Fortified wine short note

Fortified wine. Short notes

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Fortified wines are fortified by the addition of extra alcohol in the form of brandy or spirits to bring them up to an alcohol content of 18%–20%. Porto, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, and Vermouth are all fortified wines. If the extra alcohol is added after fermentation, a dry fortified wine such as Sherry is the outcome. Adding the alcohol during fermentation results in a sweet wine such as Porto.

1. Sherry: This fortified wine is produced in the Jerez region of Spain and is made from the Palomino, Muscat, or Pedro Ximénez grape. Sherry production is unique in that the winemaker intentionally exposes the wine to oxygen, which imparts a nutty and briny flavor profile. Before bottling, entire barrels are blended with portions of older wines. This is known as the solera method and is almost entirely exclusive to sherry. Sherry, like vermouth, is fortified with brandy and typically clocks in at around 15 to 18 percent alcohol by volume. Like any wine, it should be refrigerated but will retain its freshness about four times as long as a typical wine. There are many styles of sherry, ranging from the lighter fino style to the darker oloroso style. For those seeking an especially sweet drink, try a Pedro Ximénez sherry. The types of Spanish Sherry are

• Fino, which is the lightest, most delicate and some say driest of the Spanish Sherries. Served chilled with Tapas appetizers
• Manzanilla, which is also very dry, has a salty taste because it is aged in barrels placed outdoors on the beach where the sea air penetrates the porous wood
• Amontillado, which tastes more medium-dry to me, has a pronounced nutty flavor that makes it perfect in and with soups
• Oloroso, which means beautiful aroma, is dry but a richer, fuller-bodied style of Sherry
• Palo Cortado, is a rare type of Fino that loses its flor yeast and acquires a character between Amontillado and Oloroso
• Cream, which is the sweetest type of Sherry, is suitable on its own after dinner, or with dessert

2. Port wine: Port wine hails from Portugal, and specifically, the Duoro Valley. Grapes must be grown and processed in the region, and to become port, the wine is fortified with unaged brandy before fermentation is complete to yield a product with around 20 percent ABV. Those seeking a different type of dessert wine might consider a white port, rosé port, ruby port, or tawny port. Porto is classified as Vintage Porto only in the declared great vintage years of exceptional quality.

3. Vermouth: Vermouth is an aromatized wine, which is a subcategory of fortified wines flavored with fruits, herbs, spices, and florals. Dry vermouth, sometimes referred to as French vermouth, has a distinctly crisp and floral character. Dry vermouth is produced by blending white wine with herbs and spices before adding brandy for fortification, and it’s an essential building block of the classic Martini. Sweet vermouth, sometimes referred to as Italian vermouth, has a heavier mouthfeel and a more caramelized, fruity character than dry vermouth. It doesn’t have to be made from red wine, although some producers insist on it. Sweet vermouth finds its home in countless classics like the Manhattan and Negroni, but it can also be enjoyed on its own with a bit of ice or soda.

4. Madeira: Madeira hails from Portugal’s Madeira Islands. Madeira is usually a varietal wine named after the white grape variety used to make it. The five types of Madeira are

• Sercial, the driest type, used in Beef Wellington recipes and sauces for main courses and soups.
• Verdelho, called Verdejo in Spain, has slightly more body, color and richness, but is still very dry.
• Bual, which is very similar to Verdelho, is also considered a dry style of Madeira.
• Rainwater, which is a blend of varietals, is light and medium-dry in style and first became popular among America’s founding fathers at the time of the 13 original colonies.
• Malmsey, the sweetest type, is made from the Malvasia grape and is used in the dessert called English Trifle, which consists of layers of cake, pudding, and fruit.

5. Marsala: Marsala comes from Marsala, a city on the Italian island of Sicily. The wine is classified by age, color, and sweetness levels, as measured by grams of residual sugar per liter. It is available in both dry and sweet varieties. Marsala is produced using white Italian grapes and, depending on its type, contains between 15 and 20 percent alcohol by volume. The various types of Marsalas are classified depending on their sweetness, age, and color.

6. Moscatel de Setúbal: This a Portuguese fortified wine that comes from the municipality of Setúbal. Guidelines specify that it must be made with at least 85 percent Muscat white grapes and contain between 16 and 22 percent ABV.

7. Commandaria: It’s made with only two types of grapes, xynisteri and mavro, which are indigenous to the island. It’s said to have a history of production stretching back nearly 3,000 years. Maximum alcohol content is 20 percent ABV, and the wine’s taste is highly rich, sweet, and fruity.

8. Gwaha-ju Gwaha-ju is a fortified rice wine made in Korea.Although rice wine is not made from grapes, it has a similar alcohol content to grape wine, and the addition of the distilled spirit, soju, and other ingredients like ginseng, jujubes, ginger, etc., to the rice wine, bears similarity to the above-mentioned fortified wines.

Pick a Perfect Wine In No Time book https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=421051&seqNum=6 https://www.eater.com/wine/22252382/fortified-wine-vermouth-sherry-madeira-martini-negroni https://www.masterclass.com/articles/complete-guide-to-fortified-wine https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/a-guide-to-fortified-wines-and-how-to-drink-them https://punchdrink.com/articles/natural-wines-new-frontiers-andalucia-spain-hokkaido-japan/

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2015/AN/C4AN02390K#!divAbstract - A sniffer-camera for imaging of ethanol vaporization from wine: the effect of wine glass shape

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