1. Key Options for Style, Quality, Price in Fortified Wines

Question 1

What key options affect style, quality, price in FW?

Answer 1

1. Range of style (youthful/aromatic… or.. fully developed/oxidative)
2. Grape variety
   
   • Acidity
   • Colour
   • Tannin
3. Vineyard - location, climate, soils
4. Harvest Timing
5. Skin contact and extraction
6. Fortification - Timing / nature of spirit
7. Maturation
8. Blending
9. Finishing

Question 2

How will grape variety affect style

Answer 2

Variety

Aromatic - Muscat

• e.g.muscat - normally protectively vinified, early release, but even oxidatively aged smells typical

Non-aromatic- Palomino

• Sherry gets all aromas from oxidative ageing

Acidity

• Madeira noted for high acidity
• Sherry has low acidity, characteristic of the Palomino grape, however it is masked by high alcohol and dry palate

Colour

• Port - Tawny need to look aged quickly - blend will use base wine with suitable colour - Tawnies are lighter than vintage ports
• V Port needs deep colour retention over decades of maturation - base wines from grapes that enhance the colour Touriga Nacional, Sousao

Tannin

• For early drinking FW (Ruby Port, Maury Grenat) high levels of tannin not required
• For long aged wines, tannins improve colour stability - med/high tannins desired
  
  • Tannins soften with age and become integrated - provide structure and balance on palate.

Question 3

Comment on acidity levels in fortified wines (Sherry, Port, Madeira, VDN)

Answer 3

Sherry - low acidity is characteristic of the Palomino grape. The low acidity is masked by the dryness/high alcohol of the wine.

Madeira noted for its high acidity. Not only are grape varieties Sercial and Verdehlo naturally high in acid, the evaporation of water while the wine matures concentrates the acidity and also there is no malolactic conversion to soften the acidity (aromas not desired).

Port - typically med+ or high acid. As the grapes are picked ripe (not overripe) acidity may drop and PH might be high, therefore acidification is common.

VDN
Rhone : generally med acidity (warmer climate)
Languedoc : acid is slightly higher (cooler climate)
Roussillon

Rutherglen Muscat
R Muscat & Classic R Muscat : med+ acidity (evaporation)
Grand and Rare styles : high acidity (more evaporation)

Question 4

How might vineyard location influence quality, style, price?

Answer 4

Location

• Douro vineyards are scored /categorised according to location/aspect/altitude
  
  • this determines how much a VY may produce ~designed to keep quality std and supply bal with demand
• VPort often made from fruit from high-scored plots: hiqh quality fruit - OS wine - ages well.

Vineyards Management

• Cost to produce is influenced by the vineyard location
  
  • Sherry - increasingly cordon trained, spur pruned and VSP trellisin - support mechanisation
  • Port - Socalcos - hand labour only, high maintenance walls add to price; Petamares partly mechanised, Vinho ao Alto higher degree mech… but overall highly manual vy maint and harvest - adds to prod cost thus price.
  • Madeira - mountainous, vy on terraces, pergolas (latadas) harvesting by hand - adds to cost.
  • VDN’s - firstly the grapes are largely planted on steep slopes for diurnal range, secondly due to care needed in harvest for selection on ripeness/acid ~ hand harvest and several passes.

Climate / Growing Environment

• Warmer climates - riper fuller flavours
  
  • Muscat de Frontignan - Languedoc - ripe, fuller flavour
  • Muscat de St Jean de Minervois - hi alt, less ripe, leaner.
• Many of varieties used in fortified wines are grown on slopes of more or less steepness either because that is the natural topography (Douro / Madeira) or by choice for best diurnal range and quality of fruit (VDN’s and RM)

Question 5

What factors are considered when deciding the timing of harvest for grapes being grown for FW.

Answer 5

• Botrytis / grey rot are not desired.
  
  • Harvest timed to avoid rain and humidity during Autumn
• Fruit will be picked as soon as min pot alc level (reqd by law) is reached (avoid unripe flavours)
  
  • Palomino - fruit flavour not a concern - health of grapes more important.
• If grapes tb raisined, (Rutherglen Muscat, Pedro Ximenez) they are left on vine to shrivel - concentrate sugars.

Question 6

Skin contact - yes or no? Which styles?

Answer 6

Yes - Key for some sweeter styles

• if fortified midway through fermentation, limits maceration time 2-3 days
• long ageing Reds wines need concentrated colour/tannin for flavour
  
  • mac technique is important

Sherry

• yes if selected for oxidative maturation
• NO phenolics for bio ageing (Fino) - it restricts flor dev/growth

Port - all styles

• specialist equipment extracts efficient, gentle (not to crush seed)
• sweet wines limit of 2/3 days as fortification interrupts at 5% - 7%
• Tawny/Rose Port - lightly extracted
• White Port - hours for fresher style, longer if oxidative style - extraction of phenolics to support long ageing

Madeira

• for Tinta Negra wine, possibly also for other styles per producer

VDN:

• white - normally fermented off skins, 6-24 hrs for aromas - some prod
• Red - fermented on skin, with weeks of post ferm maceration per style + cap mgmt techniques

Rutherglen Muscat

• lies on its skin after reception and crush, then drained. Press juice also used.

No
Fino / Manzanilla - phenolic compounts restrict growth of flor yeast (biological maturation).

Question 7

Comment on how timing of fortification affects style, and explain the process & fort spirit used, across all styles.

Answer 7

Dry wines - fortify after fermentation complete

Sweet wines - majortiy fortified midway through ferm

• Ferm stopped by raising alc level above that at which yeast can survive, leaving RS from grapes
  
  • Fortification calculated and timed according to level of RS desired in final wine (the earlier the higher)
• Pale Cream / Med Cream / Cream
  
  • made by ferment to dry and add sweetner (different style)
  • e.g. Cream = Olorosa sweetened with PX (generally)
  • for dry aged Palomino character with raisined sweetness of PX
• Fortification Spirit
  
  • Majority 95-96% abv grape spirit, neutral, and small qty needed
  • Port : 77% abv means higher vol reqd thus will add own char + flav to final wine
    
    • Significant vol needed to bring wine to 19-22%abv
    • Choice may be aromatic or neutral Aguardente

Question 8

What are the different maturation processes (the defining step) for FW?

What is the meaning of maderisation?

What is the meaning of the term Rancio

Answer 8

1. Early Release

• some VDN’s, Ruby/Rose Ports, some white Ports
• stored in ss or concrete protected from oxygen
• retains and shows fresh, youthful, primary flavours.

2. Oak Maturation to bottling

• Vintage and LBV Ports
  
  • few years in large oak before bottling
  • initially very concentrated and high tannin
  • after some years fresh fruit to tertiary dried fruit, tannins soften and integrate.
• improves in bottle

3. Oxidatively Aged

• Includes Tawny Port, Madeira, Rutherglen Muscat, some VDNs and Sherries
  
  • Extended periods of time in barrel
  • Small barrels increase O2 exposure, evap & need to fill up.
    
    • Decision to fill up to top or leave ullage will limit or increase oxidation
  • A number of wines are matured in warm conditions (Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscats) speeds up oxidation, evap. and maturation
  • Oxidative ageing gives flavours of nuts, caramel, dried fruit.
• Once bottled will not improve and should be drunk to enjoy at best.

4. Biological ageing

• Fino and Manzanilla sherries
• aged under veil of flor yeast
  
  • protects wine from oxidation
  • lowers levels of glycerol (therefore body)
• aromas of hay, apple skin, bread, dough, nuts.
• Once bottled will not improve and should be drunk to enjoy at best.

.———–

Maderisation means….

• The process of heating and oxidising a wine
  
  • derived from Madeira practice

Rancio means…..

• A tasting term, collection of aromas found in some styles
  
  • leather, wood varnish, coffee
  • chemistry concerning their origin not well understood - compounds extracted from wood, O2, time, all play a role

Question 9

Describe the reasons for and effects of blending in FW

Answer 9

Bill Cosby Says Children Make Valuable Players

• Varieties/vintages/sites/wm techniques per fraction
• Mb within regulation

Balance

• Specifically noted in Sherry and Rutherglen
• All FW has hi alc ~ best if well integ with other components for best Q
  
  • Aged wines become inc concentrated, lose primary fruit char, inc complexity
  • Better balance in final wine from blending younger and older - gives a degree of freshness against dev flavours

Consistency

• FW mostly non-vintage - year on year consistency nb
  
  • Blends from vintages matured separately
• Sherry - solera used- fractional blending to ensure consistency in vessels of a part age
  
  • Modified version of solera for Ruth. Muscat

Style

• Blending for style: colour, sweetness, house style, or a certain brand
• Port - blend of var influences col, tann, flav conc
  
  • in turn this influences age-ability of young wine
• Sweetened sherries - blending with PX

Complexity - as normal: Old/young wine; diff wm techniques

Min Faults (not included here)

Volume - as normal (smaller prod; wine from small barrels; overlap consistency

• In addition to normal, when FW is matured in small vessels - these must be blended to ensure product in bottle is consistent with style

Price - as normal a little bit of matured added to younger cheaper to meet price point with reasonable quality

Question 10

Comment on finishing of FW

Describe what low/med/high alcohol means ito FW

Answer 10

Majority stabilised, fined, filtered bottled - clean and clear for the consumer

Some (Port: Vintage, Single Quinta; Crusted; LBV)

• purposely not filtered
• Cont to dev in bottle
• Throw a sediment, and need decanting/straining

Sherries “Enrama”

• some undergo light fining / filtration
• Others not fined or filtered at all - for more pronounced flavours and complexity.

Alcohol levels of FW

Low: 15 - 16.4% abv

Med 16.5 - 18.4% abv

High >18.5 % abv

Question 11

Colours of Fortified Wines - What’s in the glass?

Answer 11

Yellow / Pale Lemon

• Fino
  
  • Biological ageing
  • aromas of nuts, appleskin, olive brine, dough, hay,
  • CHAMOMILE? = Manzanilla (Manzanilla means chamomile in Spanish)
• Muscat
  
  • SS / Concrete, protective winemaking
  • aromas: floral rose, blossom; grapes; lychee

Deep Ruby

• Port or Grenache?
  
  • Port = high alcohol
    
    • Aromas: black fruit
  • Grenache = not such high alcohol
    
    • Aromas: red fruit