Aromatised Wines Flashcards
Aromatised wines… start off as wine and then (2)?
- It gets flavoured with botanicals, flavoured distillates, tinctures and optionally,sugar and caramel
- It gets fortified with distilled alcohol and optionally sweetened and/or coloured
Vermouth’s colouring is typically achieved using what?
Caramel
Most aromatised red wines are white wines coloured with caramel.
Name a prominent exception, made with red grapes.
Dubonnet
Most producers of aromatised wine use neutral, high acid white grapes… name some:
Picpoul Clairette Blanche Colombard Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano) Macabeu Moscato
How, typically, do producers process the botanicals for aromatised wines?
Usually… each botanical is processed individually (either re-distillation or maceration) and then blended
Name the active ingredient in Wormwood
Thujone
What is the ABV range for bottles of aromatised wines, as specified in law
14.5% to 22% ABV
What limits exist as to the range of flavours allowed in aromatised wines?
Er, none.
But all the recipes are closely guarded secrets
An aromatised wine that’s had a dose of distilled alcohol to raise its ABV is said to be have been, what?
Fortified
Why are aromatised wines fortified?
Stabilises the wine - Kills off any chances of further yeast driven fermentation in a (frequently) sweetened product.
(Much like Port)
Do aromatised have to be fortified with neutral distilled alcohol?
No, though most.
Maturation of aromatised wines…
In what and for how long?
Usually in stainless steel for not very long
Some however use oak
What is the most important aromatised wine made in S.E.France and N.W.Italy?
Vermouth
EU law states that which botanical must be used in Vermouth?
Wormwood
Absinthe and Vermouth have what in common?
Wormwood is a required botanical
