🍷 Fortified wine
Wine with added grape spirit; it is stronger and keeps longer.
Fortified wine is wine to which grape spirit or distillate has been added during or after fermentation. In the EU such drinks belong to the category "liqueur wine": actual alcoholic strength from 15 to 22% vol., total strength at least 17.5%.
The taste depends on when the spirit is added. If it is poured in midway through fermentation, the yeasts stop working and grape sugar remains in the wine. This is how port is made in the Douro Valley: usually 1 part of spirit is added to 4 parts of fermenting wine, and the strength comes out at 19–22%. Sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry is fortified in the same way.
If the spirit is added after fermentation is complete, the wine stays dry. Dry Fino and Manzanilla sherries are fortified to 15%: at this strength flor lives on the surface — a film of yeast that protects the wine from oxidation. Oloroso is fortified to at least 17%, the flor dies, and the wine ages with exposure to air. Sherry matures in American oak casks using the criaderas and solera system. Other well-known fortified wines include Madeira and Marsala.
They are served in small portions. The Port and Douro Wines Institute recommends white port at 6–10 °C, tawny at 10–14 °C and ruby at 12–16 °C; Fino is drunk at 6–8 °C.
Why it matters to you. An opened bottle of fortified wine lasts longer than ordinary wine, but not forever: vintage port is best finished within 1–2 days, ruby within 8–10 days, and tawny with an indication of age within 1–4 months. Dry Fino is an aperitif with olives, nuts and jamón, while a young LBV or Vintage port goes well with chocolate desserts.
What it includes
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Fortified wine → kind of → 🍷 Types of wine → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Types of wine
- Appellations
- France: 📜 Rasteau, 📜 Rivesaltes, 📜 Banyuls, 📜 Floc de Gascogne, 📜 Maury, 📜 Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, 📜 Banyuls grand cru, 📜 Muscat de Frontignan, 📜 Muscat de Rivesaltes, 📜 Pineau des Charentes
and 7 more
📜 Clairette du Languedoc, 📜 Grand Roussillon, 📜 Muscat de Lunel, 📜 Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, 📜 Muscat de Mireval, 📜 Muscat du Cap Corse, 📜 Macvin du Jura
Italy: 📜 Cannonau di Sardegna, 📍 Marsala (Western Sicily), 📍 Vesuvius, 📜 Aleatico di Puglia, 📜 Girò di Cagliari, 📜 Malvasia di Bosa, 📜 Moscato di Sorso-Sennori, 📜 Vernaccia di Oristano, 📜 Moscato di Trani, 📜 Noto
Spain: 📜 Sherry, 📍 Condado de Huelva, 📜 Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, 📍 Montilla-Moriles, 📍 Málaga (Axarquía), 📍 Rueda, 📍 Valencia (zone), 📜 Lebrija, 📜 Tarragona, 📜 Villaviciosa de Córdoba
Greece: 📍 Samos, 📜 Mavrodaphne of Patras, 📜 Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia, 📜 Muscat of Lemnos, 📜 Muscat of Patras, 📜 Muscat of Rio Patras, 📜 Muscat of Kefalonia, 📜 Muscat of Rhodes
Portugal: 📜 Port, 📍 Carcavelos, 📍 Douro, 📍 Madeira, 📍 Palmela, 📍 Biscoitos, 📍 Pico, 📍 Setúbal - Made from grapes
- 🍇 Zinfandel, 🍇 Grenache, 🍇 Palomino, 🍇 Muscat of Alexandria, 🍇 Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, 🍇 Pedro Ximénez, 🍇 Catarratto, 🍇 Grillo, 🍇 Verdelho, 🍇 Touriga Franca
and 35 more
🍇 Bastardo Magarachskii, 🍇 Mavrodaphne, 🍇 Sercial, 🍇 Muscadelle, 🍇 Tinta Cão, 🍇 Bayan Shirey, 🍇 Bastardo, 🍇 Touriga Nacional, 🍇 Tinta Barroca, 🍇 Tinta Negra Mole, 🍇 Tinta Amarela, 🍇 Rubired, 🍇 Malvasia Fina, 🍇 Black Spanish, 🍇 Negra Mole, 🍇 Kokur Belyi, 🍇 Souzão, 🍇 Boal, 🍇 Zalema, 🍇 Tinta Carvalha, 🍇 Tinta Francisca, 🍇 Donzelinho Tinto, 🍇 Cynthiana, 🍇 Garrido Fino, 🍇 Terrantez, 🍇 Girò, 🍇 Donzelinho Branco, 🍇 Listán de Huelva, 🍇 Complexa, 🍇 Mourisco Tinto, 🍇 Royalty, 🍇 Viosinho, 🍇 Cornifesto, 🍇 Romeiko, 🍇 Malvasia Fina Roxa - Similar and different
- 🍷 Port, 🍷 Sherry, 🍷 Madeira, 🍷 Marsala, 🍷 Liqueur wine, 🍷 Moscatel de Setúbal, 🍷 Carcavelos, 🍷 Mavrodaphne of Patras, 🍷 Rutherglen Muscat, 🍷 Dessert wine, 🏷️ Ukrainian dessert wine category, 🏷️ Strong fortified wine category
Frequently asked questions
What is fortified wine?
Wine to which grape spirit or distillate has been added during or after fermentation. In the EU it belongs to the category "liqueur wine".
How strong is fortified wine?
Under EU rules, actual alcoholic strength is 15–22% vol., and total strength from 17.5%. Port usually has 19–22%, Fino about 15%.
Is it true that fortified wine is always sweet?
No. Dry sherries are fortified after fermentation is complete: Fino has less than 4 g of sugar per litre, usually less than 1 g. Port and Pedro Ximénez, where fermentation is stopped with spirit, are sweet.
How long does an opened bottle of port keep?
According to the guidelines of the Port and Douro Wines Institute: Vintage 1–2 days, LBV 4–5 days, Ruby 8–10 days, Tawny 3–4 weeks, tawny with an indication of age 1–4 months.
At what temperature should fortified wine be served?
Fino at 6–8 °C, white port at 6–10 °C, tawny at 10–14 °C, ruby at 12–16 °C, rosé port at about 4 °C.
What to read next
- 🍷 Sherry — Fortified wine from the Jerez area of Andalusia, dry or sweet.
- 🏷️ Ukrainian dessert wine category — A Ukrainian and Moldovan category of sweet fortified wines: semi-sweet, sweet and liqueur.
- 🍷 Dessert wine — A sweet wine served with dessert; it can be still or fortified.
- 🍇 Grenache — A red grape from Spain, where it is called Garnacha; the base of many wines in southern France.
- 📜 Port — The famous fortified wine of the Douro Valley, aged in the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.
Similar
🍷 Sweet wine · 🍷 White wine · 🍷 Rosé · 🍷 Sacramental wine · 🍷 Red wine · 🍷 Flor wines
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Annex VII Part II (categories of grapevine products); Art. 93 (PDO/PGI)
- IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto): Port — choose and enjoy
- IVDP: Port — the winemaking
- Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry: Fortification
- Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry: Fino