Fortified wine can be defined as the wine to which extra proportions of alcohol has been added. Brandy is the most common form of the additives employed. The basic reason behind the adaptation of process by the fortified wine brands is to preserve the wines. The higher levels of alcohol and the added sweetness are largely helpful in the preservation of the wines. With the addition of the supplemental alcohol before the fermentation finishes, the yeast is eliminated and the residual sugar is separated.
The fortified wine brands allow the grapes to ripen and shrink on the plants. After crushing, the sugar level is higher than other wines. Spirit is added to stop fermentation and reduction in the sugar level, resulting in wines with very high in sugar contents.
Although there are other methods of preservation, the fortified wine brands follow the fortification process as the consumers have nurtured a typical taste for the wines preserved in this fashion. Different wine styles have grown with the application of fortification in making wines. Some of the most popular ones are Sherry, Marsala, Port, Vermouth, Madeira and Liqueur Muscat.
Some of the leading fortified wine brands include:
- Morris Winery
- Seppelt Wines
- Penfolds Wines
- Yalumba Wine
In the US, fortified wines are known as dessert wines and in Europe as liqueur wines. Sherry, one of the fortified wines, is produced from the Palomino grape, following a dynamic process of blending and aging. The other varieties like Muscat and Tokay are made from the grape varieties of Frontignac and Muscadelle respectively.
Fortified wine brands take care that the wine remains distinguished from the spirits. Though both spirits and fortified wines have higher levels of alcohol, spirits are products of distillation, while the fortified wines possess added contents of spirit. Fortified wine brands generally maintain the alcohol content in their products between the normal levels in wines and spirits.
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