Alchemy nEGI

The bottle sat on the table—amber liquid catching the light like trapped sunlight. I used to think it held answers. Turns out, the only magic was in the mirror all along.

This blog is my forge. A place where I’ll hammer raw truths into shape: about whiskey and wisdom, about stumbling and standing taller, about the alchemy of turning “why me?” into “try me.”

You won’t find shortcuts here. Just one man’s notes from the frontier between burnout and brilliance, written with calloused hands and a clear head.

“No one pours courage into your glass. You distill it yourself, drop by drop.”
— Bharat Singh Negi

Stay thirsty, my friend. The next round’s on the page.

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The Chablis wine growing region is in the France, at the north of the Bourgogne region in the Yonne department between Paris and Beaune. The story of Chablis began 150 million years ago, when the region was covered by the sea, it was than the unique Kimmeridgian soil of the Chablis region was laid down, recognized by the tiny fossilized oyster contained in the soil which make its perfect for the chardonnay grape.
Chablis first introduced by Roman between 1st and 3rd century and from the 12th century onwards Sisters and the Monks of the abbey continues the tradition. Thanks to its proximity to Paris accessible by the Yonne river from the town of Auxerre. Hence, very soon Chablis wine became the table wine of the royal families of France and renowned to concord Europe and soon established a global reputation. Chablis wines are simple, made by the single variety (Chardonnay) and they are always white wine, comes from the four appellations

1. Petit Chablis with almost 1000 hectares.
2. Chablis covering the biggest surface area with 3500 hectares.
3. Chablis premier cru on favorable slope with around 800 hectares.
4. Chablis Grand cru grown on the single hill covering just 100 hectares.
   The Chablis region is crossed from south to north by the river Serein which flows into the Yonne. The river and its tributaries have curved out the valley, the hills and the climat of the Chablis region sat on the either side of these slope are well suited to wine growing. (Climats are the specific terroir thar offers the balance between aspect, varietal, slope, altitude and the soil type and each climat has its own identity that express to the grape which grows there.)
   On the left bank of valley perpendicular to Serein, some 24 climat are located and mostly facing towards south-east .The most famous of them are Vaillons and Montmains, but there are also Forets, Butteaux, Beauroy, Cote de Lechet, Vau de vey(one of the most steepest climat of region),Vau ligneau and Vosgros.
   On the right bank of the Serein there are 16 premier cru climat located. The most famous are Fourchaume, Mont de Milieu and Monte de Tonnerre. Other lesser known premier cru climats includes Les fourneaux and Vaucoupin.
   Lastly, on the slope near village of Chablis the grand cru appellation is grown on seven climat from east to west; Blanchot- Les Clos (biggest almost 25 hectares)- Valmur- Grenouilles- Vaudesir- Les Preuses- Bougros. These seven climat enjoy the most celebrated and exceptional location of the region.

This little wine growing region produces more than 40 million bottles per year and 70 percent of the production are exported. In Chablis, each climat provides white wine of great purity, which makes Chablis wine so elegant, rich and diverse.

No party is complete without cocktails! My friends all have different tastes when it comes to their drink of choice, so I like to maintain a well-stocked bar with different kinds of alcohol to keep everyone happy.” ~Khloe Kardashian

In 1806, The Balance and Columbian Repository coined the term “cocktail” as a stimulating liquor with a wide variety of sweets, waters, and bitters. Originally, the Oxford English Dictionary defined the term with a different set of connotations, describing it as a horse with a tail like a cock’s, with its tail cocked up instead of hung down. Cocktails as a drink, however, started as a British invention in the 19th century and has since become an American innovation when a Connecticut-born bartender Jerry Thomas wrote the book “The Bartender’s Guide.” The Bartender’s Guide basically broadcasted an encyclopedia of how to mix drinks and recipes on some of the best combinations of drinks and flavors.

During the 1920s American prohibition, many cocktails were mixed into existence that remain firm favorites today. With not much high-quality alcohol available, cocktails were the perfect way to make that smuggled rum, gin or whiskey just a little bit more drinkable. Enter the cocktail; rum mojitos, the Sidecar, and the Tom Collins all flourished at a time when recreational alcohol wasn’t legal. The ‘Bee’s Knees’ cocktail was actually created to mask and sweeten the taste of illegally brewed bathtub gin. The roaring twenties took the cocktail and shook it up into some of our most popular modern-day cocktails. Drinking didn’t stop during the prohibition, people simply went underground. Many illegal speakeasies popped up, serving cocktails in jazz-style locales.

Post-prohibition saw the invention of drinks that still grace the pages of your favorite cocktail bar menus. 1954 saw the mixing of the Pina Colada in Puerto Rico when Ramon Marrero created the delicious pineapple treat at the Caribe Hilton hotel. 1988 saw the much-loved Cosmopolitan enter our lives, thanks to Toby Cecchini and his desire to share a drink with his fellow bartenders in San Francisco. 

A constant throughout the cocktail era in America was the Rainbow Room. Opened after the prohibition in 1934, the Rainbow Room was a high-end club where New York A-listers could celebrate in style with post-prohibition cocktails. The Rainbow Room was revived and renovated in different forms over the years, being closed during WWII and for various restorations. The 1987 reopening saw emerging mixologist Dale DeGroff create a pre-prohibition list of cocktails that revived some firm favorites and spearheaded the modern cocktail mixing revolution that made the cocktail bar increasingly popular.

The holiday itself is held annually by Drinkaware, a United Kingdom-based charity that brings awareness to the effects of drinking and aims to reduce the harm that drinking can have on people and families. I try to provides facts and information about drinking, alcohol poisoning,alcohol abuse and how you can follow about your favorite recipes, and how you can drink safely while also having fun.

There is archaeological evidence to suggest that the Celts first cultivated the grape vine, Vitis vinifera, in Gaul. Grape pips have been found throughout France, pre-dating Greek and Roman cultural influences, with some examples found near Lake Geneva being over 12,000 years old.
A major turning-point in the wine history of Gaul came with the founding of Massalia in the 6th century BC by Greek immigrants from Phocae in Asia Minor. By the 2nd century BC, Massalia (by then known as Massilia) came under Roman influence as a vital port on the trade route linking Rome to Roman settlements at Saguntum (near what is now modern Valencia in Spain). Roman presence and influence in Massilia grew as the settlement came under attack from a succession of forces including the Ligurians, Allobroges and Arverni. Eventually the area became a Roman province first known as Provincia and later Gallia Narbonensis.

and the locals.
The early Greek settlers brought a distinctly Mediterranean outlook to viticulture in Gaul. To their understanding, vines grew best in the same climate and area that would support olive and fig trees, therefore most of the early vineyard planting was in the warm, Mediterranean coastal areas. In 7 BC, the Greek geographer Strabo noted that the areas around Massilia and Narbo could produce the same fruits as Italy but the rest of Gaul further north could not support the olive, fig or vine.
Under Roman rule, in the century and a half BC, the majority of the wine consumed in the area was required by law to be Italian in origin,as the distribution of fragments of wine amphorae found throughout Gaul after about 100 BC, especially along the coasts and rivers, suggests: some of the earliest amphorae, from the 2nd century BC, bear Iberian shipper’s marks, indicating that distribution of wine predated conquest.It wasn’t till the first century AD that there was record of Gaul’s wine being of any note or renown. In his Natural History (book xiv), Pliny the Elder noted that in the region near Vienna (modern day Vienne in the Rhone wine region), the Allobroges produced a resinated wine that was held in esteem and commanded a high market price.

It was also during the late first century BC/early first century AD that viticulture started to spread to other areas of Gaul — beyond areas where the olive and fig would grow, where a suitable variety was found to be the biturica, the ancestor of cabernet varieties.The high demand for wine and the cost of transport from Rome or Massilia were likely motivators for this spread. Archaeological evidence dating to the reign of Augustus suggests that large numbers of amphorae were being produced near Bézier in the Narbonensis and in the Gaillac region of Southwest France. In both these areas, the presence of the evergreen holm oak, Quercus ilex, which also grows in the familiar Mediterranean climate served as a benchmark indicating an area where the climate was warm enough to ensure a reliable harvest each year.

Expansion continued into the third century AD, pushing the borders of viticulture beyond the areas of the holm oak to places such as Bordeaux in Aquitania and Burgundy, where the more marginal climate included wet, cold summers that might not produce a harvest each year. But even with the risk of an occasional lost harvest, the continuing demand for wine among the Roman and native inhabitants of Gaul made the proposition of viticulture a lucrative endeavor. By the 6th century AD, vines were planted throughout Gaul including the Loire Valley, the Île-de-France (Paris Basin) which included the areas of modern-day Champagne, as well as Brittany.

The decline of the Roman Empire brought sweeping changes to Gaul, as the region was invaded by Germanic tribes from the north including the Visigoths, Burgundians and the Franks, none of whom were familiar with wine. The invaders set up kingdoms in Aquitaine, Burgundy and Île-de-France. By the time that Charlemagne established his kingdom in the late 8th century, power in France was polarised between south and north: unlike the Mediterranean south, where grapes were easy to cultivate and wine was plentiful, the more viticulturally challenged regions of the north saw wine as a luxury item and a symbol of status. The influence of the Christian Church (which had been largely permeated throughout the region since the 6th century) also enhanced the image of wine in France as it became an integral part of the sacrament of the Eucharist,though the discovery of a second-third century silver wine dipper as part of temple votive deposit at Pont-de-Leyris reminds us that wine was an integral part of pagan rites as well.

Feni is an alcoholic spirit that is produced only in Goa, India.

The name Feni comes from the Sanskrit word phena, which means ‘froth’, because of the bubbles that form when the liquor is poured or shaken in a bottle.

Feni was first produced with coconut. But now, there are 2 main types of Feni available in Goa.
They are : Coconut {coconut flowers} and Cashew {cashew fruit}.

Cashew feni was awarded Geographical Indication registration in 2009 as a speciality alcoholic beverage from Goa, described as a colourless, clear liquid that when matured in wooden barrels develops golden brown tint.

Feni is made throughout the state. But the variety differs from region to region. Feni made in the south, for instance, has higher alcohol content.

Many believe there are health benefits of drinking Feni. It can combat flu, cough, and common cold. The locals believe Feni is more effective than cough syrups in clearing up the respiratory system.

Notable producers include:
Cazulo, Fidalgo, Spirit of India, Cashyo and Reals.

Cachaça, Brazil’s national spirit (pronounced kah-SHAH-sah) is a distilled spirit made from sugar cane juice. It is produced exclusively in Brazil, often mistaken as a style of rum. Cachaça had what it takes, to take over gin & tequila when it comes to worldwide appreciation; but just like Tony Montana in Scarface got high on his own supply, Brazilians drank every last drop of it!!

Today, it is receiving global attention in the United States, Portugal and other markets and now makes a regular appearance in well-stocked bars and liquor stores. And one can imagine the irresistible flavour this magical potion instils in every cocktail while also brings alive the flavours of its supporting actors- lime wedges & brown sugar. Yes, that’s how ‘Caipirinha’ has managed to make space for itself in every bar menu all over the world alongside well known cocktails like Daiquiri, Margarita, Caipiroshka and the list goes on.

Going back in time, Cachaça was most likely created before rum and is credited by many historians as Latin America’s first distilled beverage. The primary difference is that cachaça is made from freshly-pressed sugar cane juice while rum, on the other hand, is most often distilled from sugar by-products like molasses. This major difference gives Cachaça its raw, vegetal, fruity taste with a more subtle sweetness.

PRODUCTION & STYLES
Brazil’s local sugarcane is crushed & fermented with yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol, undergoing a single distillation. Cachaças are classified by color, depending on how they are stored after distillation. Some are bottled directly after distillation or a period of resting in stainless steel tanks. This colourless style is known as ‘Branca’ (white in Portuguese) and may also be labelled as prata (silver), clássica (classic), or tradicional (traditional).
Premium artisan Cachaças use copper pot stills with an ageing up to 3 years. This style is known as ‘Amarela’(yellow in Portuguese), might be labeled ouro (gold) or envelhecida (aged). Some premium worldwide recognised brands include Leblon, Ypióca, Yaguara, Avuá & Novo Fogo.

Whether it is whisky or whiskey has been the basis of many arguments over many years. The Scots spell it whisky and the Irish spell it whiskey, with an extra ‘e’. This difference in the spelling comes from the translations of the word from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms. Whiskey with the extra ‘e’ is also used when referring to American whiskies. This ‘e’ was taken to the United States by the Irish immigrants in the 1700s and has been used ever since. Scotland, Ireland and America all have a rich heritage in the whisky industry. So what are the differences between the whiskies from these three nations?

The distillation process
It is here that one of the main differences occurs. generally, Scottish and American whiskies are distilled twice and Irish whiskey is distilled three times (there are exceptions to the rule, in all cases). Distilling three times produces a lighter and smoother spirit.

The stills
The size and shape of the stills used in the distillation process are different. In Ireland and much of America, pot stills are frequently used. These are short, fat, large stills with a round base that produce softer and more rounded spirits. In Scotland, distilleries use a wide variety of shapes and size of still and this gives wider diversity of characters and flavours.

The use of peat
In Scotland it is common to use peat to dry the malted barley so that it is ready for milling and mashing. The type of peat used and the length of time the barley is drying in the peat smoke will influence the flavour in the final spirit. This gives Scottish whisky its fullness and traditional smokiness. In Ireland and America, they use wood or other fuels in this process and this makes the spirit less smoky and lighter. Again, there are exceptions. For example, in Ireland Connemara use peat and produce a very smoky range of whiskies.

The use of grains
The Scots use malted barley in most whisky that is produced, however this is not the case in Ireland. They also use malted barley, but may mix other grains in with it. Traditionally Ireland has had a poorer economy than Scotland and barley is expensive to buy. Therefore, it is cheaper to use other grain to produce whiskey. This grain whiskey lends itself to blending and historically it has been used to make cheap blends. In America, the new settlers were forced to use different raw materials to produce their whiskey due to the different climate and soil conditions. This included mixing different grains together during the mashing process depending on what was available. Over time, these different recipes of grain mixtures have evolved so that now, American whiskey bears very little similarity to Scottish or Irish whiskies.

The distilleries
The oldest registered distillery in Ireland is Bushmills, which has been in production since 1608. In Scotland, the oldest one opened in 1772 (Littlemill, which has now closed down). Glenturret is the oldest current distillery in operation, opening in 1775. In Scotland there are currently over 80 distilleries in production but in Ireland there are only three. These three are the result of smaller distilleries joining together. The current distillers adher to the traditional recipes and techniques from each of the original distilleries. This gives the resulting whiskies their own individual characteristics. The three distilleries are Bushmills, Midleton (which produce Jameson’s, Powers, Paddy, Tullamore Dew and Midleton) and Cooley (Connemara, Kilbeggan, Locke’s and Tyrconnell). The first American distilleries were set up in the late 18th century in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Nowadays, only seven of these are still in operation in Kentucky, with none actually in Bourbon County These seven distilleries are Bernheim, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve and they produce many different whiskies using a unique, traditional recipe for each. The other major production area in America is in the neighbouring state

Production falls under French appellation d’origine contrôlée designation, with production methods and naming required to meet certain legal requirements. Among the specified grapes, Ugni blanc, known locally as Saint-Emilion, is most widely usedThe brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais. Cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and wines barrel age, and most cognacs spend considerably longer “on the wood” than the minimum legal requirement.

Production process
Cognac is a type of brandy, and after the distillation and during the aging process, is also called eau de vieIt is produced by twice distilling white wines produced in any of the designated growing regions.

Grape
The white wine used in making cognac is very dry, acidic, and thin. Though it has been characterized as “virtually undrinkable. It is excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list of grape varieties. For it to be considered a true cru, the wine must be at least 90% Ugni blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano), Folle blanche and Colombard, while up to 10% of the grapes used can be Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé), Sélect, Montils, or Sémillon Cognacs which are not to carry the name of a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90% Colombard, Folle blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François, Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect.

Fermentation and distillation

A Charentais-style alembic cognac pot still

After the grapes are pressed, the juice is left to ferment for 2-3 weeks, with the region’s native, wild yeasts converting the sugar into alcohol; neither sugar nor sulfur may be addedAt this point, the resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol.

Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper alembic stills, the design and dimensions of which are also legally controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting eau de vie is a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.

Aging

Once distillation is complete, it must be aged in Limousin oak casks for at least two years before it can be sold to the public. It is typically put into casks at an alcohol by volume strength around 70%. As the cognac interacts with the oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about 3% each year, slowly losing both alcohol and water. This phenomenon is called locally la part des anges, or “the angels’ share”. When more than ten years pass in the oak barrel, the cognac’s alcohol content decreases to 40% in volume.The cognac is then transferred to “large glass bottles called bonbonnes”, then stored for future “blending.”Since oak barrels stop contributing to flavor after four or five decades, longer aging periods may not be beneficial.

Blending

The age of the cognac is calculated as that of the youngest component used in the blend. The blend is usually of different ages and (in the case of the larger and more commercial producers) from different local areas. This blending, or marriage, of different eaux de vie is important to obtain a complexity of flavours absent from an eau de vie from a single distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (maître de chai), who is responsible for blending the spirits, so that cognac produced by a company will have a consistent house style and quality. In this respect, it is similar to the process of blending whisky or non-vintage Champagne to achieve a consistent brand flavor. A very small number of producers, such as Guillon Painturaud and Moyet, do not blend their final product from different ages of eaux de vie, so produce a “purer” flavour. Hundreds of vineyards in the Cognac AOC region sell their own cognac. These are likewise blended from the eaux de vie of different years, but they are single-vineyard cognacs, varying slightly from year to year and according to the taste of the producer, hence lacking some of the predictability of the better-known commercial products. Depending on their success in marketing, small producers may sell a larger or smaller proportion of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers, bars and restaurants, the remainder being acquired by larger cognac houses for blending.

Grades

VS (Very Special) cognac is aged for at least two years in cask

XO (Extra Old) cognac is aged at least six years

“Champagne cognac” is produced from grapes grown in the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne zones of the Cognac region of France

According to the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), the official quality grades of cognac are:

V.S. (Very Special) or ✯✯✯ (three stars) designates a blend in which the youngest brandy has been aged for at least two years in a cask.

. V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale) or Reserve designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is aged for at least four years in a cask.

Napoléon designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is aged for at least six years.

XO (Extra Old) The minimum age of the youngest brandy used in an XO blend was increased to 10 years in April 2018; this rule was originally scheduled for implementation in 2016, but was postponed due to inadequate stocks.

The Napoleon designation, previously unofficial, is used to specifically denote those blends with a minimum age of six years that do not meet the revised XO definition.

Hors d’âge (Beyond Age) is a designation which BNIC states is equal to XO, but in practice the term is used by producers to market a high-quality product beyond the official age scale.

The names of the grades are in English because the historical cognac trade, particularly in the 18th century, significantly involved the British.

Producing regions

Map of the Cognac region

Cognac is also classified by crus, tightly defined geographic denominations where the grapes are grown. Their distinctive soils and microclimates produce eaux de vie with characteristics particular to their specific location.

Grande Champagne (13,766 hectares (34,020 acres)) The soils in Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne are characterized as shallow clay-limestone, over limestone and chalk.

Petite Champagne (16,171 hectares (39,960 acres)) Petite Champagne eaux de vie have similar characteristics to those from Grande Champagne. Cognacs made from a mixture of Grande and Petite Champagne eaux de vie (with at least 50% Grande Champagne) may be marketed as “Fine Champagne”.

Borderies (4,160 hectares (10,300 acres)) The smallest cru. This denomination’s soil contains clay and flint stones resulting from the decomposition of limestone.

Fins Bois (34,265 hectares (84,670 acres)) Heavier and faster aging eaux de vie ideal for establishing the base of some blended cognacs. The soils here are predominantly red clay-limestone and very stony, or otherwise heavy clay soils.

Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires (together 19,979 hectares (49,370 acres)). Further out from the four central growth areas are these two growing regions. With a poorer soil and very much influenced by the maritime climate, this area is 20,000 hectares.

Bois à terroirs The soils of Les Bois (Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and Bois à terroirs) are sandy, spanning coastal areas and some valleys.

The cognac-producing regions called Champagne should not be confused with the northeastern region of Champagne, a wine region that produces sparkling wine by that name, although they do share a common etymology.

Companies and brands

Close to 200 cognac producers exist. According to one 2008 estimate a large percentage of cognac—more than 90% for the US market—comes from only four producers: Courvoisier (owned by Beam Suntory), Hennessy (LVMH), Martell (Pernod Ricard), and Rémy Martin (Rémy Cointreau).Other brands meeting the AOC criteria for cognac include: Bache-Gabrielsen/Dupuy, Braastad, Camus, La Fontaine de La Pouyade, Château Fontpinot,
Delamain, Pierre Ferrand, Frapin, Gautier, Hine, Marcel Ragnaud, Moyet, Otard, Meukow, and Cognac Croizet.

Cognac-based drinks

Grand Marnier: a liqueur made from cognac and distilled essence of bitter orange

Pineau des Charentes: a sweet apéritif, composed of eau-de-vie and grape must, made in the Charente region

Domaine de Canton: a cognac based ginger liqueur

Chambord: a liqueur made from cognac infused with black and red raspberries and Madagascar vanilla

Sidecar: a cocktail traditionally made with cognac, an orange liqueur, and lemon juice

Alexander

Between the Sheets

Sazerac

Stinger

French Connection

Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, is added. Many different styles of fortified wine have been developed, including Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth.
Production

Sherry barrels aging
One reason for fortifying wine was to preserve it, since ethanol is a natural antiseptic. Even though other preservation methods now exist, fortification continues to be used because the process can add distinct flavors to the finished product.

Although grape brandy is most commonly added to produce fortified wines, the additional alcohol may also be neutral spirit that has been made from grapes, grain, sugar beets or sugarcane. Regional appellation laws may dictate the types of spirit that are permitted for fortification. For example, in the U.S. only spirits from fruit may be used.

The source of the additional alcohol and the method of its distillation can affect the flavour of the fortified wine. If neutral spirit is used, it will usually have been produced with a continuous still, rather than a pot still.

When added to wine before the fermentation process is complete, the alcohol in the distilled beverage kills the yeast and leaves residual sugar behind. The end result is a wine that is both sweeter and stronger, normally containing about 20% alcohol by volume (ABV).

During the fermentation process, yeast cells in the must continue to convert sugar into alcohol until the must reaches an alcohol level of 16%–18%. At this level, the alcohol becomes toxic to the yeast and kills it. If fermentation is allowed to run to completion, the resulting wine will (in most cases) be low in sugar and will be considered a dry wine. The earlier in the fermentation process that alcohol is added, the sweeter the resulting wine will be. For drier fortified wine styles, such as sherry, the alcohol is added shortly before or after the end of the fermentation.

In the case of some fortified wine styles (such as late harvest and botrytized wines), a naturally high level of sugar will inhibit the yeast. This causes fermentation to stop before the wine can become dry.

Varieties
Commandaria wine

The commandaria wine tasting
Main article: Commandaria
Commandaria is made in Cyprus’ unique AOC region north of Limassol from high altitude vines of Mavro and Xynisteri, sun dried and aged in oak barrels. Recent developments have produced different styles of Commandaria, some of which are not fortified.

Madeira wine
Main article: Madeira wine

Madeira wine
Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands. The wine is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own as an aperitif, to sweet wines more usually consumed with dessert. Madeira is deliberately heated and oxidised as part of its maturation process, resulting in distinctive flavours and an unusually long lifespan once a bottle is opened.

Marsala wine
Main article: Marsala wine
Marsala wine is a wine from Sicily that is available in both fortified and unfortified versions. It was first produced in 1772 by an English merchant, John Woodhouse, as an inexpensive substitute for sherry and port, and gets its name from the island’s port, Marsala. The fortified version is blended with brandy to make two styles, the younger, slightly weaker Fine, which is at least 17% abv and aged at least four months; and the Superiore, which is at least 18%, and aged at least two years. The unfortified Marsala wine is aged in wooden casks for five years or more and reaches a strength of 18% by evaporation.

Mistelle
Mistelle (Italian: mistella; French: mistelle; Spanish, Portuguese, Galician and Catalan: mistela, from Latin mixtella/mixtvm “mix”) is sometimes used as an ingredient in fortified wines, particularly Vermouth, Marsala and Sherry, though it is used mainly as a base for apéritifs such as the French Pineau des Charentes. It is produced by adding alcohol to non-fermented or partially fermented grape juice (or apple juice to make pommeau).The addition of alcohol stops the fermentation and, as a consequence Mistelle is sweeter than fully fermented grape juice in which the sugars turn to alcohol.

Moscatel de Setúbal
Main article: Setúbal DOC
Moscatel de Setúbal is a Portuguese wine produced around the Setúbal Municipality on the Península de Setúbal. The wine is made primarily from the Muscat of Alexandria grape and typically fortified with aguardente. The style was believed to have been invented by José Maria da Fonseca, the founder of the oldest table wine company in Portugal dating back to 1834.

Port wine
Main article: Port wine

A 10-year tawny port
Port wine (also known simply as Port) is a fortified wine from the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal.It is typically a sweet red wine, but also comes in dry, semi-dry and white varieties.

Sherry
Main article: Sherry

A degustation of sherries
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez, Spain. The word “sherry” itself is an anglicisation of Jerez. In earlier times, sherry was known as sack (from the Spanish saca, meaning “a removal from the solera”). In the European Union “sherry” is a protected designation of origin; therefore, all wine labelled as “sherry” must legally come from the Sherry Triangle, which is an area in the province of Cádiz between Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María.

After fermentation is complete, sherry is fortified with brandy. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, most sherries are initially dry, with any sweetness being added later. In contrast, port wine (for example) is fortified halfway through its fermentation, which stops the process so that not all of the sugar is turned into alcohol.

Sherry is produced in a variety of styles, ranging from dry, light versions such as finos to much darker and sometimes sweeter versions known as olorosos.[citation needed] Cream sherry is always sweet.

Vermouth
Main article: Vermouth

Martini Bianco, an Italian vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices (“aromatised” in the trade) using closely guarded recipes (trade secrets). Some of the herbs and spices used may include cardamom, cinnamon, marjoram and chamomile. Some vermouth is sweetened; however, unsweetened or dry, vermouth tends to be bitter. The person credited with the second vermouth recipe, Antonio Benedetto Carpano from Turin, Italy, chose to name his concoction “vermouth” in 1786 because he was inspired by a German wine flavoured with wormwood, an herb most famously used in distilling absinthe. However, wine flavoured with wormwood goes back to ancient Rome. The modern German word Wermut (Wermuth in the spelling of Carpano’s time) means both wormwood and vermouth. The herbs were originally used to mask raw flavours of cheaper wines, imparting a slightly medicinal “tonic” flavor.

Vins doux naturels

A Grenache-based VdN from Rasteau
Vins doux naturels are lightly fortified wines typically made from white Muscat grapes or red Grenache grapes in the south of France. The production of vins doux naturels was perfected by Arnaud de Villeneuve at the University of Montpellier in the 13th century and they are now quite common in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.

As the name suggests, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Muscat de Frontignan are all made from the white Muscat grape, whilst Banyuls and Maury are made from red Grenache. Regardless of the grape, fermentation is stopped by the addition of up to 10% of a 190 proof (95%) grape spirit. The Grenache vins doux naturels can be made in an oxidised or unoxidised style whereas the Muscat wines are protected from oxidation to retain their freshness.

Low-end fortified wines
Main article: Flavored fortified wines
Inexpensive fortified wines, such as Thunderbird and Wild Irish Rose, became popular during the Great Depression for their relatively high alcohol content. The term wino was coined during this period to describe impoverished people who drank these wines solely for their inebriating effect.

These wines continue to be associated with the homeless, mainly because marketers have been aggressive in targeting low-income communities as ideal consumers of these beverages; organisations in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland have urged makers of inexpensive fortified wine, including E & J Gallo Winery, to stop providing such products to liquor stores in impoverished areas. In 2005, the Seattle City Council asked the Washington State Liquor Control Board to prohibit the sale of certain alcohol products in an impoverished “Alcohol Impact Area.” Among the products sought to be banned were over two dozen beers, and six fortified wines: Cisco, Gino’s Premium Blend, MD 20/20, Night Train, Thunderbird, and Wild Irish Rose. The Liquor Control Board approved these restrictions on August 30, 2006.

Gwaha-ju
Main article: Gwaha-ju
Gwaha-ju is a fortified rice wine made in Korea. Although rice wine is not made from grapes, it has a similar alcohol content to grape wine, and the addition of the distilled spirit, soju, and other ingredients like ginseng, jujubes, ginger, etc., to the rice wine, bears similarity to the above-mentioned fortified wines.

Terminology
Fortified wines are often termed dessert wines in the United States to avoid association with hard drinking.The term “Vins de liqueur” is used by the French.

Under European Union legislation, a liqueur wine is a fortified wine that contains 15–22% abv, with Total Alcoholic Strength no less than 17.5%, and that meets many additional criteria. Exemptions are allowed for certain quality liqueur wine.

Why the Italian IGT Was Created?

Perhaps the most confusing part of looking at an Italian wine label or any European wine label, for that matter is the appellation system. Is DOC different from DOCG? Why do some bottles say DOC and some say DOCG? What do they even stand for, anyway? And let’s face it. It’s worth knowing and giving a look, though, at the classification that’s listed on that Super Tuscan you’re drinking: the IGT, or Indicazione Geografica Tipica. Only created a mere 25 years ago, it’s for wines that break the rules. But why bother to create a classification for rule-breaking wines in the first place? Because of the real reason why it was created: so that the Italian government could collect more money.

The Italian wine law system as we know it today formally began in 1963 when the Italian government introduced not one, but two levels of quality for appellations that would denote border limits, grape varieties, wine styles, aging requirements, and more, mimicking the already established French AOC system. The DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) , would be roughly equivalent to an AOC, while a second, higher tier of wine called DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), would be reserved only for the absolute best wine regions and would have even stricter regulation. The only other designation for Italian wines at this time was simply table wine: Vino da Tavola or VDT.

Unfortunately, though both of these quality levels were theoretically designed to ensure higher wine quality, the system quickly became flawed. In the years following the creation of the DOC, hundreds of regions were awarded the designation, and even top regions were given generous borders, including subpar land that did not historically producer top-quality wine. Thousands of liters of mediocre wine were being labeled as DOC wine, leading producers to wonder just how much quality the designation guaranteed. The trend continued when the first DOCG designations were awarded in 1980 as this supposedly “best-of-the-best” tier was awarded to regions with little history of quality.

Simultaneously, beginning in the late 1960s and moving through the ’70s and ’80s, producers were frustrated with the restrictions that DOC regulations placed on winemaking – namely, the grape varieties and styles of wine allowed. Tensions were especially high in Tuscany, where Chianti DOC rules stipulated that wines must include Sangiovese, but that the grape could comprise no more than 70 percent of the blend. This meant two things: First, producers were not allowed to make 100 percent Sangiovese wines, and second, producers were not allowed to make wines based on Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, of which there were plantings due to the influx of French migrants during and after World War II.

So, placed in a situation where DOC regulations were at once too lenient in one sense and too strict in another, what did winemakers do? They began to buck the system and make wines that defied the system anyway. Since these wines couldn’t be labeled as DOC, they were instead labeled simply as table wine, since it was the only other option. These wines became known as “Super Tuscans,” the first of which emerged from the 1968 vintage with Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia, a Cabernet-based blend aged in new oak. A few years later, Antinori released the 1971 Tignanello, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc at the time, though current vintages are made as a blend of Sangiovese with Bordeaux varieties.

Seeing the critical – not to mention financial – success of Sassicaia and Tignanello, more producers hopped on the Super Tuscan train, and Italian officials found themselves in an interesting situation. By the 1980s, some of Italy’s most high-quality, sought-after, and expensive wines were labeled merely as Vino da Tavola. Not only did this undermine the DOC/DOCG system at the time, but these winemakers were raking in the profits for these wineries without having to pay any of the fees required to obtain these higher-quality designations. Expensive wines making a mockery of the government’s wine regulation system, with the regulators making less money from them? Not an ideal situation for the Italian government.

This was the impetus to create a new classification of wine, one that would fall between VDT and DOC, and when Giovanni Goria became the Italian minister of agriculture in the early 1990s, he set out to overhaul the system. Thus, the IGT, or Indicazione Geografica Tipica, designation was born under the 1992 Law 164, also known as Goria’s Law. This category of wine would allow producers to have more freedom than DOC and DOCG levels but would theoretically ensure a higher quality of wine than the relatively unregulated table wine category. And while producers still pay more to obtain a DOC or DOCG classification for their cuvées, the IGT allows the Italian government to minimize the controversy – and undercutting of money intake – that the old system once allowed. It’s always about the money.