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Fortified Wines are wines that have had a spirt added before fermentaion completed. The spirit is usually brandy. Adding the spirit kills the yeast and leaves sugars behind making the wine stronger and sweet. Fortified wines are normally 20% alcohol and are lovely and sweet.
Fortified wines include port, madeira, marsala and vermouth
is a fortified wine made in the Madeira islands.The wine is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own as an aperitif to sweet wines.
Madeira is noted for its unique winemaking process which involves heating the wine up to temperatures as high as 60C 40°F for an extended period of time and deliberately exposing the wine to some levels of oxidation. Due to this unique process which is supposed to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage of the aging barrels through tropical climates madeira is a very robust wine that can be quite long lived even after being opened.
There are four major types of Madeira, named according to the grape variety used. Ranging from the sweetest to the driest style they are:
Malvasia - also known as Malmsey or Malvazia - Dark & rich, coffee-caramel flavours, high acidity with high sugar levels makes the wine sweet but not sickly sweet.
Bual or Boal - a variety of grape used for med-rich wine - dark color, medium rich texture with raisin flavors.- med sweet wine
Verdelho - smokey notes and high acidity - med dry wine
Sercial - high-toned colors, almond flavors and high acidity - very dry wine
Occasionally one sees Terrantez, Bastardo & Moscatel
Reserve - 5 years or older
Special Reserve - 10 years or older
Extra Reserve - 15 years or older
Verdelho is often called 'rainwater' The name is said to come from the days when barrels left outside for shipment absorbed rain through the wood and became slightly diluted.
Serve cool like Port. Goes great with cheese, dry ones as an aperitif, the sweet ones after dinner. Serve in a thin port like glass.
Dating back to 1820 port comes from the Douro valley of Portugal where the wines are blended and aged. The rich fortified wine is obtained by adding 20% brandy to arrest fermentation and to maintan 10% of the residual sugar.
All port apart from vintage are matured in oak casks. Once bottled they are ready for drinking & do not need decanting. Tawnies are lighter in taste and colour than ruby but they are all blended with several wines.
Tawny Porto - This wine is less sweet and lighter than ruby or vintage ports. It is blended from wines of different years, usually no more than three years old. The lighter tawnies have been blended with white port.
Ageed Tawny - This famous Port pales to an amber color as it ages. Its aroma and flavor characteristics are the craft of a master blenders. Aged Tawny may be labeled as 10, 20, or 30 years old, referring to the average age of its blend of old and young wines.
Vintage Porto - is characterized by its intense red color, full body, and complexity of flavor. In years of outstanding harvest quality, the producer must declare their best wine as "vintage", and submit a sample bottle to be approved by the Porto Wine Institute after January of the second year from the harvest. The norm is to leave the wine in the cask for 2 to 3 years, and then age it in bottles for many years, where the best ones continue to improve indefinitely.
Late Bottled Vintage - is less rich and concentrated than Vintage Porto, and throws little sediment in the bottle. Its quality must also be approved by the institute. Then it is left in the cask for four to six years, filtered, and bottled as a ready to drink wine.
Store and Serve Vintage Porto
The bottles should be stored on their side to prevent the cork from drying out. They should be kept under fairly constant temperature between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity not dropping below 50%.
Vintage Porto must always be decanted before drinking, due to its large amount of sediment.
Drinking
The rich, full-bodied types of Porto are usually drunk after a meal
The lighter Tawny and White varieties are highly appreciated as an apéritif before a meal.
Nuts and cheeses and cakes go well with Port
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