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Fortified wine is wine to which stronger liquor (usually brandy) has been added.1
Contents |
Origin and styles
The original reason for fortifying wine was to preserve it. Alcohol is a natural preservative, and when added before the fermentation of wine is complete, it kills the yeast and leaves residual sugar behind. The end result is a wine that is both sweeter and stronger, normally containing about 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). Even though other preservation methods exist, fortification continues to be used because wine drinkers took a liking to this kind of wine.
Many different styles of fortified wine have been developed. The most popular ones are port, marsala, sherry, madeira, and vermouth.2
Fortified wines are distinguished from spirits made from wine. Spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is simply wine that has had a spirit added to it.
Legal Aspects
By law, the term “fortified wine” is not permitted to appear on wine labels in the United States; consequently, these wines are usually called dessert wines.1In Europe, they are called liqueur wines. Under European Union legislation, a liqueur wine is a fortified wine that contains not less than 17.5% ABV (except for certain quality liqueur wines) and that meets many additional criteria.3
Fortified wines are used as a base for some alcoholic beverages, such as cream liqueurs.
Fortification
During the fermentation process, yeast cells in the must continue to convert sugar into alcohol until the must reaches an alcohol level of 16%–18%. At this level, the alcohol becomes toxic to the yeast and kills it. If fermentation is allowed to run to completion, the resulting wine will (in most cases) be low in sugar and will be considered a dry wine. The earlier in the fermentation process that alcohol is added, the sweeter the resulting wine will be. For drier fortified wine styles, such as sherry, the alcohol is added after the end of fermentation or soon before the end.
In the case of some fortified wine styles (such as late harvest and botrytized wines), a naturally high level of sugar will inhibit the yeast; this causes fermentation to stop before the wine can become dry.2
Although grape brandy is most commonly added to produce fortified wines, the additional alcohol may be derived from a variety of other sources including sugarcane, sugar beets, and even petroleum. Regional appellation laws dictate the types of spirit that are permitted for fortification.
The source of the additional alcohol and the method of its distillation can affect the flavor of the wine. Spirits produced in a pot still tend to contain more impurities (flavor congeners), and these can impart distinct intense flavors. Most producers use neutral spirits and will use spirits produced with a continuous still.2
See also
References
- ^ a b Lichine, Alexis. Alexis Lichine’s New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits, 5th edition (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), 236.
- ^ a b c Robinson, J. (editor). The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd edition (Oxford University Press: 2006), 279, ISBN 0198609906.
- ^ COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17 May 1999; Annex I, §14 (European Union document).
External links
- Fortified Wines- A description.
- Dessert Wines — Fortified Wine Production.
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