Fortified wine

Fortified wine is wine strengthened by adding distilled spirits, usually grape brandy. The added alcohol can also stop fermentation or shape sweetness and aging.

Mutage: A winemaking technique that stops fermentation by adding alcohol. Port producers use this intervention to preserve residual grape sugar.
Port wine: A Portuguese fortified wine, usually sweet, made in the Douro region. Its fermentation is commonly stopped with grape spirit, preserving natural sweetness.
Douro wine region: A wine region in northern Portugal, centered on the Douro River valley. Its vineyards supply the grapes used for Port wine.
Table wine: A still wine intended primarily for drinking with meals, rather than as a sparkling or fortified style. It provides the clearest contrast with wine strengthened by distilled spirits.
Fermentation: The microbial conversion of sugars into alcohol and other products. Fortification can interrupt this process before all grape sugar is consumed.
Sherry: A Spanish fortified wine made in the Jerez region through several styles and aging methods. Its dry and sweet styles demonstrate varied fortification and maturation choices.
Sherry Triangle: The Andalusian area around Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. Its geography defines the traditional production area for Sherry.
Distillation: A separation process that concentrates substances by vaporizing and condensing them. Fortified wine receives a distilled spirit; it is not itself distilled.
Residual sugar: Sugar remaining in a beverage after fermentation or processing. Its level depends partly on whether spirit is added before fermentation finishes.
Madeira wine: A fortified wine from Madeira, known for heat-treated aging and exceptional stability. Its production combines fortification with deliberate heating and oxidation.

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