Fortified Wines

Question 1

What is the process of adding alcohol to the wine before or while it is still fermenting and still has a significant amount of sugar in it?

Answer 1

Mutage

Question 2

Fortification for a sweet style wine will typically take place when the remaining sugar level reaches the ….?

Answer 2

8% - 12% range

Question 3

Relatively neutral white grapes are most appropriate for what style of fortified wines?

Answer 3

Dry style fortified wines - fortified after fermentation.

Question 4

What are the 2 predominant grapes for dry style sherry?

Answer 4

Primary: Palomino
Secondary: Pedro Ximenez

Question 5

Maderia’s dry fermented wines are made from what grape varieties?

Answer 5

Sercial or Verdelho

Question 6

What are the two basic types of Sherry wine?

Answer 6

Fine and Oloroso

Question 7

Describe the Biological aging process

Answer 7

the changes in the wine are largely due to the action of a living organism.

Question 8

What unique organism is necessary for Fino Sherry?

Answer 8

The biological aging requires the action of a unique organism known as flor yeast during the aging process.

Question 9

What does flor yeast survive & feed on?

Answer 9

survives in the presence of oxygen by consuming any remaining sugars and glycerol in the wine, as well as a acetic acid and small amounts of alcohol.

Question 10

What ABV is fino sherry brought to for biological aging?

Answer 10

15-15.5%

Question 11

What ABV are oloroso sherries fortified to?

Answer 11

17-18%, which is too high for the development of flor.

Question 12

During this aging process, alcohol and acid levels increase, and the color of the wine deepens. The result is a fuller-bodied, darkened, flavorful wine dominated by oxidative and caramelized aromas.

Answer 12

Oxidative aging

Question 13

Oloroso can rise in alcoholic strength to as high as____?

Answer 13

24%

Question 14

Describe the Solera system

Answer 14

young wine is progressively blended together with a series of older, more complex wines.

Question 15

What is the longest that flor may be maintained?

Answer 15

6-7 years

Question 16

What is the minimum amount of time required by law for fino wines to be aged?

Answer 16

2 years

Question 17

What size barrels are used in the Solera System?

Answer 17

Butts - Large (600L) American oak barrels.

Question 18

In the solera, one of the older groups, containing the oldest wine is called the:

Answer 18

Solera

Question 19

What are the other groups of “butts” in the solera called?

Answer 19

Criaderas (nurseries)

Question 20

Lightly fortified sweet wines produced throughout the South of France:

Answer 20

Vins doux naturel

Question 21

Fortifying grape must before - or just slightly after - it begins to ferment is known as:

Answer 21

France: Mistelle
Spain: Mistela (must is unfermented) or vino licor (when a small of fermentation is allowed)
Italian: Sifone

Question 22

Examples of Mistelle:

Answer 22

Pineau de Charentes AOC - Congnac region, fortified with cognac.
Floc de Gascogne AOC - Armagnac region.

Question 23

Where are Rutherglen fortified wines produced?

Answer 23

Rutherglen GI in Australia. The majority of Rutherglen’s vineyards are concentrated in the northern half of the region, where the Murray river separates it from New South Wales.

Question 24

List the Rutherglen’s fortified categories

Answer 24

1. Rutherglen: a belnd of wines that average 3-5 years old with 180-220 grams per litre (GPL) of RS
2. Classic: average are of 6-10 years with 200-280 GPL of RS
3. Grand: average are of 11-19 years with 270-400 GPL of RS
4. Rare: minimum of 20 years of barrel aging with 270-400 GPL of RS

Question 25

What grape variety is used in Rutherglen's Fortified Muscat wines

Answer 25

Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains "Rutherglen Brown Muscat"

Question 26

What winemaking process is involved in the production of Rutherglen's fortified muscat?

Answer 26

Slow oxidative barrel-ageing which imparts a complex array of flavors variously described as caramel, toffee, butterscotch, sweet spices, molasses, tea liquor and cassis liqueur.

Question 27

What grape variety is used in the production of Rutherglen's Topaque

Answer 27

Muscadelle

Question 28

What grape variety is used in Rutherglen's tawny and ruby wines?

Answer 28

Shiraz, Grenache and Durif, along with some Spanish and Portuguese varieties.

Question 29

Commandaria Wine:

Answer 29

A fortified wine produced in the Commandaria region in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The wine can be made only in a strictly defined region comprising of 14 wine-producing villages in the Troodos foothills.

Question 30

Commandaria wine style:

Answer 30

Their sweetness is entirely natural - the result of the high sugar levels wine grapes can achieve in Cyprus' warm climate, later concentrated by the drying process the grapes undergo before vinification.

Question 31

Malaga DO fortified wine style

Answer 31

Malaga DO can be used for: - Fortified wines with alcohol levels between 15-22% -Solera: borrowed from the Jerez region. - The name has been traditionally associated with sweet wines made from grapes dried on grass mats under the region's intense sun.

Question 32

Vino Dulce Natural

Answer 32

known in Malaga DO as the process invloving stopping fermentation with grape spirit to retain natural sweetness.

Question 33

Traditional Marsala grape varities

Answer 33

Grillo and Inzolia

Question 34

Maury Fortified wines are from:

Answer 34

predominantly from the Grenache grape varieties in all their forms (Noir, Blanc, Gris)

Question 35

Mavrodpaphne of Patras is from what region & what style?

Answer 35

Located in Greece, this fortified red wine is produced with the Mavrpdpaphne grape variety and allowed to be blended with up to 50% with the lesser Cornithiaki variety.

Question 36

Moscatel de Setubal

Answer 36

Setubal is a DOC of the Setubal Peninsula in southern Portugal. Moscatel de Setubal is also known as Muscat of Alexandria. Setubal winemakers add the leftover, highly aromatic moscatel grape skins to the mix and allow them to macerate with the wine for as long as six months. The gives its intensely pungent, floral aroma.

Question 37

Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

Answer 37

sweet fortified Muscat based wines from the village of Beaumes-de-Venise, in France's Rhone Valley made entirely from Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains and its Muscat Noir color mutation. The wines are created through the traditional process of mutage, to produce a vin doux naturel.

Question 38

Muscat de Riversaltes

Answer 38

an appellation for Muscat-based sweet wines from Roussillon, southern France. Riversaltes is an example of a vin doux naturel made by mutage.

Question 39

Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel

Answer 39

AOC region where sweet wines from the parish of Rasteau, in the southern Rhone valley made from hand harvested grenache grapes.

Question 40

Banyuls

Answer 40

a wine appellation covering sweet, fortified red, white, and rose wines made in a southeastern corner of Roussillon, southern France, in the lower reaches of the Pyrenees, just a few miles from the Spanish border.

Question 41

Banyuls Rancio

Answer 41

the term is applied to those Banyuls wines which have been subject to specific and intentional oxidative aging.