Fortified Wines

Question 1

What are 2 types of fortified wines?

Answer 1

Sherry - most dry, some sweet
Port - sweet

Question 2

What is fortification?

Answer 2

Alcohol added to wine to strengthen and protect from spoilage - after fermentation

Question 3

Sherry - location?

Answer 3

Spain - Jerez de la Frontera

Question 4

Sherry - grape?

Answer 4

Palomino - dry base wine

Question 5

Dry Sherry styles?

Answer 5

Fino
Amontillado
Olorosso

Question 6

Fino Sherry - production?

Answer 6

Base wine fortified to 15%
Aged under flor
Solara system

Question 7

Fino Sherry - characteristics?

Answer 7

Dry
Pale lemon colour
Aromas - apples, almonds
Autolytic flavour - bread dough
Early drinking
Serve chilled

Question 8

Amontillado Sherry - production?

Answer 8

Base wine 15%
Solara system
Aged under flor for some time
Refortified to about 17%
Flor dies
Oxidative ageing until bottled

Question 9

Amontillado Sherry - characteristics & flavours?

Answer 9

Dry
Deeper in colour than Fino
Autolytic flavours - bread dough
Oxidative flavours - walnuts & caramel

Question 10

Olorosso Sherry - Production?

Answer 10

No flor
Base wine fortified to 17% - flor cannot survive
Wine ages oxidatively until bottled

Question 11

Olorosso Sherry - characteristics & flavours?

Answer 11

Dry
Brown in colour
Dried fruits - raisins, prunes
Deliberate oxidation- walnuts, caramel

Question 12

Sherry - what is flor?

Answer 12

Thick layer of yeast on surface of wine
Biological ageing - ageing under flor

Question 13

Sherry - what is a Solara system?

Answer 13

Old oak casks
Wines of different ages
Blended together as they age
Consistent, complex style of mature wine

Question 14

Sweet Sherry - production?

Answer 14

Dry sherries sweetened with a sweetening component - often Pedro Ximenez Sherry.

Question 15

What is PX (Pedro Ximenez) Sherry?

Answer 15

• Sweet Sherry from white Pedro Ximenez grapes
• Grapes concentrated by sun drying
• Fortified & aged oxidatively in the Solara.

Question 16

PX (Pedro Ximenez) Sherry characteristics and flavours?

Answer 16

Deep brown colour
Sweet
Pronounced dried fruit flavours - fig, prune, raisin & liquorice & molasses

Question 17

What are Cream Sherries?

Answer 17

Sweetened dry sherries:
Fino —- Pale Cream
Amontillado —- Medium Cream
Olorosso —- Cream Sherry

Question 18

Where is Port produced?

Answer 18

Portugal - grapes grown in Upper Duoro

Question 19

Port production?

Answer 19

• Local black grapes
• Blends from several vintages
• Harvest
• Rapid extraction of colour & tannin (foot treading or machine)
• Fermentation interrupted by adding grape spirit
• Kills the yeast, stops fermentation
• Sweet wine, high alcohol
• Matured prior to blending & bottling

Question 20

Port styles?

Answer 20

Ruby Port
Reserve Ruby Port
Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port
Vintage Port
Tawny- style Ports

Question 21

Describe Ruby Port

Answer 21

Sweet
Simple
Fruity
Lower tannins
Red fruits and black fruits

Question 22

Describe Reserve Ruby Ports

Answer 22

Sweet
Greater flavour intensity
Matured longer
Softens & integrates the added alcohol

Question 23

Describe Late Bottled Port (LBV)

Answer 23

Similar to Reserve Ruby Port
Single vintage

Question 24

Describe Vintage Port

Answer 24

Highest quality grapes
Single EXCEPTIONAL vintage
High in tannins
Concentrated flavours
Can mature in bottle 20 years or more
Colour turns from Ruby to garnet
Complex tertiary aromas - dried fruit, leather, forest floor
Thick deposit forms - must be decanted
Only declared in best years

Question 25

Describe Tawny- style Ports

Answer 25

Tawny colour
EXTENDED OXIDATIVE AGEING in small barrels
More brown in colour
Complex notes of dried fruit & deliberate oxidation - walnut, coffee, caramel
Age: 10, 20, 30 or 40 years or longer
Some inexpensive Tawny Ports - simple, fruity, low tannin, pale colour