Fortified Muscats and Other Sweet Wines

Question 1

What are some common characteristics of the Muscat grape family?

Answer 1

• Medium acidity
• Floral aromas (citrus blossom, violet, honeysuckle, nasturtium and rose)
• Aromas and flavors of grapes, fresh peaches, and pears

Question 2

The family of Muscat grapes is somewhat large, yet nearly most of the highest-quality fortified Muscat wines are made from which Muscat variety?

Answer 2

Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains

Question 3

Fortified Muscats are produced in what two general styles?

Answer 3

1. Young, Unaged Muscats (without age or oxidation – sweet, though rarely luscious)
2. Developed, Aged Muscats (with age and possible oxidation – either sweet or luscious)

Question 4

Give an example of a youthful, unaged Muscat-based Vin Doux Naturel.

Answer 4

Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (Southern Rhône)

Question 5

Why aren’t the grapes for Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise dried or raisinated prior to fermentation?

Answer 5

These methods add dried fruit aromas that are not what this wine is about, which is showcasing the purity of the grapes’ fruit and floral characteristics.

Question 6

One of the most acclaimed examples of mature, fortified Muscats comes from which region in which country?

Answer 6

Rutherglen, Australia

Question 7

When aging fortified Muscats, what kind of oak barrel is used: new or used?

Answer 7

Used. Neutral or old wood is best, usually larger format barrels.

New oak aromas and flavors would mask Muscat’s perfumed character.

Question 8

If a winemaker wants to make a luscious style of fortified Muscat, at what point in fermentation would s/he fortify the must?

Answer 8

When the must has only just started fermenting and reaches about 2% abv.

Winemakers who make this style of wine want to preserve the grape’s natural sugars, perfume and flavors.

Question 9

Why are certain grape varieties used for dessert wines more often than others?

Answer 9

Grapes traditionally used for dessert wines have an inherent sweetness in their aromas and flavor profiles that make them ideal candidates for sweet wine production; most also have inherent bitterness and/or medium-to-high acidity which act as balancing agents to offset sugars.

Question 10

What white grape varieties are known for producing excellent examples of dessert wines?

Answer 10

• Gewürztraminer
• Riesling
• Chenin Blanc
• Muscat
• Sémillon

Question 11

What are some words on sparkling wine labels that denote the wine is sweet?

Answer 11

• Amabile
• Demi-Sec
• Doux
• Dolce/Dulce
• Semi Secco
• Moelleux
• Riche

Question 12

What is an example of a sparkling dessert wine?

Answer 12

Moscato d’Asti

Question 13

Besides fortification, what 4 methods are widely used to make richly sweet dessert wines?

Answer 13

1. Harvesting late
2. Noble Rot
3. Drying out on straw mats (passito)
4. Allowing grapes to freeze on the vine (Eiswein)

Question 14

How does the aging potential vary between richly sweet dessert wines and lightly sweet dessert wines?

Answer 14

Lightly sweet dessert wines are meant to be consumed while young and fruity (with the exception of some Rieslings).

Richly sweet dessert wines can age for extended periods of time, often decades.

Question 15

How are most late-harvest wines produced?

What is the term used to describe the process by which these grapes are made?

Answer 15

Grapes are allowed to hang on the vine late into the season where they become especially sweet and often raisinated, resulting in wines that have higher residual sugar and more concentrated flavors.

The term used is passerillage. See p.58-59 in the textbook for further information and an image.

Question 16

What are some classic examples of late-harvest dessert wines?

Answer 16

• Vendage Tardive wines from Alsace
• Late-harvest Muscats
• California late-harvest Zinfandel

Question 17

What are some classic examples of dessert wines affected by noble rot?

Answer 17

• Sauternes
• Quarts de Chaume
• Bonnezeaux
• Tokaji
• Beerenauslese
• Trockenbeerenauslese

Question 18

What are the conditions necessary to encourage noble rot to form?

Answer 18

In order for noble rot to form, the Botrytis fungus requires moist conditions. This moisture often takes the form of misty mornings or humid conditions due to a proximity to a body of water.

In order to get the beneficial aspects of Botrytis, moist mornings must be followed by warm, dry afternoons. The damp mornings allow the mold to take hold and make tiny holes in the grape skins; the drying afternoons allow the grapes to raisinate, and their internal water evaporates through the holes made by the mold, thereby concentrating flavors to create a more complex, intense finished wine. Aromatic notes of Botrytis include saffron, ginger, mushrooms, and honey.

If the afternoons were not warm and dry (but stayed cool and wet), the Botrytis would just develop into grey rot, rendering the grapes no good.

Question 19

How are dessert wines made using the straw mat method?

What is a term used to refer to this process?

Answer 19

Grapes are laid out on straw mats to dehydrate, allowing the grapes to lose water content and concentrate their natural sugars.

Terms include:

Passito in Italy, e.g. Recioto della Valpolicella (see card #29 in Northern Italy to review).

Question 20

Besides Recioto della Valpolicella, what is an example of a straw mat dessert wine?

Answer 20

Pedro Ximenez (Sherry)

Question 21

What are some examples of sweet red wines?

The one you need to know is in bold.

Answer 21

• Recioto della Valpolicella
• Late-harvest Red Wines
• Lambrusco Amabile or Dolce

Question 22

What grape varieties are widely used in the New World for late-harvest red wines?

Answer 22

• Zinfandel (especially in California)
• Mourvèdre
• Petite Sirah

Question 23

What are some famous examples of fortified wines?

Answer 23

• Port
• Sherry
• Vin Doux Naturel

Question 24

What styles of Sherry will most likely be sweet dessert wines?

Answer 24

• Cream
• Muscat/Moscatel
• Pedro Ximenez

Question 25

How does a winemaker increase the fruit and floral intensity of a young, unaged Muscat?

Answer 25

• Skin contact after crushing prior to fermentation
• Skin contact continued during fermentation

Question 26

Fermentation temperatures for a young, unaged Muscat is cool or warm?

Answer 26

Cool, to preserve the grapes’ primary aromas.

Question 27

How does a winemaker stop fermentation on a young, unaged Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise?

Answer 27

By adding a grape spirit that’s 96% abv.

Question 28

1. To make a sweet aged, developed Muscat, when are the grapes harvested?
2. To make a luscious aged, developed Muscat, when are the grapes harvested?

Answer 28

1. Sweet –> grapes picked ripe and healthy
2. Luscious –> grapes picked after somewhat raisinated

Question 29

When a winemaker is making a luscious Muscat to be developed and aged, they almost always ferment the must:

• on the skins
• off the skins

Answer 29

On the skins

Question 30

Old, aged, and developed Muscats are given an aromatic lift prior to bottling by adding what?

Answer 30

A small amount of a more youthful Muscat