Often referred to as dessert wine, you will be surprised to know that fortified wines are available in red,white, dry, and sweet varieties. While preservation of wine was the initial goal for fortifying wines, it is used for strengthening or regulating fermentation too.
Learn all about this unique variety of wine that goes as far back as 1260 AD including its unique types of production and four popular varieties in the following article.
What Is Fortified Wine
Fortification involves the addition of a distilled spirit such as brandy to increase the alcohol content of basal wine, enhance flavors, or to kill the bacteria and yeast in it. The technique of adding spirits for fortification differs by type of wine.
When trading expanded dramatically in the 16th and 17th centuries, preventing the wine from oxidizing on long voyages was impossible given the absence of airtight bottles. Hence, vintners used fortification to prevent wines from going bad, especially in temperate climates.
What Are The Steps For Making Fortified Wine
Most fortified options are made by blending different grapes and vintage spirits. The process of making fortified varieties is quite similar to traditional wine. The only key difference is the time at which the spirit is added.
The alcohol used for fortification must be derived from a neutral spirit made from grapes, sugarcane, or sugar beets. Here are three different steps when alcohol is added to make fortified wines.
- Before The Fermentation: When you add the distilled spirit to unfermented grape juice, it creates a strong wine with about 20% alcohol by volume (ABV) by stopping the yeast and leaving remnant sugar in the end.
- During The Fermentation: When you add alcohol during wine fermentation, it kills the yeast by leaving residual sugar, which creates a balanced and sweet wine.
- After The Fermentation: When you add the spirit at the end of fermentation, it leaves no sugar, creating a dry wine.
The Different Types of Fortified Wine
On top of sweetness, a fortified wine can differ based on the base wine you use, grape variety, aging, climate, fortifying spirit, and the production technique. Here are the common fortified varieties:
Port
Made by adding the distilled spirit called aguardiente during fermentation to the vintage of grape base, port wine is a sweet fortified red wine variety. It is made from grapes that hail from the Douro River Valley of Portugal and is often used as dessert wine owing to its notes of sweet blackberry, caramel and chocolate sauce. Port is popularly seen on rose wine club catalogs and pairs well with English cheeses.
Sherry
The earliest fortified wine, Sherry is made by adding brandy to the completely-fermented wine made with white grapes from the Sherry Triangle, Spain. This fortified variety differs by its aging techniques. You will appreciate notes of crispy, tangy, and spicy notes in this wine often found from organic wine club brands. It complements seafood and spicy dishes.
Madeira
This is a wine named after the Madeira Islands in Portugal and made by pasteurization and oxidation of up to four different grapes. It can be sweet or dry depending on whether you add the brandy before or after the fermentation. The key notes seen in Madeira are caramel, oiliness, toffee hazelnut or burnt sugar. It is the perfect wine to enjoy with seafood, soup, or smoked dishes.
Marsala
A sweet or dry wine produced around Marsala port of Sicily, Marsala Superiore and Marsala Fine are distinguished by aging methods. Marsala can be made from red and white wine grapes. You will notice hints of tamarind, vanilla, and brown sugar in most Marsala varieties. It balances well with smoked meat or soft goat cheese.
Bottom Line
Fortified wines are stronger and flavorful as they are made by adding distilled liquor such as brandy before, during, or after the fermentation.
If sweetness is your soft spot, Port will enthrall you. While Sherry is often dry, Madeira and Marsala can be sweet or dry. Pick your favorite based on tasting notes and food pairings to enjoy it yourself or present as a wine gift.