VINSIGHTS

A staff training infographic worth 1,000 words

by MARNIE OLD

Fortified wines are wines to which distilled spirit has been added at the winery . They usually contain 15 to 20 % alcohol , so they taste stronger and feel heavier than standard wines , and are served in smaller portions .

Any kind of still wine can be fortified , but those which are most popular tend to be sweet . The two most famous fortified wines each use a different production method . These are red port from northern Portugal , and the sherries of Spain ’ s Andalucia region , whose formal appellation is Jerez-Xérès-Sherry .

Wines made using the older sherry method begin as standard dry white wines , which are then fortified with a grappa-like grape brandy and aged in casks . Sherries may or may not be sweetened with a raisin syrup , so they can range from pale bone-dry styles like manzanilla , to dark , sticky-sweet treats like cream sherry . The port method , also known as mutage , is a more recent innovation that makes sweet wines only because distilled spirit is added much earlier , during fermentation . Since most yeasts cannot tolerate alcohol levels over 15 %, adding brandy halts fermentation abruptly and guarantees a sweet dessert wine . •

Marnie Old is one of the country ’ s leading wine educators . Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan ’ s French Culinary Institute , she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK such as Wine : A Tasting Course and her popular Wine Simplified series of wine tutorials on YouTube . Marnie currently serves as director of vinlightenment for Boisset Collection .

SHERRY METHOD

Natural Alcohol ( in Base Wine )

Added Alcohol ( Grape Brandy )

Unfermented Grape Sugar

PORT METHOD

Added Raisin Syrup ( Optional )

WHY ARE SO MANY FORTIFIED WINES MADE BY BRITISH COMPANIES ?

Fortified wines are historical relics that have survived because we like the way they taste . Whether they hail from Portugal or Spain , Italy or France , most of those we still drink today date to the era where Great Britain ruled a global seafaring empire .

ORIGINAL PRACTICE FOR LONG VOYAGES Fortify a finished wine with brandy to prevent spoilage during transport to distant markets .

FIRST ADAPTATION : SHERRY METHOD Add brandy to white wine after fermentation but before aging , to help preserve it .

FINAL ADAPTATION : PORT METHOD Add brandy early in fermentation to kill off yeasts and preserve grape sugar , while also stabilizing the wine .

Wine casks were originally spiked with spirits by wine merchants who aimed to prevent spoilage during long sea voyages . The most popular fortified wines — not just port and sherry but also madeira and marsala — were invented by British companies stationed in warm-climate ports , provisioning ships with food and drink . Stabilizing wine by adding brandy was eventually integrated into the winemaking process and is now most often used to create sweet dessert wines .

www . beveragedynamics . com Spring 2024 • Beverage Dynamics 9