FORTIFIED WINES 💪🏼 Flashcards
Key choices affecting style, quality and price in fortified wines
- Grape variety
- Vineyard site
- Timing of harvest
- Skin contact and extraction
- Timing of fortification
- The fortifying spirit
- Maturation
- Blending
- Finishing
Components of fortified wine influenced by grape variety
- Aromas and flavours
- Acidity
- Colour
- Tannins
How grape variety influences aromas and flavours of fortified wine
It can either provide its own aroma and flavour characters to the wine (Muscat in VDNs w/ protective winemaking and Rutherglen Muscat w/ oxidative winemaking) or be simply a neutral base for the flavours of maturation (Sherry Palomino).
How grape variety influences acidity of fortified wine
Madeira (Sercial and Verdelho grapes) has naturally high levels of acidity. Some Sherries (Palomino grape) can give the same sensation although the acidity is low, due to high alcohol and bone-dry palate.
How grape variety influences colour of fortified wine
Tawny Port is made from grapes with light colour instead of Vintage Port (deep colour, more phenolic compounds because of the long ageing). Touriga Nacional and Sousão improve the colour.
How grape variety influences tannins of fortified wine
High levels of tannins are not required nor desirable in early-drinking styles (Ruby Port or Maury Grenat). Tannins in colour stability make medium(+) or high levels of tannins beneficial in long-aged wines. Tannins soften with age and become more integrated.
How vineyard site influences the style of fortified wine
The vineyards of the Douro are scored according to factors such as location, aspect, and altitude. This score determines how much Port wine can be produced from that plot. Vintage Ports from the best plots.
Muscat de Frontignan in the Languedoc produces slightly fuller wines with riper flavours from low altitude vineyards, than the high-altitude sites of Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois.
Factors that determine the time of harvest for fortified wines
1) No botrytis
Botrytis (noble rot) is not desirable, so harvest before the risk of rain, increased humidity.
2) Alcohol
Some styles require the grapes at just beyond the minimum level of potential alcohol required by law. No unripe fruit flavours. Sherry made from Palomino, the potential alcohol and health of the grapes are much more important for determining the harvesting date than the range of flavours.
3) Sugars
Rutherglen Muscat, Pedro Ximénez (PX), and Moscatel Sherry require high levels of sugars, so the grapes are left on the vine longer.
How skin contact and extraction influence the style of fortified wine
The extraction of colour, tannins and flavours is a key process for red fortified wines. These wines are often sweet and made by adding the fortifying alcohol midway through the fermentation process, so usually period of maceration to as little as 2-3 days. Extraction techniques need to be as effective as possible especially for wines that are to undergo long ageing (high concentrations of colour, tannin and flavour). The Port industry have developed specialist equipment to permit maximum extraction whilst remaining gentle. Less extraction for basic Tawny and Rosé Ports (paler appearance).
Madeira, Muscat based VDNs and White Port, white grapes can macerate for a limited time to increase body, texture and extract additional flavours.
No skin contact for Sherry Fino and Manzanilla because the phenolic compounds extracted can restrict the growth of flor yeast.
How timing of fortification influences the style of fortified wine
Dry fortified wines are fortified once fermentation is complete.
The majority of sweet fortified wines are fortified midway through fermentation, stopping the fermentation by raising the overall alcohol level above that at which yeast can operate and leaving residual sugar (the greater the amount of sugar, the earlier the fortification).
Sherry Pale Cream, Medium and Cream are made by fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component. Sherry Cream is a dry Oloroso often blended with PX, combining the characteristics of aged, dry Palomino with raisined PX.
How fortifying spirit influences the style of fortified wine
The majority are fortified with 95-96% abv grape spirit. These spirits don’t mask the characteristics of the wine, because the high alcohol content is neutral in aroma and flavour. The high level of alcohol minimises the volume of spirit needed to bring the fortified wine to the required alcoholic strength (15-22% abv).
Port must be fortified with a grape spirit of 77% abv (+/- 0.5%). Spirit is more characterful and contributes more of its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the blend. Significant volume is required. Some producers choose to use more aromatic styles of spirits, especially in Red Ports. For Rosé Ports is better a relatively subtle spirit (delicate style of wine).
The strength and volume of fortifying spirit added influences the final alcohol level of the wine.
The abv of the grape spirit used for the majority of fortified wines
95-96%
The abv of the grape spirit used for Port wine
77% (+/- 0.5%)
How maturation influences the style of fortified wine
It’s a defining stage in the production of many fortified wines.
- Some fortified wines (some VDNs, Ruby and Rosé Ports, some White Ports) are released relatively early from the winery, early-drinking style. Usually, stored in stainless steel or concrete and are protected from oxygen. Youthful and primary flavours.
- Other wines (Vintage and some LBV Ports) are released after a short period of ageing with the intention that they will improve in the bottle. Stored for a few years in large oak vessels before bottling. Designated to age in the bottle so very concentrated with high levels of tannins on release. After bottle ageing, dried fruit and soft and integrated tannins.
- Others (premium Tawny Ports, Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscat and some styles of VDNs and Sherries) are aged oxidatively. Usually, maturation in small wooden vessels (encouraging oxygen exposure and increasing the rates of evaporation). A number of these wines are also matured in warm or heated conditions (boost oxidation, evaporation and maturation). Aromas of nuts, caramel, and dried fruits.
- Another technique is biological ageing (Fino and Manzanilla Sherries). Veil of flor yeast protects the wine from oxidation while lowering levels of glycerol and contributing aromas of hay, apple skin, bread dough and nuts.
Examples of fortified wines which are released early from the winery
Some VDNs, Ruby and Rosé Ports, some White Ports.
Examples of fortified wines which are released after short ageing from the winery
Vintage and some LBV Ports.
Examples of fortified wines which are released after oxidative ageing from the winery
Premium Tawny Ports, Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscat and some styles of VDNs and Sherries.
Examples of fortified wines which are released after biological ageing from the winery
Fino and Manzanilla Sherries.
Key aims of blending in fortified wines
- Balance
- Consistency
- Style
- Complexity
- Volume
- Price
How blending influences the balance of fortified wine
High alcohol so integration with other components; wines are generally aged for long periods of time (more concentration, less primary fruit flavours) and will be blended with younger wines before bottling, to give a degree of freshness to the wine by balancing out the developed aromas and flavours (Sherry and Rutherglen Muscat).
How blending influences the consistency of fortified wine
As many wines are non-vintage, so consistency every year; in some regions, wines from each vintage are matured individually (static maturation), then they’re blended; solera system (Sherry and modified version for Rutherglen Muscat) to ensure consistency amongst the vessels of a particular age.
How blending influences the style of fortified wine
Blending influences the style of wine, for example, the choice of grape varieties used in Port production will impact the colour, tannin and flavour concentration. This influences the wine’s ability to age or not. In some styles of Sherry, a sweetening component (PX) is added to the final wine to create a sweet style of wine; some brands use blending to create a certain “house style”.
How blending influences the complexity of fortified wine
Wines of different ages or wines that have been treated differently in the winery can be blended to create a greater range of flavours.
How blending influences the volume of fortified wine
In most regions, vineyards are small so it’s necessary to blend from different producers to have a sufficient volume for sales; others use small vessels for maturation and blend is usually needed before bottling to make up a sufficient volume of consistent wine.