Fortified Wines

A forum for winemakers to discuss their craft
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lord.president
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Fortified Wines

Post by lord.president » Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:01 pm

Has anybody tried fortifying wine? I’ve been drinking port recently (l know never had it) and lve been reading that spirit is added before the fermentation has completed,to kill the yeast. I make mixed berry wine which l think would be ideal for this.
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chris2012
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Re: Fortified Wines

Post by chris2012 » Fri Dec 15, 2017 5:56 pm

I'd be interested in trying that too. The kind of sherry I'm especially curious about is the one where flor yeast grows on top of the wine.
It's not clear to me though, if that's on the fortified wine or the wine, pre-fortification.

Reading https://www.sherrynotes.com/2013/backgr ... rry-yeast/ it sounds like the flor grows on top of the non-fortified wine, which is
transferred into a solera vessel. It sounds like the flor is probably also transferred into the solera vessel.

jaroporter
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Re: Fortified Wines

Post by jaroporter » Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:26 pm

i've read - and the article suggests - that the flor is most suited to the fortified alcohol strength. so the microbes are present from the start but the effects will be after fermentation and while solera aging when the abv is higher.
sherry seems to be quite a complex process. the microbes involved would spoil the wine if the abv is too low, and will be killed if it goes too high. and all that before we talk about the solera system!

port though, like chris says is fortified during fermentation to kill the yeast and leave it sweet (where sherry is commonly after and drier). i've seen the fortification point given in a couple of places as when 50% of available sugars consumed. i imagine that can vary by producer and product but it seems a good start point.

never done it myself though have intended to. it satisfies more my interest in funky fermentations than an interest in the wine, but wouldn't mind holding a bottle back out of my next batch of wine to try it.
be very interested to hear if you try this.

what do you think you'll use to fortify it? i'm not seeing neutral grape spirit down the wine merchants.. hell i'd doubt we could even get everclear..
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Bazz
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Re: Fortified Wines

Post by Bazz » Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:05 pm

Last year i made a batch of elderberry wine and infused gin with damsons and sugar to make a damson gin liqueur, i then had the idea of fortifying some of the wine with some of the damson gin and letting it sit on the damsons for a month before bottling. It's been in the bottle since and i haven't tried it yet as it's for this Christmas, but this was my first attempt at a hedgerow port, i'll let you know how it tastes when i crack a bottle open.

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