Fortified Wine
Table of contents
There are many different styles of fortified wines, from elegant fino and oloroso-style sherries, to rich vintage or tawny ports, to sweet, full flavoured Muscats and Tokays, and the sensory properties of each differs greatly, reflecting differences in grape variety, as well as methods of production.
Appearance
From pale straw to deep yellow (for fino-style sherry) to yellow, golden or amber (for oloroso-style sherry); from amber-brown (for tawny-style port) to ruby red, crimson red, purple or amber (for vintage-style port); from golden to amber to tawny or deep brown (for Muscat and Tokay-style wines).
Aroma and Flavour
Flor Yeast characters (for fino-style sherry)
aldehydic, almond, bruised apple, butter, caramel, nutty, marmalade, marzipan, oxidised, rancio
Fruit Characters (for vintage-style port)
blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry, fruitcake, licorice, plum, raspberry, spice, violet
Developed Characters (for all fortified wines)
dried fruit, fig, nutty, marzipan, molasses, nougat, prune, raisin, sultana
Rancio Characters (for olosoro-style sherry, tawny-style port and Muscat and Tokay-style wines)
butterscotch, burnt toffee, caramel, golden syrup, molasses, nutty, walnut
Taste and Mouthfeel
Of the different fortified wines, fino-style sherries have the lightest body and the driest finish. Amotillado and oloroso-style sherries are fuller in body and can be sweet or semi-sweet, but should still finish dry. Tawny and vintage ports typically exhibit noticeable sweetness, balanced by underlying acidity, with a warming finish, due to the high alcohol content. The tannins present in vintage ports can be drying, even astringent, whereas the palate of tawny ports tend to be smoother.
Muscats and Tokays are rich and complex fortified wines. Both exhibit viscosity and warmth due to their increased residual sugar and alcohol content, but they should also have sufficient acidity to balance the sweetness, ensuring a dry finish.