13 posts
Brandy refers to a wide range of spirits, made mostly from wine grapes but sometimes also from other fruits (e.g., apricot brandy). The name brandy is a shortened form of brandywine, which an anglicized form of Dutch brandewijn, which means “burnt ...
Vermut Flores Rosé ($19) As was noted in a previous blog, vermouth is a wine - a fortified wine. A fortified wine that is infused with a mixture of botanical products including fruits, herbs, spices and roots. After the wine is aromatized and fortif...
Sherry is an often-misunderstood drink. A lot of people think of it as something used in cooking or something their grand-parents sipped on. But, Sherry is actually a wonderful beverage that’s enjoyed by many, especially Spaniards, who sip the good s...
I was recently asked about the differences between Sherry and Port. And while they may at first seem similar, they are actually quite different. Both Sherry and Port are fortified wines meaning that distilled spirits, like brandy, are added to the w...
González Byass La Copa Vermouth — Extra Seco & Rojo - ($24.99 each) While Vermouth can be the perfect addition to any cocktail, these Vermouth offerings from González Byass really shine on their own. Vermouth, as described in a recent blog, is ...
Wormwood Photo by Simone Garritano on Unsplash You probably know Vermouth simply as an ingredient in a cocktail such as a Martini or Manhattan. But, did you know it’s actually a wine? According to records, vermouth was first produced in the late 18...
Last time we learned that Marsala wine is not just for cooking. It’s actually a fortified wine that is sometimes made using the Solera system. A Solera is a system used for blending wines and is a way of keeping a consistent style of wine for years....
Chicken Marsala is a well known Italian dish. But, did you know that Marsala is also a fine drinking wine? Marsala is a fortified wine that originated in the town of Marsala on the west coast of Sicily. True Marsala still only comes from Sicily and...
In recent posting we’ve addressed fortified wines including Port, Madeira and Marsala. All these wines are produced by adding either Brandy or neutral grape spirit to wines during the fermentation process or after fermentation is complete. Without g...
Previously we’ve established that fortified wine is wine that has grape spirit added. While typical wines have between 10 to 15% alcohol by volume (ABV), fortified wines end up with 15 to 20% ABV. Early on, this proved to be quite beneficial, as the...
Madeira is another of the fortified wines. But it is the way that it is produced that is quite unique. Madeira first became popular in the mid-seventeenth century when the Madeira Islands, part of Portugal, were heavily used as key supply stations f...
Last time we discussed fortified wines - wines with added alcohol. And Port is one of the classic fortified wines. From Portugal, this is a sweet fortified wine that was originally created so that it could be put on-board ships in Oporto Portugal a...
You may have heard of “Fortified” wine and wondered what it is. Or, wondered if it really is wine? Simply put, fortified wine is wine to which additional alcohol has been added. And its origin comes from the days when wine spent considerable time be...