Fortified General/History

Question 1

How are fortified wines made?

Answer 1

Manipulated through the addition of neutral grape spirit, in order to strengthen the base wines for the purpose of added body, warmth, durability or ageworthiness.

Question 2

What are the three great archetypes of fortified wines?

Answer 2

Port, Madeira, and Sherry.

Question 3

Besides Port, Madeira, and Sherry name other fortified wines.

Answer 3

Look these up and define

• Marsala from Sicily
• VDN in France—Banyuls, Muscat de Frontignan, etc.
• Setúbal, Carcavelos, and Pico in Portugal
• Sherry’s close cousins Málaga, Montilla-Moriles, and Condado de Huelva;
• Greece’s PDO/OPE wines (i.e. Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras, Mavrodaphne of Patras)
• the many fading traditional styles of the Iberian peninsula—Tarragona Clásico, Rueda Dorado, etc.

Question 4

Is Vermouth and quinquinas a fortified wine?

Answer 4

Yes, but they are flavored by maceration and additional herbs and spices (cinchona bark is essential to the flavor of quinquinas) and are properly considered aromatized wines.

Question 5

What are the three general methods of fortification?

Answer 5

First method: Wine’s fermentation may be arrested through the addition of spirit while sugars remain (as in the case of Port)

Second method: wine may be fortified after the fermentation has concluded (as in the case of Sherry). This method produces a dry fortified wine, although the winemaker may restore sweetness by the addition of sweetened wine or grape syrup.

Third method, in which grape must is fortified prior to fermentation, produces a mistelle rather than a fortified wine. This category was once exclusively known as vins de liqueur (liqueur wines), but the EU has extended its definition to include all fortified wines.

Question 6

What is the difference between a fortified wine and a mistelle?

Answer 6

With a mistelle, grape must is fortified prior to fermentation, and produces a mistelle rather than a fortified wine. This category was once exclusively known as vins de liqueur (liqueur wines), but the EU has extended its definition to include all fortified wines.

Question 7

Name regions associated with vin de liqueur (mistelle).

Answer 7

Although known as Mistelles, the term vins de liqueur is still popularly used in France. This includes:

Ratafia in Champagne

Pineau des Charentes in Cognac

Floc de Gascogne in Armagnac

Macvin du Jura in Jura

Define each of these individually as flashcards.