Fortified Wine

Question 1

What are the three great archetypes of fortified wine?

Answer 1

Port
Madeira
Sherry

Question 2

What are the three main methods of fortification?

Answer 2

Arresting fermentation with spirit resulting in sweet wine (Port)
Fortification after fermentation resulting in dry wine (sherry) (may be sweetened later)
Fortification prior to fermentation (mistelle)

Question 3

What are four famous mistelles associated with grape-growing regions?

Answer 3

Ratafia (Champagne)
Pineau des Charentes (Cognac)
Floc de Gascogne (Armagnac)
Macvin de Jura (Jura)

Question 4

What are the maximum yields permitted in Duoro?

Answer 4

Red: 55 hl/ha
White: 65 hl/ha

Question 5

What are the preferred red grapes of Port?

Answer 5

Touriga Nacional
Touriga Francesa
Tinta Roriz
Tinta Cão
Tinta Barroca
Tinta Amarela
Tinta Francisca
Bastardo
Mourisco Tinto
(must constitute 60% of vineyard plantings)

Question 6

What are the preferred white grapes of Port?

Answer 6

Gouveio
Malvasia Fina
Viosinho
Rabigato
Esgana Cão
Folgasão

Question 7

What is Beneficio

Answer 7

The fortification of wine with spirit

Question 8

What is the aim of the technological approaches of fermentation of Port wine?

Answer 8

Maximize color and flavor with limited time (2-3 day fermentation)

Question 9

What is aguardente?

Answer 9

77% abv neutral grape spirit used to fortify Port

Question 10

What is the term for Beneficio in France?

Answer 10

Mutage

Question 11

What is a Pipe

Answer 11

A vessel for aging Port. In Duoro 550L. In Vila Nova di Gaia 620L. For shipping Port 534.24L. Smaller Pipes are used for shipping Madeira and Marsala

Question 12

What are the styles of ruby port

Answer 12

Ruby Port
Ruby Reserve Port
Vintage Port
Single Quinta Vintage Port
Late-Bottle Vintage Port

Question 13

What are the styles of Tawny port?

Answer 13

Tawny port
Reserve Tawny
Tawny with age indication
Colheita Tawny

Question 14

What are the three types of companies involved in Madeira production?

Answer 14

The winemakers
Shipping companies (trade wine rather than make it; usually based in London)
Partidistas (store wine and sell at maturity to other traders)

Question 15

What are the principal noble varieties used to make Madeira?

Answer 15

Sercial
Verdelho
Boal
Malmsey

Question 16

What is the estufagem process?

Answer 16

Heating the wine post fermentation in a tank with hot water running through coils for three months followed by 90 days of rest and then aging.

Question 17

What is the Canteiro method?

Answer 17

Wines are aged in cask in lodge attics for at least two years. The gentle natural warmth of the sun is slower and avoids burnt tastes. May be bottled after 3 years

Question 18

What is a Frasqueira?

Answer 18

A wine aged in the Canteiro method which is cask aged for at least 20 years.

Question 19

What are the three towns at the center of Sherry production?

Answer 19

Jerez de la Frontera
El Puerto de Santa Maria
Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Question 20

What are the two DO zones of Sherry?

Answer 20

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Question 21

What is the major difference between Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda?

Answer 21

Manzanilla wines must be aged in Sanlúcar which is quite cooler due to the seaside breeze. Often a 20º difference.

Question 22

What is levante?

Answer 22

A hot, dry wind from the east which essentially cooks the grapes on the vine

Question 23

What is poniente?

Answer 23

A wind which alternates with the levante and is necessary in the production of flor

Question 24

What are the three principal soil types found in Jerez?

Answer 24

Albariza - limestone soil on the slopes (best for sherry production)
Barros - Clay rich soil in the low valleys
Arenas - Sandy soil on the coast

Question 25

What are the three white grapes permitted in Sherry production?

Answer 25

Palomino (Listán)
Pedro Ximénez
Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria)

Question 26

What is the sole grape used in Manzanilla?

Answer 26

Palomino

Question 27

What is vara y pulgar?

Answer 27

Vine training method. One years vara (stick) is pruned back to become the next year’s pulgar (thumb)

Question 28

What are the yield restrictions in sherry?

Answer 28

80 hl/ha in Jerez Superior
100 hl/ha elsewhere

Question 29

What are the basic vinification techniques applied to sherry?

Answer 29

Free run and press wines (prima yemen and segunda yemen) are fermented separately and then acidified and clarified

Question 30

What are the two fermentations of sherry?

Answer 30

Tumultuous fermentation - quick hot fermentation for up to a week
Lenta - slow fermentation lasting a few weeks

Question 31

What are the five classifications of sherry?

Answer 31

Palma - biological sherry with flor which will become Fino
Palma Cortado - A more robust fino which may become Amontillado
Palo Cortado - Starts on the fino path and is very rich so is redirected to become oloroso
Raya - Flor dies and wine is redirected to become oloroso
Dos Rayas - Flor disappears, wine is coarse and rough, often destined for sherry vinegar

Question 32

For every liter of sherry drawn from the solara, how many must remain?

Answer 32

Two

Question 33

What is trasiegos?

Answer 33

The movement of wine through the solera system

Question 34

What is añada wine?

Answer 34

New vintage wine