Wine Vintage Defined
Some people are confused by the term “vintage.” A wine’s vintage is the year when the grapes were picked. Whether that vintage is considered good or poor is determined by the weather affecting the region. A vineyard requires the proper balance of sun, humidity, precipitation, and wind. Sun is needed for proper development of the grape. Too little sun means the sugars are not given a chance to develop properly. Humidity helps vines recover from the stress of a hot day but too much can cause mildew to form on the vines. Rain is important for the grapes to properly grow, but rain just prior to harvest is absorbed by the roots and is retained in the grape, spoiling the wine. Vintners can tweak their “bad” vintage and many suggest that consumers enjoy a lesser vintage while it is young as they wait for their better vintage to age.
For more detailed information on wine vintages visit:
http://www.chiff.com/wine/vintages.htm#
Fortified Wine
Fortified wine is wine with twist. Rather than letting the fermentation process take its natural course, brandy is added to finish the job. This stops the fermentation and stabilizes the mixture. This process was used in the 17th century when seafarers were in need of a way to keep wines through long journeys by ship.
There are four key types of fortified wines: Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala. Port is made from red grapes and sherry from white. The former has a sweeter taste and the latter tends to be drier. Madeira wine is characteristically strong and has been known to survive for over a century and still be in good condition. Marsala is commonly used in cooking, but is quite drinkable as well. It appears in many Italian dishes like tiramisu and veal scallopini.
For more detailed information on fortified wines visit:
http://www.thatsthespirit.com/en/wine/wine_fortified.asp
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