Fortified Flashcards
What is the fundamental reason for fortifying wine historically?
Adding distilled spirit to wine preserves it from spoilage/oxidation, enabling it to survive long transport (particularly used by the English and Dutch in 17th-18th centuries).
When can fortification occur in wine production?
Either before, during, or after fermentation. The timing affects the wine’s sweetness and style.
What happens if wine is fortified BEFORE fermentation?
This creates a “vin de liqueur” or “mistelle,” never truly fermented. The added spirit halts fermentation at 0% alc from grapes, yielding a sweet, unfermented base (e.g., Pineau des Charentes in France, or Macvin).
How does fortification DURING fermentation affect the wine?
It stops fermentation early, leaving residual sugar. This is how Port, Banyuls, and Vin Doux Naturels are made – typically around 16–22% abv.
Which style emerges from fortifying AFTER fermentation?
These wines ferment dry, then are fortified. Sherry is the main example, adding spirit to 15–18% abv, then undergoing either biological or oxidative aging.
What are the most famous fortified wines globally?
Port (Portugal), Sherry (Spain), and Madeira (Portugal), plus styles like Banyuls, Vin Doux Naturel, Marsala, Rutherglen Muscat, etc.
What is Port?
A fortified wine from the Douro region of Portugal, made by adding grape spirit (aguardente) during fermentation to preserve natural sugar.
What are the main red grapes for Port?
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tinta Amarela, etc.
How does the Douro fermentation typically happen for Port?
Short, intense maceration (2-3 days), often in lagares with foot-treading or mechanical equivalents at high temperatures (79–84°F). At ~8% abv, spirit is added to halt fermentation.
What is “aguardente” or “beneficio” in Port making?
It’s the grape spirit used for fortifying Port, raising alcohol to ~17–22% abv.
Which broad categories does Port generally split into?
Ruby-style (ruby, reserve, LBV, vintage) vs. Tawny-style (tawny, aged tawny, colheita).
Define Ruby Port.
A basic, youthful style aged in large vats 2-3 years, non-vintage, fruit-forward. The simplest form of Port.
Explain Ruby Reserve Port.
A slightly higher-quality Ruby (sometimes “Premium Ruby”), sees a bit more aging or better lots. Also not vintage dated.
How does Vintage Port differ from Ruby Reserve?
Vintage Port is declared in exceptional years, bottled after ~2-3 years cask aging. Meant for decades of bottle aging. It’s from a single harvest, intense, tannic, and rare.
What is Single Quinta Vintage Port?
Vintage Port from one estate’s fruit. Used in years a house doesn’t declare a general vintage but has top fruit from a prime “quinta.” Examples: Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas.
Define Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port.
Wine from a single vintage aged 4–6 years in cask, bottled later than standard vintage port. Typically ready to drink sooner but can vary; some unfiltered LBVs can age.
When do you decant a Vintage Port?
Often recommended after 10–20+ years of bottle age to remove heavy sediment. Vintage Ports throw substantial sediment.
Tawny Port: how is it produced?
Either from lighter extractions or extended cask aging that oxidizes color from ruby → tawny. Basic Tawny is simplest, short-cask or use of white grapes for color adjustment.
Explain Reserve Tawny Port.
Aged minimum of 7 years in wood, showing some oxidative, nutty character. A step up in complexity from basic tawny.
What are Tawny Ports with Indication of Age (10, 20, 30, 40)?
They are blended wines reflecting an “average taste” of that age bracket. True age can be younger or older, but must taste like a 10/20/30/40-year-old Tawny.
Describe Colheita Tawny.
It’s a single-vintage tawny, aged at least 7 years in cask (often much longer). Repeated topping can allow extremely long barrel aging before bottling.
Why is Madeira considered “intentionally cooked” wine?
It’s subjected to heat and oxygen intentionally (estufagem or canteiro), which gives it a unique caramelized, nutty character, making it nearly indestructible to oxidation.
Name the two main heating methods for Madeira.
Estufagem (stainless vats with heating coils ~113–122°F for ~3 months) or Canteiro (barrel-aged in warm attics for at least 2 years).
Which method is used to make top-quality Madeira?
Canteiro is the more traditional, high-quality approach; the wines develop complexity slowly under mild heat/cooling cycles in barrels.
When is Madeira usually fortified, and why?
Depending on style: sweet styles are fortified during fermentation, halting it to retain sugar. Drier styles ferment fully, then are fortified.
Name the “noble” single varietals in Madeira.
Sercial (driest), Verdelho (off-dry), Boal/Bual (sweet), Malmsey (Malvasia) (sweetest), plus Terrantez (rare, variable sweetness). Tinta Negra is the workhorse grape for blends and basic styles.
Explain Sercial’s style/flavor.
High acid, “driest” Madeira (though still 40 g/L sugar max). Features almond, nutty notes, tangy palate.
Describe Verdelho Madeira.
It’s medium-dry, slightly darker than Sercial, with mild smokiness and dried-fruit notes (approx. 50-60 g/L sugar).
What about Boal/Bual Madeira?
Sweet style (70-80 g/L sugar), known for fig, candied fruit, luscious body, moderate acidity. Boal/Bual is name of grape variety
Define Malmsey.
The sweetest, from Malvasia grapes, with intense toffee, caramel, chocolate notes, balanced by vibrant acidity.
Which designations indicate aging levels for Madeira?
- 3 Year (Finest/Seleccionado)
- 5 Year (Reserve)
- 10 Year (Special Reserve)
- 15 Year (Extra Reserve)
- Colheita (single vintage, 5+ years cask)
- Frasqueira (20+ years cask, single variety/vintage, top-quality).
Distinguish Estufagem from Canteiro regarding minimal aging.
Estufagem wines rest min 90 days after heating, typically 2+ years total before bottling. Canteiro wines see min 2 years in cask, often far more.
Explain Madeira’s 3-tier trade structure.
Production companies (only ~8 big players), Shipping companies (buy finished or partly aged wines to market), and Partidistas (middlemen who age/broker younger wines).
Where is Sherry made?
Jerez region in southwest Spain (Andalucía), near towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María.
Which 3 main grapes are authorized for Sherry?
Palomino (primary for dry Sherry), Pedro Ximénez (for sweet wines, blending), and Moscatel (less common, also sweet/fortified).
Explain how Sherry fermentation is done.
Grapes pressed, must clarified, fermented dry in stainless steel. Then wines are fortified differently depending on whether they’re destined for fino (biological) or oloroso (oxidative).
What is flor in Sherry production?
A film of special yeast on the wine surface that “consumes” glycerin/alcohol/volatile acids, protecting the wine from oxidation, key to Fino/Manzanilla.
How are fino vs. oloroso Sherries distinguished at the start?
Finer base wines (palo) go to Fino, fortified to ~15%. They develop flor in cask. Richer/coarser wines (gordura) are fortified to ~17–18%, killing flor, for Oloroso.
What is a solera system?
A fractional blending method with multiple criaderas. The oldest “Solera” barrels (on bottom or designated line) are partially drawn off for bottling, then replenished with younger wine from upper tiers.
Name Sherry’s main sub-styles under flor.
Fino, Manzanilla (Fino from Sanlúcar de Barrameda), Amontillado (begins as fino, then fortified higher for oxidative aging).
Which Sherry style is fully oxidative from the start?
Oloroso, aged without flor at ~17–18% abv, developing nutty, caramel notes.
What is Palo Cortado?
A rare style that starts under flor (like Fino/Amontillado) but unexpectedly loses flor and is redirected to an Oloroso-like oxidative path, bridging both styles.
Which sweetening agents are used in Sherry’s final “cabeceo”?
Concentrated sweet must (dulce pasa, dulce de almíbar) or PX-based sweet wine. This step adjusts dryness or creates dessert styles (Cream, Medium, Pale Cream).
Define Manzanilla.
A Fino-style Sherry exclusively from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, showing a salty, chamomile (“manzanilla”=chamomile in Spanish) note from maritime influence.
Distinguish Amontillado from Fino.
Amontillado begins under flor (like Fino) but is then fortified to ~17% for oxidation, merging tangy flor-derived notes with walnut/caramel oxidative traits.
Explain Cream Sherry.
Any Oloroso or aged base sweetened to >=11% residual sugar, often served as a dessert or after-dinner wine. Lighter style is “Pale Cream.”
Name the famed sweet wine from Sherry using dried PX grapes.
Pedro Ximénez Sherry – intensely sweet, dark, fig/molasses-like with up to 40-50% residual sugar. Usually from sun-dried PX grapes.
What does “solera” refer to?
The lowest tier or final aging stage in fractional blending. Also used as a general term for the entire system of casks.
What is a criadera in Sherry?
Each level of butts in the solera above the solera level, holding successively younger wine to refresh the older wines below.
Define trasiegos.
In Solera: Moves or “racking” of wine from one criadera to the next, carefully blending to maintain consistent house style.
Give a quick difference among Port, Madeira, Sherry.
Port = fortified mid-fermentation (sweet) from Douro.
Madeira = heated/oxidative, can be sweet or dry, often Canteiro/Estufagem.
Sherry = post-fermentation fortification, aged biologically (flor) or oxidatively in a solera.
