The manufacture and use of distilled spirits in wine production Port and Sherry are the most common styles of fortified wine. "Fortified wines, also known as liqueur or dessert wines, are produced by the fortification of fermented, partially fermented or unfermented grape must with wine-derived spirit."* 1 "Traditional fortified wines seem to be associated generally with areas where the climate and soil conditions do not favour the production of grapes suitable for high-quality light wines. Therefore, where warm or hot climates might produce bland white table wines (the sherry area of Spain), astringent red wines (the port area of Portugal), or cooler and damp summers might contribute to wines with an acidic or 'green' character (the islands of Madeira), fortification and the development of associated techniques in maturation and blending were used to produce drinks of great individuality and style.

There is also little doubt that, in some cases at least, the practice of spirit addition arose partially to suppress undesirable microbial growth during storage and shipment; in spite of the generally unfavorable environment which they provide for microorganisms, fortified wines themselves are not without their problems of biological stability.....The high alcoholic strength of liqueur wines nominally dictated their consumption either as aperitifs or as dessert wines at the end of a meal." *2 Hot climates and native grapes have created production niches of Sherry and Port style wines in the "new world". The USA and Australia are major new world producers of fortified wines.

There are two major styles of fortified wines, they are Port and Sherry. Port In Port production the spirit is added during primary fermentation when exactly half of the fermentable sugars have been depleted. This stops the alcohol at 1-2% ABV, well before the terminal gravity point, leaving the unfermented sugars as residual sweetness. This assures that the body of the port is comprised of complex sugars. This is because simple sugars always ferment first. Port is produced at 17-21% by weight and 18-22% by volume with 7-8° Brix residual sweetness. Port is fortified with pot stilled wine spirit at 76-78% ABV or 152-156 proof. It is then taken to an "Estofa" attic for hot ageing. The special Port yeast , grape varieties, and grape spirits used, all add to the complex flavor of port wine. Port can be either from white wine "tawny" or from red wine "Ruby", as well as blends.
Sherry In Sherry production the spirit is added at the end of fermentation. The wine is fully end fermented with a special Flor yeast before spirit is added. It is then hot aged in a "solera" system of wooden casks. This is the stacking of casks outside for with the blending of old and new sherry. Column distilled neutral grape spirit of no less than 95% ABV or 190 proof is used for the fortification of sherry. "Neutral alcohol makes little direct contribution to the flavour of the product, other than raising the alcoholic strength and affecting flavour thresholds of other components. Wine spirit for port contains significant levels of higher alcohols, esters and aldehydes which have direct effects on flavour and secondary effects on the maturation of the product."*3 An alternative to the solera system is to bake the wine. "A superficial sherry-like aroma and flavor are imparted by "baking", which is accomplished either by ageing the wine several months in a special hot room or by introducing heating elements into the wine. A variant is to trickle oxygen through the wine in the course of the heating. The characteristic aroma and flavor are then a result of oxidation and some caramelization..... Similar sherries are also produced successfully from Eastern grown grapes, the point being that baked aroma and flavor predominate over all other characteristics.* 4 Oxidation which usually is the enemy of most beer & wine fermentations, is a positive flavor component in sherry production. The oxidative degradation process called "materization" gives rise to sherry flavors and therefore can be created with any fermentation source. It's a product that should be included in every production facility.

There is another sector of fortified wines in the value driven "price sector". The products are known by such dubious nick-names as "Mad Dog" or "Train Wreck". These low cost beverages feature a higher per unit volume of alcohol, over other low cost alcoholic beverages. These products are made from a blend of sweetened fruity (often labrusca) wine blended with column distilled grape (from grape skins & wine dregs) spirits. Some producers even add vitamin C to the wine as a health benefit their target market. In the future, I expect new fortified wine styles to emerge such as "Ice wine port", "mead port" and "Apple sherry".

1* Fermented Beverage Production, Ed., A.G.H. Lea and J.R. Piggott, Aspen Publications, pp 159. 2* Fermented Beverage Production, Ed., A.G.H. Lea and J.R. Piggott, Aspen Publications pp 160-161 3* Fermented Beverage Production, Ed. A.G.H. Lea and J.R. Piggott, Aspen Publications pp 169 4* Grapes Into Wine, Philip M. Wagner, Alfred A. Knopf, pp 242 Donald R. Outterson Outterson, LLC DBA, Woodstone Creek Winery & Distillery 3641 Newton Avenue (Newton & Dana) Cincinnati, OH 45212 Tel. 513-474-3521, Tasting room 513-569-0300, Fax 513-474-9384 E-mail beerwine@eos.net Web- fermentationbiz.com