Fortified Wine

Fortified wine is one of the 3 types of wine in the world, other two being still (the type of wine that is most common and familiar to us) and sparkling. It is a wine that's had a distilled spirit added to it during the winemaking process in order to boost its alcohol content.

The 3 main types of fortified wine are Port, Sherry and Madeira. Each fortified wine has its own unique set of regulations; the type of wine, type of base spirit, range of alcohol by volume, amount of sugar, and aging length. They all have, however, been "fortified" with a distilled spirit such as brandy.

The original use of fortification was to preserve the wine, as casks of wine were prone to turn to vinegar during long sea voyages. The liquor is added to the base wine during fermentation, and the added spirit might also enhance the wine's natural flavors. This fortifying of the wine brings the average alcohol content up to around 17 to 20 percent alcohol by volume

Key Factors about Fortified wines:

• They can be made in either a dry or a sweet style

• Quite often, the fortifying liquor is simply called a "neutral grape spirit." Essentially, this is a brandy or eau de vie.

• Once this alcohol is added, the yeast stops converting sugar to alcohol and all of the remaining grape sugar is left in the wine as residual sugar.

• The amount of time a wine is allowed to ferment before being fortified determines whether it will be sweet or dry.

FUN FACT! If a sweeter fortified wine is desired, the neutral grape spirits are typically added within the first day and a half of fermentation. To make a dry fortified wine, you would allow the full fermentation process to run its course. This consumes the remaining sugar before adding the neutral grape spirits.

Everything you need to know about Port, Sherry, and Madeira

Port

• Port wine comes from the Douro Valley region of Portugal. There are many varieties of port, but its most popular form is a sweet red wine perfect for a post-meal digestif.

• There are two types of Port: Wood Aged and Bottle Aged

• One of the most important qualities of true Port is the unique blend of Portuguese indigenous grapes. Port grapes include Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cão. Each grape adds a unique flavor to the blend. 

• Port wines do exceptionally well when paired with chocolate and fruit tarts but perhaps the best pairing of them all is an LBV or Vintage Port and Stilton cheese.

• Vintage Port is one of the most age-worthy wines in the world

Sherry

• 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.

• Pedro Ximénez or PX Is the sweetest Sherry

Madeira

• Oxidized, fortified dessert wines from the Island of Madeira ranging in style from off-dry to sweet. Wines are incredibly stable and are known to age over 100 years.

• Madeira gets its name from Portugal's Madeira Islands, the region where it's produced by a unique artificial heating process known as estufagem. Types of Madeira range from dry wines served as an apéritif to sweet wines served with dessert.

• Madeira is a popular choice for reduction sauces because of its walnut-like flavors and tart acidity, but it also pairs well with artichoke, pea soup, and asparagus

• The high acidity coupled with smoky-sweet and nutty aromas make Madeira very unlike other wines. So, for someone used to dry reds, Madeira is a Martian experience.

• The complex, rich, and layered character of Madeira makes it a fine substance for deglazing pans, reducing sauces. Mushrooms are a great partner to Madeira’s sweet earthiness.

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