Quiz 01 - Key Choices in Fortified Wines Flashcards
What is the type of fortified wine that matches this description?
An aromatic variety is required to provide the main flavours and character of the wine. The aromatic nature of the grape variety is protected by using protective winemaking processes and the wine is released early.
Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
What is the type of fortified wine that matches this description?
The wine is aged in warm and oxidative conditions, but an aromatic grape variety is used and the aged wines still show some characteristics of that variety.
Rutherglen Muscat
What is the type of fortified wine that matches this description?
A neutral grape variety is required as the flavours of the wine are intended to come from the winemaking processes.
Sherry
Which structural components are important considerations when making fortified wines from black grapes?
Acidity
This can either be to balance out the sweetness in sweet fortified wines, or to protect the wine when subject to extensive ageing.
Tannins
Although high tannin levels are not always desirable, the tannin level is important as the grapes can either be selected to give low levels for early release wines, or higher for wines that will be aged extensively, and require the structure from tannins.
Potential sweetness
Sorry, that is incorrect. The other characteristics are more important, and fortified wines can be made in a range of sweetness levels.
Colour
For some aged wines, particularly some Ports, the amount of colour that can be extracted from the grapes is important, as ageing will diminish the colour.
True or false?
Susceptibility to botrytis is highly desirable in fortified wines as this is where many of the wines derive their sweetness.
False
Botrytis is an undesirable quality in fortified wines, and grapes will often be harvested before the autumn to reduce the susceptibility of the grapes to botrytis.
True or false?
Pedro Ximénez grapes are often left on the vine for longer than Palomino grapes.
True
Leaving the grapes on the vine concentrates the sugars, which is necessary for styles of wine like Pedro Ximénez that need high levels of residual sugar. This is also true of the grapes destined for styles such as Rutherglen Muscat and Moscatel Sherry.
True or false?
Altitude does not play an important role in the flavours of fortified wines.
False
Vineyards for some fortified wines e.g. Port are classified on features like their altitude. Low altitude vineyards can have slightly fuller flavours than those at high altitudes.
Briefly describe at what point a winemaker may choose to fortify a wine in relation to the following points:
- When a winemaker is making a sweet fortified wine.
- When a winemaker is making a dry fortified wine
- When a winemaker is making a sweet fortified wine, generally fortification will happen midway through fermentation by calculating the level of residual sugar left in the ferment and if it is the desired level of sweetness for the final style of wine.
- When a winemaker is making a dry fortified wine, fortification takes place after fermentation when all sugars in the must have been converted to alcohol, leaving no residual sugar in the wine.
What is the term often used to describe a collection of aromas and flavours in which the compounds extracted from wooden vessels, oxygen and time all play a role? Aromas are varied, but typical descriptors include leather, wood varnish and strong coffee.
rancio
Although the origins of these aromas are not fully understood, the compounds extracted from wooden vessels, oxygen and time all contribute to the aromas.
What is the term often used for the process whereby a wine is heated and oxidised?
Maderisation
Name the fortified wine(s) that typically undergo the following maturation:
Protected from oxygen in the winery and stored in stainless steel. Released soon after production for early drinking.
Ruby Port, Rosé Ports and some White Ports
Name the fortified wine(s) that typically undergo the following maturation:
Spend a few years in large oak vessels, and are then bottled. Will then be aged extensively in bottle.
Vintage and some LBV Ports
Name the fortified wine(s) that typically undergo the following maturation:
Aged in contact with oxygen for long periods of time. Often aged in small oak barrels to encourage ullage.
Tawny Ports, Rutherglen Muscats, some VDNs, Madeiras and Sherries
Name the fortified wine(s) that typically undergo the following maturation:
Aged biologically under flor which protects the wines from oxidation.
Fino and Manzanilla Sherries
Identify the six main reasons why a fortified wine might be blended and describe why each reason is required.
- Balance – wines are generally aged for long periods of time and will be blended with younger wines before bottling, to give a degree of freshness to the wine by balancing out the developed aromas and flavours.
- Consistency – as many wines are non-vintage, wines from each vintage are matured individually, blending from many vintages are needed to create a consistent product year on year.
- Style – blending influences the style of wine, for example, the choice of grape varieties used in Port production will impact on the colour, tannin and flavour concentration. This influences the wine’s ability to age or not. In some styles of Sherry, a sweetening component is added to the final wine to create a sweet style of wine.
- Complexity – wines of different ages or wines that have been treated differently in the winery can be blended to create a more complex wine.
- Volume - as with many wine regions, wines may be blended from grapes or must coming from different producers to increase volumes available for sale.
- Price – a producer may blend different quality wines together or wines of different ages to achieve a wine at the desired price point.
