Fortified Wines

Question 1

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Fino’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Amontillado’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Oloroso’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Pale Cream’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Medium’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Cream’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘PX’ and how it indicates style and quality for Sherry fortified wines

Answer 1

Sherry: dry base wine from Palomino grape, produced in Jerez in southern Spain. Solera system of old oak casks.

Fino: dry sherry. Aged under flor (biological ageing). Pale lemon color, aromas of apple, almonds and promounced flavors of biscuit and bread dough from the flor.

Oloroso: dry sherry. no flor. ages oxidatively. Brown color. Flavors of dried fruits and note of oxidation (walnut, caramel)

Amontillado: dry sherry, between a Fino and Oloroso. Ages under flor for a period of time before killing it when refortified. Biological and oxidative ageing. Deeper in color than finos, have both flavors of biscuit/bread and walnuts/caramel.

Pale Cream Sherry:  sweetened Fino. 
Medium and Cream Sherry:  sweetened Amontillado or Oloroso.  
Pedro Ximenez (PX):  sweet sherry made from Pedo Ximenez grapes that are concentrated by sun-drying.  Black in color, pronounced dried fruit of fig/prune, raisin.  Oftern used as sweetening component in cream sherries.

Question 2

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Ruby’ and how it indicates style and quality for Port fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Reserve Ruby’ and
how it indicates style and quality for Port fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘LBV’ and how it indicates style and quality for Port fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Vintage’ and how it indicates style and quality for Port fortified wines

▢ the meaning of the labelling term ‘Tawny’ and how it indicates style and quality for Port fortified wines

Answer 2

Ruby Ports: deeply colored and cooked black fruits and sometimes black pepper. Generally sweet, simple, low tannins. Aged in large old oak after fortification.

Reserve Ruby ports: better quality wine with greater flavors. Sometimes matured longer.

LBV Ports: contains wines from a single vintage.

Vintage Ports: highest quality wines from a single exceptional vintage. High in tannins, concentrated flavors. Potential to mature in bottle at least 20 years. Turns from ruby to garnet; develops complex tertiary aromas; forms a thick sediment.

Tawny Ports: Turn tawny in color from extended oxidative ageing in small barrels. Typically have an age indication

Question 3

Where is Port produced?

a. Jerez
b. Upper Duoro
c. Madeira
d. Lisbon

Answer 3

b. Upper Duoro

Question 4

The terms Medium & Cream on a Sherry wine label signifiy a sweetened…

a. PX
b. Fino
c. Amontillado or Oloroso
c. Amontillado

Answer 4

c. Amontillado or Oloroso

Question 5

What is a solera?

a. a system to blend port wines of different ages
b. the name of the new oak casks used for Sherry maturation
c. a system of older oak casks containing wines of varying ages for Sherry production
d. a dry Sherry style aged under a layer of flor.

Answer 5

c. a system of older oak casks containing wines of varying ages for Sherry production

Question 6

Which of these is NOT an aroma or flavor you would expect in an older Vintage Port?

a. dried black fruits
b. leather
c. ripe red fruits
d. coffee

Answer 6

c. ripe red fruits

Question 7

Which one of these is NOT a sweet Sherry style?

a. PX
b. Pale cream
c. Cream
d. Amontillado

Answer 7

Amontillado

Question 8

Which one of these does NOT describe a Fino Sherry?

a. pale lemon in color
b. can age in the bottle for a long time
c. aromas of apple, almonds, biscuit and bread dough
d. pronounced intensity of aromas and flavors

Answer 8

b. can age in the bottle for a long time

Question 9

Which one of these statements about Port is FALSE?

a. Port is made from a blend of local black grape varieties
b. most ports are blends of wined from several vintages
c. ports can be either dry or sweet fortified wines
d. maturation plays the most important part in determining the final style of the port wine

Answer 9

c. ports can be either dry or sweet fortified wines

Question 10

What does it mean to say that a wine is “fortified”?

a. the wine is sweet
b. the wine is more concentrated
c. the wind has a full body
d. the wine had additional alcohol added to it.

Answer 10

d. the wine had additional alcohol added to it.

Question 11

When shopping for a Tawny-style Port, what would you look for on the label if you wanted one that showed aromas and flavors of deliberate oxidation?

a. any bottle that says “Tawny Port”
b. “Reserve”
c. a vintage
d. Tawny Port with an age indication on the label (10,20,30 years)

Answer 11

d. Tawny Port with an age indication on the label (10,20,30 years)

Question 12

Before fortification, almost all Sherry starts as a…

a. complex, sweet wine
b. low tannin red wine
c. simple, dry white wine
d. simple, off-dry white wine

Answer 12

c. simple, dry white wine

Question 13

How do Tawny Ports develop their color?

a. extended oxidative ageing in small barrels
b. extended biological ageing in small barrels
c. extended oxidative ageing in large barrels
d. short oxidative ageing in small barrels

Answer 13

a. extended oxidative ageing in small barrels

Question 14

Which of these fortified wines would you NOT expect to have flavors of deliberate oxidation?

a. Oloroso Sherry
b. Ruby port
c. Amontillado Sherry
d. 10 year Tawny port

Answer 14

b. Ruby port

Question 15

What are the traditional vessels used to mature a Ruby-style Port?

a. small old oak casks
b. large new oak casks
c. stainless steel tanks
d. large old oak casks

Answer 15

d. large old oak casks

Question 16

When does fortification take place in Sherry production?a. after fermentation and before entering the solera

b. before fermentation
c. immediately before bottling
d. while in the solera system

Answer 16

a. after fermentation and before entering the solera

Question 17

Which of these statements about Pedro Ximénez is FALSE?

a. It is the name of a Sherry style and a grape
b. it is paler in color than Oloroso
c. it is made from sun dried, concentrated grapes
d. it is often used as a sweetening component for Cream Sherry

Answer 17

b. it is paler in color than Oloroso

Question 18

What is Pale Cream Sherry?

a. a dry Oloroso Sherry
b. a sweetened Fino Sherry
c. a pale Amontillado Sherry
d. a sweetened Oloroso Sherry

Answer 18

b. a sweetened Fino Sherry

Question 19

What aromas are associated with deliberate oxidation of fortified wines?

a. ripe citrus fruit
b. fresh apple and almonds
c. biscuit, bread dough
d. walnuts, coffee, caramel

Answer 19

d. walnuts, coffee, carame

Question 20

What purpose does the flor serve in a Fino Sherry?

a. protects the wine from oxygen
b. helps darken the color of the Sherry
c. adds aromas of dried fruits
d. add sweetness to the wine

Answer 20

a. protects the wine from oxygen

Question 21

A Fino Sherry is fortified to about…

a. 15% ABV
b. 16%
c. 17%
d. 18%

Answer 21

a. 15% ABV

Question 22

How are Port wines made sweet?

a. they are fortified before fermentation is complete
b. a sweetening compoment is added to the wine during maturation
c. they are fortified after fermentation
d. a sweetening component is added during fortification

Answer 22

a. they are fortified before fermentation is complete

Question 23

Which of these statements is FALSE in regards to Ruby-style Ports?

a. Reserve ruby port has greater flavor intensity than ruby port
b. ruby style ports typically have flavors of cooked black fruits and sometimes black pepper
c. ruby ports tend to have higher tannins than reserve ruby and LBV ports
d. LBV port contains wines from a single vintage.

Answer 23

c. ruby ports tend to have higher tannins than reserve ruby and LBV ports

Question 24

Which of the Ruby-style Ports would you expect to be the least expensive?

a. Reserve Ruby port
b. 20 year Tawny port
c. Ruby port
d. LBV port

Answer 24

c. Ruby port

Question 25

Which of these is NOT one of the 3 most important Sherry styles?

a. Fino
b. Oloroso
c. Amontillado
d. Reserva

Answer 25

Reserva

Question 26

Which style of Sherry has flavors of both biological and oxidative ageing?
a. Fino
b. Pale Cream
c. Olorosso
D. Amontillado

Answer 26

D. Amontillado

Question 27

Which of these Port styles needs decanting?

a. Vintage port
b. Ruby port
c. LBV port
d. 10 year tawny port

Answer 27

a. Vintage port

Question 28

Where is Sherry produced?

a. Jerez de La Frontera
b. Barcelona
c. Pedro Ximenez
d. Fino

Answer 28

a. Jerez de La Frontera

Question 29

Which style of Port is made from the highest-quality wines from a single exceptional vintage?

a. Late Bottle Vintage port
b. Vintage port
c. Reserve Ruby Port
d. 40 year Tawny port

Answer 29

b. Vintage port

Question 30

What is flor?

a. the casks used in a solera system
b. thick white layer of yeast formed on the surface of a Sherry wine
c. a style of dry Sherry
d. an oxidative method of maturation of Sherry wines

Answer 30

b. thick white layer of yeast formed on the surface of a Sherry wine

Question 31

Why is Oloroso Sherry fortified to 17% abv?

a. to prevent a layer of flor from developing
b. to give the wine more intense aromas
c. to keep the aromas fresher for longer
c. to prevent oxidation

Answer 31

a. to prevent a layer of flor from developing

Question 32

At what temperature should Fino Sherry be served?

a. well chilled
b. lightly chilled
c. chilled
d. room temperature

Answer 32

chilled

Question 33

What is the grape variety from which almost all Sherry wines are made & what is its color?

a. Pedro Ximenez-white grape
b. Palomino-white grape
c. Pedro Ximenez-Red grape
d. glera-white grape

Answer 33

b. Palomino-white grape

Question 34

Which of these is NOT a reason for the distinct differences among Fino, Oloroso & Amontillado Sherries?

a. different ageing periods
b. level of alcohol added during fortification
c. conditions within the solera
d. grape variety used for the base wine

Answer 34

d. grape variety used for the base wine

Question 35

Which of these Sherry styles would you expect to be the darkest color?

a. Pedro Ximenez
b. Oloroso
c. Amontillado
d. Fino

Answer 35

a. Pedro Ximenez

Question 36

Which of the following statements is true regarding the maturation of Vintage Port? Check all that apply.

a. it can mature in bottle for 20+ years
b. the wine will turn from ruby to garnet over time
c. the color of the wine will not change over time
d. it will form a thick sediment
e. it will develop complex tertiary aromas

Answer 36

a. it can mature in bottle for 20+ years
b. the wine will turn from ruby to garnet over time
d. it will form a thick sediment
e. it will develop complex tertiary aromas