Key Choices Affecting Style, Quality and Price in Fortified Wines Flashcards
How do grape varieties affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
The grape variety may either provide its own aroma and flavour characters to the wine or be simply used as a relatively neutral base for the flavours of maturation. Vins Doux Naturels (VDNs) from Muscat are the most obvious example of a fortified wine where the grape variety provides the main flavours of the wine; and this is enhanced by protective winemaking and early release from the winery. Even in Rutherglen Muscat, where the wines have been aged in warm and oxidative conditions, the aromatic notes of Muscat are still notable in the best wines. By comparison, Palomino is a relatively neutral variety, and the characteristic aromas of Sherry all come from the maturation process.
Structural components such as acidity, and in black grapes, colour and tannin, are also important factors. Madeira, notable for its high acidity, is made with a number of grape varieties, such as Sercial and Verdelho, that have naturally high levels of acidity. By comparison, although the combination of a bone-dry palate and high alcohol can give a sensation similar to acidity in some Sherries, the actual level of acidity is low, a characteristic of the Palomino grape.
Colour is an important consideration in red wines. Port is usually made from a blend of grape varieties and one of the factors considered in the blend will be attaining a suitable level of colour in the base wine. The aims are very different in a basic Tawny Port, which needs to look aged in a short period of time and hence will be made from wines that are light in colour when compared to a Vintage Port, which will be expected to retain a deep colour over decades of bottle maturation. For the latter case, grape varieties that can enhance the intensity of colour include Touriga Nacional and Sousão.
In a similar way to colour, the level of tannins in black grape varieties will also be influential. High levels of tannins are not required nor desirable in early drinking styles of red fortified wines such as Ruby Port or Maury Grenat. By comparison, the role of tannins
in colour stability makes medium (+) or high levels of tannins beneficial in long-aged wines. Tannins soften with age, and therefore in these wines, even high levels of tannins can become integrated into the wine and, on the palate, provide necessary structure and balance.
How do vineyard sites affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
As well as the grape variety, vineyard location and climate are important influences on the base material used in the production of fortified wines. The vineyards of the Douro are scored according to factors such as location, aspect and altitude, and this score determines how much Port wine that plot of land can produce. Vintage Ports will often be made from the grapes of certain vineyard plots known for their ability to produce outstanding-quality wines that will age well.
Vineyard site can also have an influence on the style Muscat-based VDNs. Muscat de Frontignan in the Languedoc produces slightly fuller wines with riper flavours from low altitude vineyards, than the high-altitude sites of Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois.
How does time of harvest affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
The timing of harvest is also an important consideration in many styles of fortified wines. In no case is botrytis, even as noble rot, desirable and therefore growers will be looking to harvest before the increased risk of rain, and hence increased humidity, in the autumn. For some styles, fruit will be picked when it reaches or goes just beyond the minimum level of potential alcohol required by law. Unripe fruit flavours will be avoided, but in the case of Sherry made from Palomino, the potential alcohol and health of the grapes are much more important for determining harvesting date than the range of flavours in the grapes.
In other styles, such as Rutherglen Muscat, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel Sherry, the grapes are typically left on the vine longer in the season to concentrate the sugars, necessary in these wines that have very high levels of residual sugar.
How does skin contact and extraction affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
The extraction of colour, tannins and flavour from the grape skins is a key process in the production of red fortified wines. These wines are often sweet and made by adding the fortifying alcohol midway through the fermentation process, limiting the period of maceration to as little as 2–3 days. Especially in wines that are to undergo long ageing and hence need high concentrations of colour, tannin and flavours, this means that extraction techniques need to be as effective as possible. The Port industry in particular has developed specialist equipment that permit maximum extraction whilst remaining gentle enough not to crush seeds and release bitter tannins. The contrast to this is the production of basic Tawny and Rosé Ports in which less extraction is desirable to create wines with a paler appearance.
Some producers of white fortified wines such as Madeira, Muscat-based VDNs and White Port, may let their white grapes macerate for a limited time on skins, generally to increase body, texture and extract additional flavours. By contrast, skin contact is not desirable for biologically aged Sherries such as Fino and Manzanilla as the phenolic compounds extracted can restrict the growth of flor yeast.
How does timing of fortification affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
Dry fortified wines are fortified once fermentation is complete. The majority of sweet fortified wines are produced by fortifying midway through fermentation, stopping the fermentation by raising the overall alcohol level above that at which yeasts can operate and leaving residual sugar that was present in the grapes. Producers will usually calculate the timing of fortification according to the level of residual sugar that is desired in the final wine; the greater the amount of sugar, the earlier the fortification.
Some styles of Sherries such as Pale Cream, Medium and Cream are made by fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component. This can create wines in different styles than would be possible by fortifying during fermentation. In the example of Cream Sherry, a dry Oloroso is often blended with PX, combining the characteristics of aged, dry Palomino with raisined PX.
How does fortifying spirit affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
The majority of fortified wines are fortified with 95–96% abv grape spirit. Spirits with such high alcohol content are neutral in aroma and flavour, and hence these spirits do not mask the characteristics of the wine. Furthermore, the high level of alcohol minimises the volume of spirit needed to bring the fortified wine to the required alcoholic strength (usually between 15–22% abv depending on style) leading to less dilution of the base wine.
The exception is Port, which must be fortified with a grape spirit of 77% abv (+/– 0.5%). As the spirit is distilled to a lower level of alcohol, it is more characterful and contributes more of its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the blend. Also due to its lower strength, a significant volume of spirit is required to bring the partially-fermented must up to its required alcoholic strength of 19–22% abv, again, meaning that the style and quality of the spirit has an important influence of the style and quality of the final wine. Although some producers choose to use more aromatic styles of spirit, especially in red Ports, in Rosé Ports a relatively subtle spirit will be chosen so as not to overpower this more delicate style of wine.
The strength and volume of fortifying spirit added influences the final alcohol level of the wine.
How does maturation affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
The maturation process is a defining stage in the production of many fortified wines.
Some fortified wines, including a number of VDNs, Ruby and Rosé Ports and some White Ports, are released relatively early from the winery with the intention that they should be drunk soon after release. Often, these wines are stored in stainless steel or concrete and are protected from oxygen; they therefore show youthful, primary flavours.
Other wines are released after a short period of ageing with the intention that they will improve in bottle. These wines, which include Vintage and some LBV Ports, will be stored for a few years either in large oak vessels before bottling. As these wines are designed to age in bottle, they will generally be very concentrated with high levels of tannins on release. After a number of years in bottle, the fresh fruit develops to dried fruit and the tannins soften and integrate.
Other fortified wines, such as premium Tawny Ports, Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscats and some styles of VDNs and Sherries, are aged oxidatively, often for extended periods of time. Their maturation is usually carried out in relatively small wooden vessels to encourage oxygen exposure. The small size also increases the rate of evaporation from the vessel and leads to ullage. It is a choice of the winemaker how often to top-up the vessels and whether to fill them completely to the top as part of managing exposure to oxygen. A number of these wines are also matured in warm or heated conditions, which further speeds up oxidation, evaporation and general maturation. The oxidative ageing tends develop aromas of nuts, caramel and dried fruits.
Another technique is biological ageing; used for Fino and Manzanilla Sherries. These wines are aged under a veil of flor yeast which protects the wine from oxidation, while lowering levels of glycerol (and hence body) and contributing aromas of hay, apple skin, bread dough and nuts.
What is maderisation?
The process whereby a wine is heated and oxidised is sometimes known as maderisation; the term taking its name from the process of maturation that is used, and has been for a number of centuries, for the wines of Madeira.
What is rancio?
Rancio is a tasting term used to describe a collection of aromas and flavours that are found in some styles of wines. Aromas are varied but typical descriptors include leather, wood varnish and strong coffee. The chemistry concerning their origin is not well understood, but it appears that the compounds extracted from wooden vessels, oxygen and time all play a role.
How does blending affect style & quality in Fortified Wines?
Blending is one of the most important processes in fortified wine production. Grapes, must or wines from different grape varieties, vintages, and vineyard sites may all be blended, depending on the regulations for the wine style being made, as well as wines that have been handled differently in the winery.
What are the key aims of blending in affecting style and quality in Fortified Wines?
BALANCE
The components that need balancing will differ depending on the style of the wine. For all fortified wines, alcohol is relatively high (compared to unfortified wines) and therefore in wines of good quality and above, this should be integrated within the other components
of the wine. As stated in Maturation, many styles of fortified wines undergo long periods of ageing. These wines become increasingly concentrated and lose their primary fruit characters. Although these wines are complex, a better balance in the final wine is usually achieved by blending some younger wines with the older wines, to provide a degree of freshness against the developed flavours. This is a practice that is particularly notable in Sherry and Rutherglen Muscat.
CONSISTENCY
Many fortified wines are non-vintage products and therefore it is expected that they will show consistency year on year. In some regions, the wines of different vintages mature separately (called static maturation). At a certain point, skilled blenders will taste a variety of wines from different vintages and use their experience to create the blend. In Sherry production, a solera system is used. This is a method of fractional blending which ensure consistency amongst the vessels of a particular age. A modified version of a solera system is used for Rutherglen Muscat.
STYLE
Blending is an essential method of influencing style. In Port, the blend of grape varieties will be an important factor in the level of colour, tannin and flavour concentration in the young wine and therefore its ability to age. In sweetened Sherries, the blending in of the sweetening component, such as PX wine, completely transforms the style of the final wine. Brands are important in most fortified wine categories, and therefore blending is often used to create a certain ‘house style’ across the product range.
COMPLEXITY
Similar to the above points, wines of different ages or that have been treated differently in the winery may be blended to gain a greater range of flavours.
VOLUME
In most regions producing fortified wines, vineyard holdings are small and therefore it is necessary to blend grapes from a number of different producers. Similarly, a number of fortified wines are matured in small vessels and therefore blending of these vessels is usually needed before bottling to make up a sufficient volume of consistent wine.
PRICE
Fortified wines can reach premium and super-premium prices, but a significant proportion
of sales volumes are made up of wines that are mid-priced or even inexpensive. Meeting a competitive price point is essential and in order to obtain the best value product, the producer may decide to add a small amount of older wine to give some complexity to a blend of younger, more simple wines.
How does finishing affect style and quality in Fortified Wines?
The majority of fortified wines will be stabilised, fined and filtered before bottling to ensure they are clean and clear for the consumer.
Some styles of Port, such as Vintage, Single Quinta, Crusted and some LBVs, are purposely not filtered so they continue to develop in bottle. Sediment may be noticed when these wines are opened and poured, and decanting or passing the wine through a wine funnel and strainer may be necessary.
Equally some styles of Sherry termed ‘en rama’ either undergo a light fining and filtration or not be fined or filtered at all. In style they are generally more pronounced and complex than their fined and filtered counterparts.
How does the systematic approach to tasting change for fortified wine?
When tasting fortified wines, the Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT) should be used in much the same way as it is used for unfortified wines. The one area of difference is the assessment of level of alcohol.
The fortified wines in the Specification all have alcohol levels of 15% abv or higher, and hence all would be ‘high’ if calibrated on the same scale as unfortified wines.
Therefore, the scale for alcohol for fortified wines is:
- low: 15–16.4% abv
- medium: 16.5–18.4% abv
- high: 18.5% abv and above.
For all of the other scales of the SAT, fortified wines should be treated on the same scale as unfortified wines. For example, a fortified wine that is assessed as ‘medium intensity’ should have an intensity comparable to that of a medium-intensity unfortified wine.
