Fortified Wines

Question 1

Fortification DURING fermentation to stop the fermentation process produces what type of wine?

Answer 1

a sweet fortified wine

Question 2

Fortification of a dry wine AFTER fermentation to stop the fermentation process produces what type of wine?

Answer 2

a dry fortified wine

Question 3

A dry style of Sherry is made from what grape?

Answer 3

Palomino grape

Question 4

A sweet style of Sherry is made from what grape?

Answer 4

Dried Pedro Ximénez grapes

Question 5

What is blended Sherry?

Answer 5

Blend of dry Sherry with a sweet component

Question 6

What region in Spain is Sherry made?

Answer 6

Jerez de la Frontera.

Question 7

What 2 Sherries are biologically aged?

Answer 7

Fino Sherry

Amontillado Sherry

Question 8

What dry style of Sherry are oxidatively aged?

Answer 8

Oloroso Sherry

Question 9

What are the 3 steps in the winemaking process for Fino Sherry?

Answer 9

Dry white wine
Fortified to around 15% abv
Aged under flor in solera system

Question 10

What are the 5 steps in the winemaking process for Amontillado Sherry?

Answer 10

Dry white wine
Fortified to around 15% abv
Aged under flor in solera system
Refortified to around 17% abv
Aged without flor in solera system

Question 11

What are the 3 steps in the winemaking process for Oloroso Sherry?

Answer 11

Dry white wine
Fortified to around 17% abv
Aged without flor in solera system

Question 12

When Fino Sherry is sweetened, the blended style is called?

Answer 12

Pale Cream Sherry

Question 13

When Amontillado Sherry is sweetened, the blended style is called?

Answer 13

Medium Sherry

Question 14

When Oloroso Sherry is sweetened, the blended style is called?

Answer 14

Cream Sherry

Question 15

What are the 5 parts of the winemaking process for Port?

Answer 15

Rapid extraction of color and tannin
Partial fermentation
Fortified during fermentation
Sweet fortified wine
Maturation

Question 16

What are the 3 styles of Port and the sub-categories?

Answer 16

Vintage Port

Ruby Port styles:

• Ruby Port
• Reserve Ruby Port
• Late Bottled Vintage Port (LBV)

Tawny Port styles:

• Tawny Port
• age stated (10- , 20- , 30-year Tawny Port)

Question 17

What does it mean when a wine is fortified?

Answer 17

When a wine is fortified, alcohol is added to the wine to.

Question 18

Ports are fortified ___ fermentation.

Sherries are fortified ___ fermentation

Answer 18

Ports = during fermentation

Sherries = after fermentation

Question 19

Regarding sweetness vs. dryness:

Port is always ___.

Answer 19

Sweet

Question 20

Why is Port is always sweet?

Answer 20

Port is always sweet because fermentation is interrupted and stopped by the addition of alcohol (neutral grape spirit) which kills the yeasts, leaving the wine very sweet and high in alcohol.

Question 21

Is Port wine usually a single varietal or a blend?

Answer 21

Blend

Question 22

Is Port wine usually a single vintage or a blend of vintages?

Answer 22

Usually a blend of vintages.

Question 23

It’s the maturation process of Port that determines ___.

Answer 23

what style of Port the wine will be.

Question 24

Which styles of Port are the most simple, straightforward and fruity?

Answer 24

Ruby-style

Ruby

Question 25

Which is likely to have higher tannins, more sediment, and greater concentration: LBV or Vintage Port?

Answer 25

Vintage Port

Question 26

Are Vintage Ports made every single year?

Answer 26

No

Vintages have to be “declared” by Port producers in the Douro and are declared only in exceptional vintages.

Question 27

Where do Tawny Ports get their tawny color?

Answer 27

Oxidation

Tawny Ports spend years, sometimes decades, in small oak casks, exposing the wine to extensive amounts of oxygen and turning its color.

Question 28

In Sherry, what is the step following fortification?

Answer 28

Aging in a solera system.

Question 29

Describe a solera system.

Answer 29

A fractional blending system which has levels, or rows, of old oak barrels that hold wines at varying stages of development.

The wines in the barrels are regularly blended together as they age to ensure a consistent style for the house.

Question 30

What are the 3 most important styles of dry Sherry?

Answer 30

Fino
Oloroso
Amontillado

Question 31

What helps differentiate the 3 dry styles of Sherry?

Answer 31

Length of aging in the solera;

Environmental conditions around and in the solera

Question 32

What is flor?

Answer 32

A layer of yeast that develops on the surface of the Sherry. Flor protects the wine from heavy oxidation although oxidation still occurs.

Question 33

Is aging under flor considered oxidative aging or biological aging?

Answer 33

Aging under flor = biological aging

Question 34

Describe the profile of a typical Fino Sherry.

Answer 34

Dry
High alcohol
Pale in color (pale lemon)
Notes of green apple
Light oxidative notes (yeast/biscuit, almond)

Question 35

In terms of when Fino Sherries show their best:

Finos should be drunk as young as possible
Finos should be aged for several years in bottle

Answer 35

Finos should be drunk as young as possible.

Question 36

Fino Sherries are best served at what temperature?

Answer 36

Chilled

Question 37

What is the dry Sherry that does NOT develop flor?

Answer 37

Oloroso

Question 38

Why doesn’t Oloroso develop flor?

Answer 38

Oloroso is fortified to 17% abv prior to aging in the solera, and flor cannot survive at such a high level of alcohol.

Question 39

What is significant or particular about Amontillado Sherry and how it ages?

Answer 39

Amontillado starts off aging biologically (under flor) but it’s refortified to Oloroso level (17%); this refortification kills the flor and the wine ends up aging oxidatively.

Question 40

Because of how Amontillado is made (biologically, then oxidatively), what flavors help define it?

Answer 40

Bread/bread dough/biscuit (like Finos)

Nuts, caramel, dried fruits (like Olorosos)