🍷 Mutage
Adding spirit to fermenting must to stop fermentation and keep the sweetness.
Mutage is the addition of grape spirit to fermenting juice. The spirit stops fermentation, because yeast stops working at high alcohol levels. Part of the grape sugar never turns into alcohol, so the wine stays both sweet and strong.
Many fortified wines are made this way. For Port, grape spirit of about 77% is added to the fermenting must, usually while plenty of sweetness remains. In France the method is used for vins doux naturels such as Banyuls, Rivesaltes and southern Muscats, with spirit of about 96%.
Timing is everything. The earlier the spirit goes in, the more sugar stays in the wine. Sometimes the spirit is poured onto the skins, so the wine keeps macerating longer.
If spirit is added to grape juice with no fermentation at all, the result is not wine but a mistelle, such as Pineau des Charentes. Mutage is part of the traditions of Portuguese wine and French wine.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Mutage → kind of → 🍷 Fortified wine → kind of → 🍷 Types of wine → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Fortified wine
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine, 🗺️ Portuguese wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Port, 🍷 Vin doux naturel
Frequently asked questions
Why is spirit added to wine?
To stop fermentation and keep the grapes' sweetness. It also makes the wine stronger.
What spirit is used for Port?
Grape spirit of about 77% alcohol.
How is mutage different from a mistelle?
In mutage spirit is added to fermenting juice, while a mistelle uses juice that has not fermented.
What to read next
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🍷 Vin doux naturel — French sweet wine whose fermentation is stopped with spirit, as with Port.
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes, appellations.
Similar
🍷 Carcavelos · 🍷 Rancio · 🍷 Moscatel de Setúbal · 🍷 Rutherglen Muscat · 🍷 Mistelle · 🍷 Liqueur wine
⚠️ 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.