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D5: Fortified Wine > Ch.5 – Vin Doux Naturels > Flashcards

Ch.5 – Vin Doux Naturels Flashcards

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1
Q

Define a a Vin Doux Naturel

A
  • “Naturally sweet wine”
  • A category of French wine made sweet by the addition of spirit during fermentation
  • PDOs spread throughout Roussillon, Languedoc & Southern Rhone
  • 80% production in Roussillon
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2
Q

Climate of VDNs (ie mainly Roussillon)

A
  • Mediterranean
  • Roussillon warmest/driest - Tramontane wind means greater grape transpiration, greater sugar concentration
    • so less spirit needed, as longer fermentation from sugar in grapes
    • but also reduces juice yield
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3
Q

Compare the two main white grapes of VDN

Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria

A
  • BOTH
    • tolerate dry summer growing season
    • susceptible to powdery mildew, botyrtis bunch
  • Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains
    • Most planted Muscat in France
    • Smaller grapes, more intense flavours/aromas
    • Increasingly popular in dry, unfortified (blending or single varietal)
    • also susceptible to mites
  • Muscat of Alexandria
    • bigger grapes, achieves high sugar levels
    • but less refined than MBaPB so on the decline
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4
Q

All the grapes likely found in VDNs

A
  • Whites
    • Muscat Blanc a Petit Blancs
    • Muscat Alexandria
    • Grenache Blanc
    • Macabeu
    • Grenache Gris
  • Reds
    • Grenache Noir
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5
Q

Pros & cons of Grenache Noir for making VDNs?

A
  • PROS
    • late ripening
    • drought resistant
    • high yields (though needs control or pale colour)
    • accumulates sugar quickly
  • CONS
    • pale colour if yields uncontrolled
    • Susceptible to a number of yield-reducing fungi
      • coulure at fruit set
      • downy mildew
      • phomopsis
      • botrytis bunch rot
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6
Q

Vineyard Management in VDNs

A
  • Warm climate - shady canopy v sunburn/shrivel (esp for unaged style of Muscats)
  • Yields small - generally a maximum of around 30hL/ha
  • Usually hand harvest (several passes) to
    • ensure ripeness, no late harvest, botrytised characters
    • law: pick with min 14.8% abv potential alcohol
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7
Q

What is the legal minimum potential alcohol required at harvest for VDNs

A

14.8%

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8
Q

Minimum residual sugar levels in VDNs

A
  • 100g/l to 125g/l Muscat based, depending on individual appellation
  • 45g/l Grenache based (though usually @100g/l)
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9
Q

Why don’t VDNs have a particularly spirity character?

A
  1. Fortifying spirit is 95-6% abv - a neutral character and
  2. Only 5-10% of the wine is made of the spirit (because spirit is added when fermentation reaches 5-8% abv to make wines of 15-18%)
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10
Q

How are unaged VDNs kept as fresh as possible?

A
  • Must and wine are protected from oxygen through the wine-making process to retain primary aromas
  • Fermentation is cool (15C) to enhance fruity ester aromas
  • The must may be chilled and stored for months and then fermented to demand
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11
Q

Pressing and fermention of white VDNs

A
  • Most are pressed and the must fermented off the skins, protected from oxygen to retain fresh, primary, aromatic flavours
  • Some winemakers might add 6-24 hours skin contact to extract greater aroma from the skins and add press juice to free run juice for extra body and texture
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12
Q

How do VDNs made from black grapes ensure they have the structure and flavours for long ageing?

A
  • Ferment and fortify the must in contact with skins
  • Ferment at 28C to promote extraction but retain fruit (in stainless steel to control temperature)
  • Adding fortifying alcohol increases extraction of colour, flavours and tannins
  • Maceration on skins for 2 weeks after fortification
  • Cap management techniques like pumping over and punching down maximise extraction
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13
Q

Maturation of Youthful Unaged VDNs

A
  • Released for sale a few months after fermentation
  • Stored in closed, stainless steel vessels, cool, constant temperature, protected from oygen eg blanket inert gas
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14
Q

Flavour profiles of Youthful Unaged VDNs

A
  • MUSCAT based
    • floral and grapey aromas, possibly peach, pear and honey
  • GRENACHE based
    • blackberries, raspberries and plums
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15
Q

Maturation of Oxidatively aged VDNs

A
  • Options for vessels
    • Old oak barrels, not topped up, encourages oxidation
    • Glass demi-johns (“bonbonnes”) not quite full, unstoppered, left in sun to accelerate ageing.
      • Can be directly bottled for sale
      • transferred to barrels for further maturation
      • used as blending component with barrel-aged wines
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16
Q

What are the two VDNs appellations in the Rhone?

A
  • Muscat de Beaumes-de Venise (mainly white)
  • Vin Doux Naturel Rasteau (mainly red)
17
Q

Describe Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

A
  • VDN appellation
  • planted on SE facing terraces on slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail, sheltered from Mistral
  • 95% white VDN from Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains - unaged style, protective wine-making, primary blossom, grape, peach and honey. Med body, med acidity, low 15% alcohol. eg Dom des Bernardins
  • Muscat a Petits Grains Rouge - dark-skinned mutation (Brown Muscat in Australia) can make red & rosé VDN
18
Q

Describe Vin Doux Naturel Rasteau

A
  • VDN appellation in Rhone
  • Mostly red
  • rosé (saignée method, fortified off skin), white - tiny
  • Red minimum 75% Grenache Noir,
    • Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and other Southern Rhone varieties make up balance
  • Gentle S facing slopes, max sun, some protection from Mistral = very ripe grapes for fortified, juicy, almost jammy fruit.
    • unaged cherries & plums
    • oxidative styles dried fruits and nutty hints
  • Alcohol levels low- medium (16-18%)
19
Q

VDNs of the Languedoc

A
  • there are 4 VDN appellations, subtle differences
  • all wines must be
    • 100% Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains
    • unaged style
  • Muscat de Frontignan is low altitude S-W of Montpelier, warm, produces fuller body style, tropical fruits
  • Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois NE corner of Minervois, 200-300m, more continental - higher acidity, lighter body, stone fruit & floral
20
Q

What percentage of Languedoc’s total production is VDN?

Compared to Roussillon’s?

A
  • Languedoc 2%
  • Roussillon 45%
21
Q

List the six VDN styles in Roussillon

A
  1. Grenat (Maury/Rivesaltes) Rimage (Banyuls) unaged red.
  2. Blanc unaged white
  3. Tuilé (Maury/Rivesaltes) Traditionnel (Banyuls) oxidatively aged red
  4. Ambré oxidatively aged white
  5. Hors d’âge red or white oxidatively aged longer than tuilé or ambré
  6. Rancio red or white with rancio character
22
Q

the 5 leading AOCs of Roussillon

A
  1. Banyuls AOC
  2. Banyuls Grand Cru AOC
  3. Maury AOC
  4. Muscat de Rivesaltes AOC
  5. Rivesaltes AOC
23
Q

What does the Grand Roussillon AOC cover?

A
  • a wide but delineated area for VDNs produced outside the five leading AOCs (Banyuls, Banyuls Grand Cru,

Maury, Muscate de Rivesaltes, Rivesaltes) but can include declassified wines from these 5 AOCs

24
Q

Describe Banyuls AOC

A
  • VDN appellation of Roussillon
  • East end of Pyrenees, bordered by Mediterranean to East and Spain to South
  • Vineyards steep, terraced schist slopes.
  • Reds - minimum 50% Grenache Noir, can incl Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris
  • Small amount of white
  • Producer eg Dom Vial-Magneres
25
Q

Banyuls Grand Cru AOC

A
  • VDN appellation of Roussillon
  • Same area, vineyard style as Banyuls
  • BUT only reds
    • minimum 75% Grenache Noir (rest can incl Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris)
    • > 30 months maturation (ie Tuilé, Hors d’âge or Rancio in style)
26
Q

Describe Maury AOC

A
  • VDN appellation of Roussillon
  • In North of Roussillon
  • Vines 100-400m in foothills Pyrenees
  • dark schist soil store day heat, release at night - ripening
  • Red VDNs minimum 75% Grenache Noir
  • Small white, unaged style
  • Dry unfortified wines (Maury Sec AOC)
27
Q

Describe Muscat de Rivesaltes AOC

A
  • VDN appellation of Roussillon
  • By far largest appellation in terms of production
    • often blend of the two Muscats
    • only unaged style
28
Q

Describe Rivesaltes AOC

A
  • VDN appellation of Roussillon
  • In North of Roussillon close to Mediterranean
  • Make range of styles, red and white:
    • Grenat
    • Tuilé
    • Ambré
    • Hors d’âge
    • Rancio
  • Whites only a maximum of 20% Muscat, balance from Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Macabeu, Malvoisie
  • Reds mainly Grenache Noir
  • Dom Cazes a major producer

D5: Fortified Wine (6 decks)

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