Fortified Wines

Question 1

What is Fortification?

Answer 1

Means the wine has had grape spirit added during the winemaking process

Spirit distilled from grapes only

Question 2

What are the two spirits used in fortification?

Answer 2

Brandy Spirit - general burnt sugar flavours of brandy , 35-45% alcohol

Neutral Spirit (SVR) - flavourless but distilled to higher alcohol content, 97% Alc/Vol

Question 3

Why do we fortify wines?

Answer 3

To protect them by adding grape spirit = higher alcohol = more durability

Wines were transported far around the globe, high temperatures caused wine to spoil due to oxidation. Wine turned to vinegar.

Question 4

How do we get higher alcohol?

Answer 4

Add spirit during fermentation killing yeasts, leaving residual grape sugar

Question 5

What are some examples of fortified wines?

Answer 5

Port - 18.5 to 19% Alc/Vol

Sherry - 15 to 18.5% Alc/Vol

Muscat and Topaque - 17.5 to 18.5% Alc/Vol

Vermouth - 20.5% to 28.5%

Question 6

What happens when you add grape spirit at halfway and end of fermentation?

Answer 6

Add grape juice at end of fermentation - you get a dry wine

Add halfway through - perhaps high residual sugar along with the alcohol

Question 7

Why is timing of spirit addition important? Why is aging important?

Answer 7

It influences style - sweet or dry
Aged in full barrel gives fruity style
Partially filled barrel gives flor yeast - imparts nutty, cashew flavour

Question 8

What botanicals are in Vermouth? Famous drink containing it?

Answer 8

Roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs and spices

Martini

Question 9

List two French dessert wines

Answer 9

Vins doux naturels:
A lightly fortified wines made from muscat grapes or red grenache grapes

Muscat de Beaumes de Venise:
Made from white muscat grape

Question 10

Describe the dessert wine Sherry

Answer 10

Made through a natural fermentation, arrested before fermentation, giving it low alcohol. No grape spirit added, just over ripe grapes.

Comes from hot, dry, chalky soil

Question 11

What are the main styles of sherry?

Answer 11

Fino - dry and youngest age, drunk young and fresh from the wood

Amontillado - slightly sweet (off dry)

Oloroso - sweet, aged for many years in barrel

Pedro Ximenez (PX) - sweet, concentrated and aged for many decades

Question 12

What is Flor Yeast?

Answer 12

• Use FLOR YEAST in fino
• top fermenting oxidative yeast (aerobic). Sit on top of barrel, creating a film and ferment all fermentable sugars (DRY)
• high in volatile acidities
• gives bruised acid, nail polish remover flavour

Question 13

What is the solera system?

Answer 13

Proportional blending:
Taking oldest barrel and topping it with years that are younger than it
Start with base wine then go to nursery, barrels at top of solera are topped up with wines from nursery
In Solera, they are topped up from top down

This systems allows maintaining
freshness = younger wines
Depth = from older wines

Question 14

Describe Port

Answer 14

• Made in a warm climate
• Terraces helps with airflow and sun access - but can’t mechanise
• Can be red or white
• Traditional stepped on by foot

Question 15

What are the main styles of port?

Answer 15

Ruby - 2-4years, barrel
Tawny - solera system, 8-12 years
Vintage - 1-2 years, barrel to bottle 
LBV (late bottled vintage) - 3-5 years barrel, then 2-4 years bottle 
NB - Vintage

Question 16

Describe Madeira

Answer 16

Fortified wine in Madeira Islands Portugal
Subject wine to high temperatures in ‘estufas’ for months
Duplicates the heat and aging effects of sea voyages

Question 17

What are the main styles of Madeira?

Answer 17

Boal - sweet wine
Verdelho - dry style
Sercial - dry style

Gives caramel or burnt flavour

Question 18

What are the different types of Rutherglen Muscat and Topaque?

Answer 18

Classic - 5-10 years, barrel
Grand - 10-15 years, higher sugar concentration
Rare - min 20+ years