Lesson 2: Wines, Beers, & Malt Beverages
Flavored & Fortified Wines
This section will deal with fortified and/or flavored wines, (fortified means that additional alcohol is added). We’ll discuss two categories. The first are aperitifs and specialty wine drinks– light, dry beverages meant to open a meal or to drink by themselves. The second category includes both full-bodied, sweeter beverages customarily drunk after the meal as well as dry varieties consumed like aperitifs.
Apertifs - Vermouth and Specialty Wine Drinks:
Vermouth:
Historically, vermouth and its variations were the classic aperitifs. Vermouth is white wine (usually inexpensive and relatively flavorless) which is flavored with a combination of up to 200 different botanicals, e.g. herbs, spices, fruits, and flowers. These additives are infused, macerated, or distilled in a base white wine. The liquid is filtered, pasteurized, and fortified, i.e. additional alcohol is added.
This process produces a dry, white vermouth with a bitter undertone; caramel is added to make sweet, red vermouth. Vermouth’s alcohol level is 16% for dry vermouth and 18% for sweet vermouth. Because it’s fortified, vermouth keeps well even after opening.
The first aperitif formulation, sweet red vermouth, was created in Turin in the 1700’s. The French were not far behind, developing a dry version later that century. Traditionally, Italian vermouth is supposed to be sweet and French vermouth to be dry; however, this distinction is no longer valid as both countries produce both sweet and dry. The three most common categories are white (dry), bianco (white and slightly sweet), and red (sweet) vermouth.
Each manufacturer uses a proprietary formula, so brand tastes differ considerably. Generally, Italian vermouths tend to be stronger, e.g. bitter and spicy, and their sweet vermouths have strong caramel overtones. French vermouths are subtler, and rely as much on aroma as taste for their flavor impact. Some specific vermouth formulas are also no longer sold under the name vermouth, but rather under special names, e.g. DuBonnet, Lillet, Campari, Punt e Mes, and Cynar.
Three manufacturers produce most available vermouth; each produces all varieties but is noted for a certain specialty. Martini & Rossi is famous for its extra dry vermouth, which is the bartender’s standard when making a martini. Cinzano invented the bianco and rosé variations, both slightly sweet. Noilly Prat in Marseilles is credited for inventing dry vermouth; its flavor is subtler and is rated more highly as an aperitif rather than a cocktail mixer. Two other manufacturing names that you may find are Stock – which is the most popular brand in Italy - and Vya. Vya is a Californian manufacturer marketing a high end, gourmet vermouth that has earned rave reviews.
Specialty Wine Drinks:
Modified wines have exploded in popularity. Orginally grouped under the term “wine coolers,” these originally were just sweetened, carbonated beverages relying heavily on fruit syrup for flavor. They are packaged in single servings. Well known names include Boone’s Farm and Bartles and Jaymes (both owned by E.J. Gallo). These were especially popular in the 1980’s. These drinks can be very low in alcohol (3 %) and may or may not be actually wine based – Zuma is discussed in the beer segment. Other brands in this set belong to Arizona, Seagram’s and Bacardi.
Recently, a more sophisticated version has grown in popularity. Canandaigua’s Arbor Mist is the largest segment brand. Arbor Mist’s flavors are defined on the Arbor Mist web site as “a blend of varietal wines such as Merlot, Pinot Grigio, White Merlot, Zinfandel, White Zinfandel, or Chardonnay that is combined with natural fruit flavors like Blackberry, Cranberry, Strawberry, Peach, Tropical Fruits, Island Fruits, Sangria, Exotic Fruits or Melon. These lightly carbonated, slightly sweetened wine products are lower alcohol than many other wines.” Their labels list a 6% alcohol content.
Fortified Wines or Liqueur-type Wines:
There are five common types of fortified wines: sherry, port, marsala, vin santo, & madeira. “Fortified” means additional alcohol has been added to the base wine, so that alcoholic content is increased to between 16 – 24%. If the alcohol is added during fermentation, the wine will be sweet. If fermentation has finished before the alcohol is added, the wine will be dry. The dry version is served as aperitifs; the sweet usually after dinner.
Sherry:
Sherry was originally exclusively made around the town of Jerez in Spain, but versions are now made in the U.S. and Australia. Sherries come in five styles. The dry sherries are especially good aperitifs since they marry very well with nuts and olives. Sherry is bottled when ready to drink – it does not require aging. Store sherry upright, and except for the driest sherries, you can hold sherry for a month or so after opening.
Starting with the driest category, these are the types of sherry:
- Fino – Finos are pale, light, and without any sweetness. Serve finos cold and refrigerate after opening. The Harveys web site claims that fino sherry is consumed in Spain much like Chardonnay is in the US. Gonzalez Byass’s Tio Pepe and Sandeman’s Don Fino are good names.
- Manzanilla– Manzanillas are still dry with a little more color. Handle manzanillas the same way as a fino.
- Amontillado – Amontillados can be dry or have a touch of sweetness, with a nutty flavor. Serve amontillados at basement temperature. Dry Sack is a famous, readily available, good quality amontillado-style sherry.
- Oloroso – Olorosos are dark, with a lot of body. They initially taste sweet, but are dry at the finish. Serve at room temperature.
- Medium, Cream or Brown – These terms refer to the same sherry style. They are made by adding additional sweetening to any of the first four categories of sherries, usually an oloroso. Domecq’s Harveys Bristol Cream, the world’s best selling sherry, is the most famous brand in this style. It is a proprietary blend of fino, amontillado and oloroso wines, sweetened with Pedro Ximénez wine.
Port:
Port originated in Portugal, but it would have remained a local drink without the 17th century wars between France and England. The English, deprived of French wine, began importing Portuguese wine, which was fortified to protect it during transportation. Most of the great port houses are still English.
While port is easy to taste, it can be ridiculously complicated to buy. Since port is blended from a variety of grapes and usually from several harvest years, there are a myriad of styles and names for different ports. However, for our purposes, it is only necessary to divide port into two categories – barrel-aged or bottle-aged.
Port aged predominantly outside of the bottle, in either wooden barrels or tanks, is fruity, relatively inexpensive, and ready to drink immediately upon purchase. The most common types within this category are Ruby, (the youngest), Tawny, (my personal favorite), and Vintage Character, (a premium ruby). Given their low cost, it is fun to experiment with different bottles to find a personal favorite.
The classic port of literature is “Vintage Port.” Vintage port is port made from grapes of a single harvest, and needs to age a minimum of 10 years in the bottle. Vintage port is expensive, not only when purchased (a minimum of $50-$75/bottle), but also when you consider the cost of holding it for many years.
There is a reasonable alternative to vintage port which is port labeled “Late Bottled Vintage Port” or LBV. It is not too expensive for a special occasion, and does not require further aging. Expensive ports in restaurants are usually LBV’s.
The best port is made in Portugal; it should have the word “Porto” on the label. There are numerous good manufacturers. Readily available and reasonably priced quality port brands to look for include Cockburns, Sandeman’s, Fonseca, Dow, and Graham.
Marsala & Vin Santo:
Marsala and Vin Santo are Italy’s two major fortified wines. Like sherry, both come in dry to sweet styles. Marsala is probably most famous for its use in the classic Italian dish, “veal marsala” where it is used in the sauce base, but it should be more appreciated as a wine. Marsala is made in Sicily. To get a quality brand, look for the words “superiore” or “vergine” on the label.
Vin Santo is mid-Italy’s fortified wine. Most of it is made in Tuscany, but some comes from the surrounding regions. It’s full bodied, but still light, and is a classic combination with biscotti or fruit. Some brands to look for include Avignonesi, Badia a Coltibuono, and Castello di Cacchiano.
Madeira:
Madeira should be well known to American history buffs – it was the wine of the American colonists. Named after the Portuguese owned island of Madeira, Madeira lost its popularity after its vineyards were decimated in the 19th century. It comes in several styles, including dry (sercial), medium-dry (bual), medium-sweet (verdelho) and sweet (malmsey). It should be aged at least 5 years to attain its characteristic tangy flavor; a flavor that also comes from the fact it is somewhat baked or at least heated. Better madeiras are aged 10-15 years. Store upright and serve at basement temperature. Once bottled, it is ready to drink.
There are relatively few producers left. The biggest, the Madeira Wine Co., sells its wines under the names Blandy, Cossart Garden and Leacock. The next biggest producer is Henriques & Henriques,, which also makes madeira under the Sandeman’s label.
