Every normal middle-aged man, probably, at least once in his life, tried port or Madeira - drinks from the Soviet past. Fortified grape wine was then consumed in much larger quantities than dry wine , most likely due to its increased strength. But we will not be too nostalgic. We will tell you about the fact that this wine is fortified, how it differs from ordinary, in our article. Also from the material you will learn how to make this drink with your own hands at home.
Definition: fortified wine
This is a type of alcoholic beverage that is made from ordinary wort or pulp by either full or partial fermentation, with the addition of ethyl alcohol or other alcohol-containing strong alcohol. What does it mean, simply saying that the wine is fortified? At the final stages of manufacture, alcohol is added to the product. Thus, the drink has a higher strength (in some cases - up to 20%) compared to non-fortified wines. And a characteristic taste.
These drinks traditionally include: sherry, port, madeira, marsala. Still - some Tokaj and dessert wines.
How to use?
Fortified wine should be drunk as an aperitif (a drink that stimulates appetite) or a digestif (a drink that promotes digestion). Use chilled to 10-18 degrees. It is advisable from special glasses: narrow and tall. On the basis of port wine, Madeira, sherry and prepare cocktails, also considered aperitifs.
Fortified wines are best combined: port - with blue cheese, almonds, walnuts, chocolate, dried fruits; sherry - with sheep cheese, olives, almonds, ham; Madeira with first courses, cheeses and nuts; marsala - with chocolate desserts.
From the history
Wine began to be fixed in time immemorial. Wine merchants who transported alcohol by water (and sometimes it took a lot of time), noticed that the wine spoils too quickly from temperature extremes and constant shocks during inclement weather. The idea came to them to add grape alcohol to dry wine. And, I must say, this unusual type of wine at the time came to the taste of many real connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages. Wines of this kind can be white, and red, and pink. Normal fortress - from 16 to 22%. After opening, bottles are stored longer than canteens.
Sherry
This fortified white grape wine is one of the national symbols of Spain. It is known that the Phoenicians brought grapes to Spain in 1100 BC. The Arabs who captured Spain later tried to uproot the vineyards for religious reasons (the Koran forbade the use of alcohol). But residents of the province of Jerez saved the vine from deforestation, telling the caliph that they would produce raisins from grapes to feed the soldiers. The Christians who defeated the Arabs in the 13th century again began to produce and drink sherry. Warriors even gave them horses to make the animals fearless and not afraid of enemies. In England, sherry became known as sherry, due to the difficult pronunciation of the word for the British. By the way, sherry was the first of the famous wines that traveled in barrels to the New World, thus discovering America. The standards by which it is produced are approved by a special document, according to which only wine produced in the "magic triangle" in the province of Jerez can be called that.
Port and Madeira
This alcoholic drink comes from Portugal. It is here, in the city of Porto, that is believed to have begun production of this drink. At the first stages it is kept in oak barrels, fastened and left to ripen either in a barrel or in a bottle. Madera - another Portuguese wine from the island of Madeira, from which the wine got its name. Its distinctive feature is caramel and nutty notes, and, of course, the fortress.
Marsala
Similar to Madeira Sicilian wine. It has been produced since the 18th century in Sicily. Compared with Madeira has a higher amount of sugar.
Crimean fortified wines
Massandra products are also appreciated by true lovers of fortified wines. These include: port red and white, black butcher, white and pink, cahors. Port has more strength (17%), but less sugar (6). Muscat has a traditional ratio (16/16). These wines are classified as fortified dessert and fortified strong wines (according to the Soviet classification).
How to make fortified wine?
This original and many favorite drink can be made with your own hands. It will differ from a dry or semi-dry table by its strength, which gives the drink originality and new tastes.
So, at the first stage, we prepare grape wine according to the classical technology - using the process of natural fermentation and a water shutter. There are a lot of recipes for such wine, with all kinds of variations, so we won’t repeat ourselves and go straight to the second stage.
At the second stage, the cooked young wine must be fixed - add a degree to it. There are several ways to do this.
First way
The fortress is added with sugar (20 grams per liter of juice that has not yet been fermented to the end to increase the strength by one degree). Sugar is mixed and the wort is placed under a water lock for further fermentation. Two weeks later, the wine is drained through the filter and cleaned in the basement in order to ripen. After - bottled and corked.
Second way
And the most common! Ethyl alcohol (preferably cognac) is poured into the filtered wort - up to about 20% of the volume of wine. After adding alcohol, the bacteria die and the wine stops fermenting. It is drained and taken out to the basement for clarification (a couple of weeks). After being poured into bottles and sealed. Store in a horizontal position, periodically turning so that the cork does not dry out. Thus, you can prepare fortified wines at home.