Fortified Wine

Question 1

What is fortification?

Answer 1

The addition of alcohol to a wine

Question 2

What is the difference between port and sherry

Answer 2

All Port is sweet as it is made by interrupting the fermentation using fortification.

Most Sherry is made in a dry style, but it is sometimes sweetened later on.

Question 3

Where is sherry produced?

Answer 3

Around the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain

Question 4

What white grape is sherry made from?

Answer 4

Palomino

Question 5

What is the solera system

Answer 5

Old oak casks containing wine of different ages, these are continuously blended to produce the sherry.

Question 6

What are the most important styles of dry sherry

Answer 6

Fino, Oloroso and Amontillado

Question 7

What is Fino?

Answer 7

Driest and palest of sherries
Aged under a thick layer of yeast called flor which is also known as biological ageing
Fortified to about 15% before entering the solera
Pale lemon colour with aromas of apple, almonds
Flavours of biscuit, bread, dough from the flor
Best served chilled as early as possible

Question 8

What is Oloroso?

Answer 8

Doesn’t involve flor, ages in contact with oxygen
Becomes brown in colour
Fortified to 17%
Flavours of dried fruits (raisins,prunes) and walnuts, caramel from oxidation

Question 9

What is Amontillado?

Answer 9

Somewhere between Fino and Oloroso
Aged under Flor for a period
Refortified to around 17%
Deeper in colour than Fino
Biscuit, bread, dough (from flor) and walnut, caramel flavours from oxidative ageing

Question 10

What does the term Pale Cream signify?

Answer 10

A sweetened Fino

Question 11

When are the terms Medium and Cream used?

Answer 11

Often with sweetened Oloroso or Amontillado sherries

Question 12

What is PX?

Answer 12

A sweet sherry made from white Pedro Ximénez grapes
Concentrated by sun drying
Almost black in colour
Sweet with pronounced dried fruit flavours (prune, raisin)

Question 13

What is port?

Answer 13

A sweet fortified wine which is produced in the Upper Douro region of Portugal

Blended from several black grape varieties from several vintages

Question 14

What is the winemaking process for port?

Answer 14

Rapidly extract colour and tannin from the skins
Fermentation is interrupted to add grape spirit, the result is a wine that is sweet and high in alcohol
Matured before blending and bottling

Question 15

What is the colour and flavour of Ruby Port?

Answer 15

Deep colour and black cherry, blackberry flavour

Question 16

What is a ruby reserve and LBV port?

Answer 16

Ruby Reserve contains better quality wines and is matured for a longer period

LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) is similar to a reserve

Question 17

What is Tawny style port?

Answer 17

Port with a tawny colour, this is created via extended oxidative ageing in small barrels
Dried fruit and oxidative flavours