Fortified Wines

Question 1

How is Sherry made?

Answer 1

• Frontera, Southern Spain
• dry base wine from Palomino, a local white grape variety
• once fermentation is completed, alcohol is added to fortify the wine before entering a solar system
• solera system: old-oak casks containing wines from different ages. wines are continually blended together as they age
• develops various flavors in the solera

Question 2

What are the different Dry Sherry styles?

Answer 2

Dry sherry styles:

• Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado
• different aging times in the solera

Fino Sherry:

• thick layer of yeast (flor) = biologically aging.
• fortified to 15% abv before entering the solera
• flor protects the wine from oxygen
• pale, lemon colour, apple, almonds, biscuit, bread dough
• lose freshness after botteling, best served chilled

Oloroso Sherry:

• non flor
• fortified to 17%, kills the flor. wine ages oxidatively until it is bottled
• deeper colour, flacvours from flor and oxidation (walnuts, caramel)

Amontillado Sherry:

• between Fino and Oloroso
• ages under flor before it is brought to 17%
• wine ages oxidatively before being bottled
• deep colour, Flor and oxidative notes

Question 3

What are the different Sweet Sherry styles?

Answer 3

Sweet sherry styles: Pale Cream, Cream, Medium

• dry sherry is sweetened with a sweetening component
• Pale cream = sweetened Fino Sherry
• Cream, Medium is sweetened Amontillado or Oloroso Sherry

Pedro Ximénez (PX): sweet sherry from the PX grape. been concentrated by sun-drying. is fortified and aged oxidatively in the solera.
almost black in colour, sweet, pronounced dried fruit, (fig, prune, raisin). PX is often used as sweetener in cream sherry.

Question 4

Port Production

Answer 4

• sweet fortified wine from grapes in the upper Douro region in Portugal
• blend of local grapes and vintages
• after harvest, colour + tannins from the skin extracted by foot treading traditionally
• fermentation is interrupted by adding grape spirit –> kills the yeast –> ferm stops, wine is sweet and high in alcohol
• matured for a period of time prior to blending and botteling

Question 5

Different Port Styles

Answer 5

Ruby, Vintage, Tawney

Ruby Port:

• deeply colored, fruity
• after fortification for a period of time in large vessels before they are bottled. Large oak casks, sometimes stainless steel
• cooked black fruit (black cherry, blackberry), black pepper
• Reserve Ruby Port: better quality, longer matured to soften and integrate the alochol
• Late bottled Vintage (LBV) Port: contains wine from a single Vintage

Vintage Port:

• singe exceptional vineyard
• high in tannins, concentrated flavors, potential to mature in the bottle for 20 years
• from ruby to garnet colour
• dried fruit, leather, coffee
• thick sediment, needs to be decanted

Tawney Style port:

• tawney colour
• extended oxidative aging in small barrels
• oxygen attacks the colour, turning from ruby to tawney
• notes of dried fruit, deliberate oxidation (walnut, coffee, caramel)
• age indication to 40 years
• inexpensive wines labelled as tawny are low in tannin and pale in colour.