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Solera
''Solera'' is a process for aging liquids such as wine, beer, vinegar, and brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years. The purpose of this labor-intensive process is the maintenance of a reliable style and quality of the beverage over time. ''Solera'' means "on the ground" in Spanish, and it refers to the lower level of the set of barrels or other containers used in the process; the liquid is traditionally transferred from barrel to barrel, top to bottom, the oldest mixtures being in the barrel right "on the ground", although the containers in today's process are not necessarily stacked physically in the way that this implies but merely carefully labeled. Products which are often ''solera'' aged include Sherry, Madeira, Lillet, Port wine, Marsala wine, Marsala, Mavrodafni, Muscat Grape, Muscat, and Muscadelle wines; Balsamic vinegar, Balsamic, Comma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sherry
Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as Manzanilla and fino, to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidise as they age in barrel, such as Amontillado and oloroso. Sweet dessert wines are also made from Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based sherries. Under the official name of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, it is one of Spain's wine regions, a Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP). The word ''sherry'' is an anglicisation of Xérès (Jerez). Sherry was previously known as '' sack'', from the Spanish ''saca'', meaning "extraction" from the solera. In Europe, "sherry" has protected designation of origin status, and under Spanish law, all wine labelled as "sherry" must legally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sherry Cellar, Solera System, 2003
Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as Manzanilla and fino, to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidise as they age in barrel, such as Amontillado and oloroso. Sweet dessert wines are also made from Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based sherries. Under the official name of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, it is one of Spain's wine regions, a Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP). The word ''sherry'' is an anglicisation of Xérès (Jerez). Sherry was previously known as '' sack'', from the Spanish ''saca'', meaning "extraction" from the solera. In Europe, "sherry" has protected designation of origin status, and under Spanish law, all wine labelled as "sherry" must legally come from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madeira Wine
Madeira is a fortified wine made on the Portuguese Madeira Islands, off the coast of Africa. Madeira is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own, as an apéritif, to sweet wines usually consumed with dessert. Cheaper cooking versions are often flavoured with salt and pepper for use in cooking, but these are not fit for consumption as a beverage. The islands of Madeira have a long winemaking history, dating back to the Age of Exploration (approximately from the end of the 15th century) when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or East Indies. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirits were added. On the long sea voyages, the wines would be exposed to excessive heat and movement which transformed the flavour of the wine. This was discovered by the wine producers of Madeira when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip. Today, Madeira is noted for i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brandy De Jerez
Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that is matured in a solera system in the Jerez area of Andalusia, Spain. Besides being sold as a brandy, it is also an ingredient of some sherries. It has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), being matured exclusively within the "Sherry Triangle", the municipal boundaries of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the province of Cádiz. History Being unable to drink the already famous wines to be found in the Jerez region for religious reasons, the Moors opted to distil them in order to obtain “alcohol” not only to make perfumes but also for antiseptic and medicinal use. It is not easy to state the exact date upon which wine spirits began to be aged in oak-wood casks in order to produce brandy. What is clear is that in the sixteenth century there must have been an important amount of wine spirit being produced, as is illustrated by the existence of a document that refers to the fact that in 1580 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic vinegar ( it, aceto balsamico) is a very dark, concentrated and intensely flavoured vinegar originating in Modena, Italy, made wholly or partially from grape must: freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stems. The term ''aceto balsamico'' is unregulated, but there are three protected balsamic vinegars: ''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP'' ( Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena), ''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP'' ( Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia), and ''Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP'' ( Balsamic Vinegar of Modena). The two traditional balsamic vinegars are made the same way from reduced grape must aged for several years in a series of wooden barrels, and are produced exclusively in either the province of Modena or Reggio Emilia. The names of these two vinegars are protected by the European Union's Protected Designation of Origin, while the usually less expensive Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (''Aceto Bal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mavrodafni
Mavrodaphni, Mavrodaphne, or Mavrodafni ( Greek: Μαυροδάφνη ''lit.'' 'black laurel') is both a black wine grapeMavrodaphni Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2018-12-04 indigenous to the region in Northern , Greece, and the sweet, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marsala Wine
Marsala is a fortified wine, dry or sweet, produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala first received ''Denominazione di Origine Controllata'' (DOC) status in 1969. The European Union grants Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status to Marsala, and most other countries limit the use of the term ''Marsala'' to products from the Marsala area. While unfortified wine is also produced in the Marsala region, it does not qualify for the Marsala DOC. History Marsala fortified wine was probably first popularized outside Sicily by the English trader John Woodhouse. In 1773, he landed at the port of Marsala and discovered the local wine produced in the region, which was aged in wooden casks and tasted similar to Spanish and Portuguese fortified wines then popular in England. Fortified Marsala was, and is, made using a process called ''in perpetuum'', which is similar to the ''solera'' system used to produce Sherry in Jerez, Spain. Woodhouse rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vins Doux Naturels
Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth. Production One reason for fortifying wine was to preserve it, since ethanol is also 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 made from the same fruit as the wine may be added. The source of the additional alcohol and the method of its dist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of aging, and some are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from southwestern France. In a broader sense, the term ''brandy'' also denotes liquors obtained from the distillation of pomace (yielding pomace brandy), or mash or wine of any other fruit ( fruit brandy). These products are also called '' eau de vie'' (which translates to "water of life"). History The origins of brandy are tied to the development of distillation. While the process was known in classical times, it was not used for significant beverage production until the 15th century. In the early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lillet
Lillet () is a French wine-based aperitif from Podensac. Classed as an aromatised wine within EU law, it is a blend of 85% Bordeaux region wines ( Semillon for the Blanc and for the Rosé, Merlot for the Rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs (peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti). The mix is then stirred in oak vats until blended. During the aging process, Lillet is handled as a Bordeaux wine (undergoing fining, racking, filtering, etc.). In the original ''Kina'' Lillet formulation (so named with respect to its status as a quinquina), quinine liqueur made of cinchona bark from Peru was included among its ingredients. "Lillet" belongs to a family of aperitifs known as tonic wines because of the addition of quinine. Varieties * Kina Lillet (1887–1986): A liqueur made with white wine mixed with fruit liqueurs and flavored with quinine. The "Kina" in its name is derived from quinine's main ingredient: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokaji
Tokaji ( hu, of Tokaj ) or Tokay is the name of the wines from the Tokaj wine region (also ''Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region'' or ''Tokaj-Hegyalja'') in Hungary or the adjoining Tokaj wine region in Slovakia. This region is noted for its sweet wines made from grapes affected by noble rot, a style of wine which has a long history in this region. The "nectar" coming from the grapes of Tokaj is also mentioned in the national anthem of Hungary. The Slovak wine region of Tokaj may use the ''Tokajský/-á/-é'' label ("of Tokaj" in Slovak) if they apply the Hungarian quality control regulation. This area used to be part of the greater Tokaj-Hegyalja region within the Kingdom of Hungary, but was divided between Hungary and Czechoslovakia after the Treaty of Trianon. Cultivation Six grape varieties are officially approved for Tokaji wine production: * Furmint * Hárslevelű * Yellow Muscat (Hungarian: ''Sárgamuskotály'') * Zéta (previously called Oremus – a cross of Furmint a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
