What Are “Fortified” Wines?
Normally, the strongest wine you’d find in your local supermarket would tip the scales at about 14-15% alcohol. However, fortified wines like Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala can contain up to around 20%. That’s because they’re originally made like normal wines to start with, and then have brandy added to them while they’re fermenting. (It’s not the kind of brandy you normally buy – it’s colourless and has no flavour.) But why fortify wine in the first place? Originally, when wine was transported in barrels from warm places by sea – which could take a while – dry and sweet wines behaved differently. Dry wines had the habit of turning to vinegar, and sweet wines tended to explode. But then again, the higher the alcohol level, the more stable the barrel contents. The first commercial wine fortification started in the 1670s, when wine from the north of Portugal was brought to Britain – and it went down a treat. That was the original Port.
