Fortified wine is awine to which adistilled spirit, usuallybrandy, has been added.[1] In the course of some centuries,[2]winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port,sherry, madeira, Marsala,Commandaria wine, and thearomatised winevermouth.[3]
One reason for fortifying wine was to preserve it, sinceethanol is also a naturalantiseptic. Even though other preservation methods now exist, fortification continues to be used because the process can add distinct flavors to the finished product.[4][5]
Although grape brandy is most commonly added to produce fortified wines, the additional alcohol may also beneutral spirit that has been made from grapes, grain,sugar beets orsugarcane. Regionalappellation laws may dictate the types of spirit that are permitted for fortification. For example, in the U.S. only spirits made from the same fruit as the wine may be added.[6]
The source of the additional alcohol and the method of its distillation can affect the flavour of the fortified wine. Ifneutral spirit is used, it is usually produced with acontinuous still, rather than apot still.[3]
When added to wine before thefermentation process is complete, the alcohol in the distilled beverage kills theyeast and leavesresidual sugar behind. The result is a wine that is both sweeter and stronger, normally containing about 20%alcohol by volume (ABV).
During thefermentation process, yeast cells in themust continue to convert sugar into alcohol until the must reaches an alcohol level of 16–18%. At this level, the alcohol becomestoxic to the yeast and stalls its metabolism. If fermentation is allowed to run to completion, the resulting wine is (in most cases) low in sugar and is considered a dry wine. Adding alcohol earlier in the fermentation process results in a sweeter wine. For drier fortified wine styles, such assherry, the alcohol is added shortly before or after the end of the fermentation.
In the case of some fortified wine styles (such aslate harvest andbotrytized wines), a naturally high level of sugar inhibits the yeast and the rising alcohol content as the high sugar level kills the yeast. This causes fermentation to stop before the wine can become dry.[3]
Commandaria is made inCyprus' unique AOC region north of Limassol from high-altitude vines ofMavro andXynisteri, sun-dried and aged in oak barrels. Recent developments have produced different styles of Commandaria, some of which are not fortified.
Madeira is a fortified wine made in theMadeira Islands. The wine is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own as anaperitif, tosweet wines more usually consumed with dessert. Madeira is deliberately heated and oxidised as part of its maturation process, resulting in distinctive flavours and an unusually long lifespan once a bottle is opened.
Marsala wine is a wine fromSicily that is available in both fortified and unfortified versions.[7] It was first produced in 1772 by an English merchant, John Woodhouse, as an inexpensive substitute for sherry and port,[8] and gets its name from the island's port,Marsala.[7] The fortified version is blended withbrandy to make two styles, the younger, slightly weakerFine, which is at least 17%abv and aged at least four months; and theSuperiore, which is at least 18%, and aged at least two years. The unfortified Marsala wine is aged in wooden casks for five years or more and reaches a strength of 18% byevaporation.[7]
Mistelle (Italian:mistella; French:mistelle; Spanish,Portuguese,Galician andCatalan:mistela, fromLatinmixtella/mixtvm "mix") is sometimes used as an ingredient in fortified wines, particularlyVermouth,Marsala andSherry, though it is used mainly as a base forapéritifs such as the FrenchPineau des Charentes.[9] It is produced by adding alcohol to non-fermented or partiallyfermented grape juice (or apple juice to makepommeau).[10] The addition of alcohol stops the fermentation and, as a consequence Mistelle is sweeter than fully fermented grape juice in which the sugars turn to alcohol.[11]
Moscatel de Setúbal is a Portuguese wine produced around theSetúbal Municipality on thePenínsula de Setúbal. The wine is made primarily from theMuscat of Alexandria grape and is typically fortified withaguardente. The style was believed to have been invented byJosé Maria da Fonseca, the founder of the oldest table wine company in Portugal dating back to 1834.
Port wine (also known simply as port) is a fortified wine from theDouro Valley in thenorthern provinces ofPortugal.[12] It is typically asweet red wine, but also comes in dry, semi-dry and white or rosé styles.
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town ofJerez, Spain. The word "sherry" itself is ananglicisation of Jerez. In earlier times, sherry was known assack (from the Spanishsaca, meaning "a removal from thesolera"). In the European Union "sherry" is aprotected designation of origin; therefore, all wine labelled as "sherry" must legally come from the Sherry Triangle, which is an area in the province ofCádiz betweenJerez de la Frontera,Sanlúcar de Barrameda andEl Puerto de Santa María.[13]
Afterfermentation is complete, sherry is fortified withbrandy. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, most sherries are initially dry, with any sweetness being added later. In contrast,port wine (for example) is fortified halfway through its fermentation, which stops the process so that not all of the sugar is turned into alcohol.
Sherry is produced in a variety of styles, ranging from dry, light versions such asfinos to much darker and sometimes sweeter versions known asolorosos.[14] Cream sherry is always sweet.
Vermouth is a fortified wine flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices ("aromatised" in the trade) using closely guarded recipes (trade secrets). Some of the herbs and spices used may includecardamom,cinnamon,marjoram, andchamomile.[15] Some vermouth is sweetened. Unsweetened or dry vermouth tends to be bitter. The person credited with the second vermouth recipe,Antonio Benedetto Carpano fromTurin, Italy, chose to name his concoction "vermouth" in 1786 because he was inspired by a German wine flavoured withwormwood, an herb most famously used indistillingabsinthe. Wine flavoured with wormwood goes back to ancient Rome. The modern German wordWermut (Wermuth in the spelling of Carpano's time) means bothwormwood andvermouth. The herbs were originally used to mask raw flavours of cheaper wines,[16] imparting a slightly medicinal "tonic" flavor.
Vins doux naturels (VDN) are lightly fortified wines typically made from whiteMuscat grapes or redGrenache grapes in the south of France. As the name suggests,Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise,Muscat de Rivesaltes andMuscat de Frontignan are all made from the white Muscat grape, whilstBanyuls andMaury are made from redGrenache. Other wines, like those ofRivesaltes AOC, can be made from red or white grapes. Regardless of the grape, fermentation is stopped by the addition of up to 10% of a 190proof (95% abv)grape spirit.[17] The Grenache vins doux naturels can be made in an oxidised or unoxidised style whereas the Muscat wines are protected from oxidation to retain their freshness.[18]
A vin de liqueur is a sweet fortified style of French wine that is fortified by adding brandy to unfermented grape must. The term vin de liqueur is also used by the European Union to refer to all fortified wines. Vins de liqueur take greater flavour from the added brandy but are also sweeter than vin doux.
Examples includeFloc de Gascogne which is made using 1/3armagnac to 2/3 grape juice from the same vineyard,Pineau des Charentes in theCognac zone,Macvin inJura; there is alsoPommeau similarly made by blending apple juice and apple brandy.
Inexpensive fortified wines became popular during theGreat Depression for their relatively high alcohol content. The termwino was coined during this period to describe impoverished alcoholics of the time.[19]
These wines continue to be associated with the homeless, mainly because marketers have been aggressive in targeting low-income communities as ideal consumers of these beverages; organisations in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland have urged makers of inexpensive fortified wine, includingE & J Gallo Winery to stop heavily marketing such products to liquor stores in impoverished areas.[20] In 2005, theSeattle City Council asked theWashington State Liquor Control Board to prohibit the sale of certain alcohol products in an impoverished "Alcohol Impact Area." Among the products sought to be banned were over two dozen beers, and six fortified wines:Cisco, Gino's Premium Blend, MD 20/20,Night Train Express,Thunderbird, and Wild Irish Rose.[21] The Liquor Control Board approved these restrictions on 30 August 2006.[22]
Gwaha-ju is a fortifiedrice wine made inKorea.[23][24]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 likeginseng,jujubes,ginger, etc., to the rice wine, bears similarity to the above-mentioned fortified wines.
Fortified wines are often termeddessert wines in the United States to avoid association with hard drinking.[25] The term "vins de liqueur" is used by the French.[26]
UnderEuropean Union legislation, a liqueur wine is a fortified wine that contains 15–22%abv, with Total Alcoholic Strength of no less than 17.5%, and that meets many additional criteria. Exemptions are allowed for certain quality liqueur wines.[27]
Exactly when stronger wines or spirits began to be added to wine to preserve it is lost to history, but it worked — and fortified wine was born. History does record how the fortified wines Port and Madeira came to be.
Marsala wine.
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