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WSET Level 4 D5: Fortified Wine > 1: Key choices affecting Style, Quality and Price > Flashcards

1: Key choices affecting Style, Quality and Price Flashcards

1
Q

Name the 9 key choices that affect style, quality, and price.

A
  1. GRAPE VARIETY
  2. VINEYARD SITE
  3. TIMING OF HARVEST
  4. SKIN CONTACT AND EXTRACTION
  5. TIMING OF FORTIFICATION
  6. THE FORTIFYING SPIRIT
  7. MATURATION
  8. BLENDING
  9. FINISHING
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2
Q

In what styles are fortified wines made?

A

very diverse range of styles:

  • red, white and rosé
  • dry to sweet
  • youthful, aromatic to fully developed, oxidative
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3
Q

How does the grape variety influence the final wine?

A
  • provide its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the wine
  • used as a relatively neutral base for the flavours of maturation
  • provide structural components such as acidity, and in black grapes, colour and tannin
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4
Q

Give an example of a fortified wine where the grape variety provides the main flavours of the wine.

A

Vins Doux Naturels (VDNs) from Muscat

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5
Q

Give an example of a fortified wine where the grape variety doesn’t provide much influence on the flavors of the wine. Describe why.

A

Sherry

- Palomino is a relatively neutral variety, and the characteristic aromas of Sherry all come from the maturation process

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6
Q

Give an example of a fortified wine where the specific grape variety used helps to impart structure on the final wine.

A

Madeira
- notable for its high acidity, it’s made with a number of grape varieties, such as Sercial and Verdelho, that have naturally high levels of acidity

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7
Q

Name 2 grape varieties that provide color intensity in Vintage Port.

A

Touriga Nacional and Sousão

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8
Q

For what styles of fortified wine is a high level of tannin not desired? Give 2 examples.

A
  • early drinking styles of red fortified wines

- examples: Ruby Port or Maury Grenat

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9
Q

What is a benefit of tannins in long-aged wines?

A

medium (+) or high levels of tannins are beneficial in the color stability

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10
Q

Why are the vineyard site and climate important?

A
  • location, aspect and altitude determine how much wine a plot of land can produce
  • low altitude sites can producer fuller wines with riper flavors
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11
Q

Is botrytis desirable in the production of fortified wines?

A

in no case is botrytis, even as noble rot, desirable

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12
Q

To avoid botrytis, what might the grower do?

A

growers will be looking to harvest before the increased risk of rain, and hence increased humidity, in the autumn

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13
Q

What styles might be left on the vine longer?

A

Rutherglen Muscat, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel Sherry

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14
Q

What effect does leaving the grapes on the vine longer have? In what types of wines is this necessary?

A
  • concentrate the sugars

- necessary in these wines that have very high levels of residual sugar

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15
Q

In what types of wines is the extraction of colour, tannins and flavour from the grape skins a key process?

A

red fortified wines

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16
Q

How long do red fortified wines undergo a period of maceration?

A

as little as 2-3 days

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17
Q

Why is it important to extract as much compounds as possible during the maceration period? For what types of wines is this most important?

A
  • only have a short period of time to extract

- wines that are to undergo long ageing and hence need high concentrations of colour, tannin and flavours

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18
Q

What industry has developed specialist equipment that permit maximum extraction whilst remaining gentle enough not to crush seeds and release bitter tannins?

A

Port

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19
Q

In what types of wines is less extraction desirable?

A

basic Tawny and Rosé Ports

- wines with a paler appearance

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20
Q

Why might a fortified wine producer allow their white grapes to macerate for a limited time on skins? Give examples.

A

increase body, texture and extract additional flavours

- Madeira, Muscat-based VDNs and White Port

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21
Q

For what types of wines is skin contact not desirable?

A
  • biologically aged Sherries such as Fino and Manzanilla

- the phenolic compounds extracted can restrict the growth of flor yeast

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22
Q

When are dry fortified wines fortified?

A

once fermentation is complete

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23
Q

When are the majority of sweet fortified wines fortified? Describe how this works.

A
  • midway through fermentation
  • stops the fermentation by raising the overall alcohol level above that at which yeasts can operate
  • leaving residual sugar that was present in the grapes
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24
Q

How do producers usually calculate the timing of fortification?

A
  • according to the level of residual sugar that is desired in the final wine
  • the greater the amount of sugar, the earlier the fortification
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25
Q

How else might sweet fortified wines be made?

A
  • fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component
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26
Q

Give examples of wines made by fermenting the wine to dryness and then adding a sweetening component.

A

Sherries such as Pale Cream, Medium and Cream

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27
Q

With what are the majority of fortified wines fortified?

A

95-96% abv grape spirit

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28
Q

Describe high abv grape spirit added to fortify the wine.

A
  • neutral in aroma and flavour

- do not mask the characteristics of the wine

29
Q

Why is fortifying with a high abv spirit necessary?

A
  • the high level of alcohol minimises the volume of spirit needed to bring the fortified wine to the required alcoholic strength
  • leads to less dilution of the base wine
30
Q

What is the one exception that’s not fortified with a 95-96% abv grape spirit? With what is it fortified?

A
  • Port

- 77% abv (+/- 0.5%) grape spirit

31
Q

How does the 77% abv grape spirit affect the wine?

A
  • more of an effect
  • lower level of alcohol means it’s more characterful and contributes more of its own aroma and flavour characteristics to the blend
  • significant volume of spirit required to bring the partially-fermented must up to its required alcoholic strength
32
Q

How is the final alcohol level of the wine determined?

A

by the strength and volume of fortifying spirit added

33
Q

Give some examples of fortified wines released relatively early from the winery with the intention that they should be drunk soon after release.

A

VDNs, Ruby and Rosé Ports and some White Ports

34
Q

How are early-drinking fortified wines stored? What flavors do they exhibit?

A
  • stored in stainless steel or concrete and are protected from oxygen
  • youthful, primary flavours
35
Q

Give some examples of fortified wines released after a short period of ageing with the intention that they will improve in bottle.

A

vintage and some LBV Ports

36
Q

How are the fortified wines released after a short period of ageing with the intention that they will improve in bottle stored? Describe how they start and how they age.

A
  • stored for a few years in large oak vessels before bottling
  • generally very concentrated with high levels of tannins on release
  • after a number of years in bottle, the fresh fruit develops to dried fruit and the tannins soften and integrate
37
Q

Give some examples of fortified wines that are aged oxidatively.

A

Tawny Ports, Madeiras, Rutherglen Muscats and some styles of VDNs and Sherries

38
Q

Describe how fortified wines are aged oxidatively.

A

maturation is usually carried out in relatively small wooden vessels to encourage oxygen exposure

39
Q

Why are smaller wooden vessels important for oxidatively-aged fortified wines?

A

small size also increases the rate of evaporation from the vessel and leads to ullage

40
Q

What choices the the winemaker have when aging oxidatively?

A
  • how often to top-up the vessels

- whether to fill them completely to the top as part of managing exposure to oxyge

41
Q

How might the winemaker speed up oxidative aging?

A
  • matured in warm or heated conditions

- speeds up oxidation, evaporation and general maturation

42
Q

What flavors does oxidative aging impart on the wine?

A

nuts, caramel and dried fruits

43
Q

What is biological ageing?

A

wines are aged under a veil of flor yeast which protects the wine from oxidation, while lowering levels of glycerol (and hence body)

44
Q

Give 2 examples of fortified wines that go through biological ageing.

A

Fino and Manzanilla Sherries

45
Q

What flavors does biological aging impart on the wine?

A

hay, apple skin, bread dough and nuts.

46
Q

What is rancio? Where does it come from?

A
  • tasting term used to describe a collection of aromas and flavours such as leather, wood varnish and strong coffee
  • compounds extracted from wooden vessels, oxygen and time all play a role
47
Q

What is maderisation?

A

the process whereby a wine is heated and oxidised

48
Q

What types of wine might be blended?

A

Grapes, must or wines from:

  • different grape varieties
  • vintages
  • vineyard
  • wines that have been handled differently in the winery
49
Q

What are the 6 main aims of blending?

A
  1. balance
  2. consistency
  3. style
  4. complexity
  5. volume
  6. price
50
Q

What is important for fortified wines when it comes to blending?

A
  • alcohol is relatively high (compared to unfortified wines)

- therefore wines of good quality and above, this should be integrated within the other components of the wine

51
Q

How do wines change as they age?

A

become increasingly concentrated and lose their primary fruit characters

52
Q

How are wines that undergo long periods of ageing blended? Why?

A
  • a better balance in the final wine is usually achieved by blending some younger wines with the older wines
  • to provide a degree of freshness against the developed flavours
53
Q

Why is it expected that many fortified wines will show consistency year on year?

A

many fortified wines are non-vintage products

54
Q

What is static maturation?

A
  • wines of different vintages mature separately

- skilled blenders will taste a variety of wines from different vintages and use their experience to create the blend

55
Q

What is a solera system?

A

method of fractional blending which ensure consistency amongst the vessels of a particular age

56
Q

Give 3 examples of blending for style.

A
  • Port, the blend of grape varieties will be an important factor in the level of colour, tannin and flavour concentration in the young wine and therefore its ability to age
  • sweetened Sherries, the blending in of the sweetening component, such as PX wine, completely transforms the style of the final wine
  • house style/brand
57
Q

Give an example of blending for complexity.

A

wines of different ages or that have been treated differently in the winery may be blended to gain a greater range of flavours

58
Q

Give two reasons why of blending for volume is necessary.

A
  • most regions producing fortified wines, vineyard holdings are small and therefore it is necessary to blend grapes from a number of different producers
  • fortified wines are matured in small vessels and therefore blending of these vessels is usually needed before bottling to make up a sufficient volume of consistent wine
59
Q

What price point are most fortified wines in?

A
  • can reach premium and super-premium prices

- significant proportion of sales volumes are made up of wines that are mid-priced or even inexpensive

60
Q

Why might a producer decide to add a small amount of older wine to a blend of younger, more simple wines?

A

to add complexity

61
Q

Before bottling, what happens to most fortified wines? Why?

A
  • stabilised, fined and filtered

- ensure they are clean and clear for the consumer

62
Q

What styles of wines are purposely not filtered? Why?

A
  • some styles of Port, such as Vintage, Single Quinta, Crusted and some LBVs
  • continue to develop in bottle
63
Q

What might be noticed when opening a bottle of unfiltered fortified wine? What might be necessary?

A
  • sediment

- decanting or passing the wine through a wine funnel and strainer may be necessary

64
Q

What is en rama?

A

some styles of Sherry termed ‘en rama’ either undergo a light fining and filtration or not be fined or filtered at all

65
Q

Describe en rama wines.

A

generally more pronounced and complex than their fined and filtered counterparts

66
Q

What is the one area of difference of the SAT for fortified wines?

A

assessment of level of alcohol

67
Q

All fortified wines have abv over what?

A

15%

68
Q

What is the alcohol scale used for fortified wines?

A
  • low: 15–16.4% abv
  • medium: 16.5–18.4% abv
  • high: 18.5% abv and above

WSET Level 4 D5: Fortified Wine (23 decks)

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