Fortified Wines

Question 1

What grape variety is used to make Sherry?

Answer 1

Palomino

Question 2

Where is Sherry produced?

Answer 2

Around the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain

Question 3

SOLERA SYSTEM

Answer 3

Where Sherry develops its various distinctive flavours - the system of old-oak casks containing wines of different ages that are continually blended as they age. This ensures a consistent and complex style of mature wine.

Question 4

What are the 3 most important styles of dry sherry?

Answer 4

Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado

Question 5

FLOR

Answer 5

thick white layer of yeast that forms on top of ageing wine and protects it from oxygen

Question 6

BIOLOGICAL AGEING

Answer 6

ageing under a flor

Question 7

Which sherry style follows this maturation process?: the dry base wine is fortified to around 17% abv (a strength at which flor cannot survive). Without flor, the wine ages oxidatively becoming brown in color and developing flavours of raisins, prunes and oxidation (walnuts, caramel)

Answer 7

Oloroso

Question 8

Which sherry style follows this maturation process?: Ages under flor and fortified to around 15% abv. before being added to the SOLERA. This leads to aromas of apple, almonds and pronounced flor flavors (biscuit, bread dough)

Answer 8

Fino

Question 9

Which sherry style follows this maturation process?: Partially ages under flor but is then fortified to 17% killing off the flor and allowing for some oxidation.

Answer 9

Amontillado Sherry (the middle ground between Fino and Oloroso)

Question 10

What does the term Pale Cream signify?

Answer 10

A sweetened Fino (Medium and Cream are often used for sweetened Amontillado or Oloroso Sherries)

Question 11

What grapes are used in Pedro Ximenez sherry?

Answer 11

Pedro Ximenez

Question 12

True or False: Pedro Ximenez is often used as the sweetening component in Cream Sherries

Answer 12

True

Question 13

How is Pedro Ximenez made?

Answer 13

From sun-dried grapes and fortified oxidatively in the solera

Question 14

What region of Portugal is Port from?

Answer 14

Upper Douro

Question 15

How is port made?

Answer 15

1) Colour and tannin are rapidly extracted from the skin of the grapes (traditionally by foot but there are machines now)
2) Fermentation is interrupted by adding grape spirit (resulting in a sweet, high alcohol wine)
3) The wine is matured for a period of time prior to blending and bottling

Question 16

What makes Tawny Ports tawny in color?

Answer 16

extended oxidative ageing

Question 17

What does LBV stand for?

Answer 17

Late Bottled Vintage

Question 18

True or False: Ruby port is aged in small oak barrels and Tawny port is aged in large oak casks.

Answer 18

False (vice versa)

Question 19

True or False: The word ‘Reserve’ on a Ruby Port signifies it is higher quality than a standard Ruby Port

Answer 19

True