altitude are the vineyards of Muscat de Frontignan (Languedoc)?
Low.
What style of wine does Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois produce?
Lighter wines with less ripe flavours.
What altitude are the vineyards of Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois?
High.
Is botrytis a desired attribute in fortified wine?
No.
When will growers of fruit destined for fortified wines seek to harvest?
Before the increased risk of rain and humidity that comes in the autumn.
In the case of Sherry made from Palomino what is most important with respect to the fruit and the timing of harvest?
Its potential alcohol and health (disease-free).
For what styles are grapes typically left on the vine for longer than would normally be required?
Rutherglen Muscat
PX
Moscatel Sherry
Why might grapes typically left on the vine for longer than would normally be required for certain styles?
To achieve the higher concentration of sugars that comes with extra maturity.
The period of maceration for fortified red wines typically lasts how long?
2-3 days.
Why is the period of maceration for fortified red wines typically short?
The wines are fortified while grape sugars remain to give a sweet final wine.
For what styles of white fortified wine might a winemaker allow the skins to remain in contact with the juice?
Madeira
Muscat-based VDNs
White Port
Why might a winemaker allow the skins to remain in contact with the juice for certain styles of white fortified wines?
To increase body and texture.
To extract more flavours.
Why is skin contact undesirable for the production of biologically aged Sherries?
The phenolic compounds can restrict the growth of flor yeast.
At what stage are dry fortified wines fortified?
Once fermentation is complete.
At what stage are sweet fortified wines fortified?
Midway through fermentation.
What two effects does fortifying a wine midway through fermentation have?
1) Raises the overall alcohol level above that at which yeasts can operate.
2) Leaves residual sugar.
What three styles of wine are fermented to dryness and sweetened with a sweetening component?
1) Pale Cream
2) Medium
3) Cream
How is Cream Sherry produced?
A dry Oloroso is often blended with PX.
What effect does adding PX to dry Oloroso have in the creation of Cream Sherry?
Combines the characteristics of oxidatively aged, dry Palomino with raisined PX.
The majority of fortified wines are fortified with what % ABV grape spirit?
95-96%.
95-96% grape spirit is (characteristic)?
Neutral in aroma and flavour.
Why should a high ABV grape spirit be used in the fortification of most wines?
The high alcohol minimises the amount required and so prevents dilution of the base wine.
What % ABV grape spirit is used to fortify Port?
77% (+/- 0.5%).
The grape spirit used to fortify Port has what effect on the final wine?
It is more characterful and contributes more own its own aromas and flavours.
The lower ABV of grape spirit used to fortify Port means what (2)?
1) More by volume is required to fortify to the required strength.
2) The style and quality influences the style and quality of the final wine.
What are four styles of fortified wine often released early from the winery?
1) VDNs
2) Rose Port
3) Ruby Port
4) White Port
What two vessels might VDNs, Rose, Ruby and White Ports be matured in?
Stainless steel
Concrete
What aroma and flavour profiles might VDNs, Rose, Ruby and White Ports show when matured in their typical vessel types?
Youthful, primary, fruit-forward.
Why might VDNs, Rose, Ruby and White Ports be matured in inert vessels?
To protect from oxygen and preserve youthful, primary fruit.
What two styles of Port might be released after a short period of ageing with the intention they’ll improve in bottle?
1) LBV Port
2) Vintage Port
What type of vessel might LBV and Vintage Ports be matured in?
Large oak.
What effects might small wooden vessels have on Tawny Port, Madeira, Rutherglen Muscat and some styles of VDNs?
An oxidative effect encouraging the development of nuts, caramel, dried fruits and a paler colour.
What impact might warm or heated conditions have on the oxidation, evaporation and maturation?
Quickens the process.
What characteristics does biological ageing create in Fino and Manzanilla Sherries?
Creates aromas of hay, apple skin, bread dough and nuts.
What is Madeirisation?
The process whereby a wine is heated and oxidised.
What is Rancio?
A tasting term used to describe a collection of aromas and flavours such as leather, wood varnish, strong coffee.
What are three ways that rancio flavours might be achieved?
1) Compounds extracted from oak.
2) Oxidation.
3) Length of maturation.
The blend of a fortified wine may comprise of different parcels of fruit, must or wine. What are four examples?
Different:
1) Grapes/must/wine
2) Vintages
3) Vineyards
4)Handled differently in the winery
What are the six key aims of blending?
1) Balance
2) Consistency
3) Style
4) Complexity
5) Volume
6) Price
The relatively high alcohol of fortified wines means that wines of good quality and above must show what?
Integration of the alcohol with other components of the wine.
How might a better balanced final wine be achieved and why?
Blending younger wines with older wines to provide a degree of freshness.
What are two styles that typically blend younger wines with older wines?
1) Sherry
2) Rutherglen Muscat
Many fortified wines are NV products and so are expected to show what year on year?
Consistency.
What is ‘static maturation’?
Where wines of different vintages are matured separately.
When might wines in static maturation be blended?
When skilled blenders taste a variety of wines from different vintages to create a blend.
What is a solera system?
A method of fractional blending that ensures consistency among vessels of a particular age.
Where is a modified version of the solera system used?
Rutherglen Muscat.
In Port, the blend of grape varieties is an important factor in what three components of a young wine?
1) Colour
2) Tannin
3) Flavour concentration
What might the colour, tannin and flavour concentration in young Port determine?
Its ability to age.
Brands are important in fortified wine categories so blending is often used to what?
Create a certain house style.
How might complexity be achieved?
By blending wines of different ages or that have been treated differently in the winery.
What two reasons might make it necessary to blend grapes from a number of different producers?
1) Vineyard holdings are small in most regions producing fortified wines.
2) A number of fortified wines are matured in small vessels so blending is required to make up sufficient volumes of consistent wines.
In order to obtain a best value product, the producer might what?
Decide to add a small amount of older wine to a younger wine to give complexity.
What four styles of Port might not be filtered?
1) Vintage
2) Single Quinta
3) Crusted
4) Some LBVs
What effect might a light or no fining or filtration have on en rama Sherry?
Produce a more pronounced, complex style.
The SAT scale of alcohol for fortified wine is:
Low - 15-16.4%
Medium - 16.5-18.4%
High - 18.5 and above
Why is the potential alcohol and fruit health of Palomino more important than range of flavours?
Palomino is a neutral variety and Sherries produced from this grape derive their flavours from maturation processes rather then the fruit itself.
