Demystifying Fortified Wine
What it is, What to know, and How to drink it
Fortified wines are an unknown to you, but you are too embarrassed to ask your wine snob friend about them. Here is your chance to pick up a few useful facts.
According to the 20th century English writer Evelyn Waugh port wine is “not for the very young, the vain and the active…” Perhaps you still have the remnants of a vain streak, or you still consider yourself young, but if you’re tired of the same old choice of beer, wine and cocktails, it might be time to put Mr. Waugh’s statement to the test.
What is a fortified wine?
A fortified wine is made when brandy or neutral alcohol is added to normal wine during or after the fermentation process. Apart from Port, which is made in Portugal, other well-known fortified wines are Sherry from Spain, Marsala from Italy, Madeira from the Portuguese islands of the same name, Muscat from France, and a number of others.
The original production of fortified wines had to do with need rather than want. Around the 17th century seafarers started adding extra alcohol to make wines more stable on long, harsh sea journeys. Despite the fact that they have higher alcohol content (15%-22%) than normal wines, fortified wines are not classified as spirits, which are made through a different process - distillation.
What is the difference between Port and Sherry?
Apart from the fact that they are produced in two different countries, there are a few other differences between Port and Sherry. Port is made mainly with red grapes and Sherry with white. In addition, when Sherry is made, the fermentation process is allowed to run its course before brandy is added, but when Port is made, brandy is added during fermentation. This means that Sherry is drier and Port normally sweet.
Understanding the label
In the same way that there is a difference between Champagne and sparkling wine, it is only Port when it comes from Portugal. Similar products from other countries are called dessert wines or port-style wines. Likewise, real Sherry comes only from Spain’s sherry-producing region. However, other sherry-producing countries use the term if the country of origin is stated on the label.
To understand the label on the bottle of Port you intend to buy, remember that most ports, with the exception of some vintage and special ports, are blended from the grapes of several harvests and the age on the bottle will be the average age of the wines in the blend.
Ruby Port is a basic red port and is sweeter than Tawny, which is aged longer. There are also several types of vintage port available. Sherry can be a little more complex to understand: Fino and Manzanilla are both straw-colored and driest in taste, Amontillado is amber-colored and softer in taste while Oloroso is even darker and full-bodied. In more recognizable terms, pale cream sherry is made from Fino, cream sherry from Oloroso and medium sherry from Amontillado.
When to drink what?
Because Sherry is dry, it is typically better as an aperitif, i.e. before eating, while the sweetness of Port makes it a better after-dinner drink. However, this is not a hard rule, so if you feel like a port before dinner, you won’t be considered a complete philistine (not by everyone, anyway...)
Port can also be used in cocktails - think port, vodka, and orange juice – but if you insist on being a puritan, be adventurous and try to get your hands on the rarer white Port. Served slightly chilled, it is delicious and will make you feel very civilized. You might even agree with the other things Mr. Waugh said, namely that port is “the companion of the scholar and philosopher.” Now surely that sounds just like you…
