Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #6

The last class. Not just of the term. But forever. Completed Wednesday night. This meant more than farewells, it indicated test-time.

Wines of the World included notes from New World Vineyards – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, South America (Chile and Argentina), and California. Wines of Europe – Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Burgundy. Bordeaux. Spirits and fruit brandies. And fortified wines. A ton of information.

The test came in two sections. Written – various true/false questions. Ranging from inquires about the type of wine produced in Austria. To the largest exporter of the world. Up and down, I ended up alright. Let’s put it this way, I think I passed.

Part two – wine identification. Only by smell. Four glasses of amber liquid were presented. Required to identify the Cognac, Armagnac, marc, and Calvados. The later two were easy. Marc – a.k.a. grappa – makes you want to hurl. Alcohol so strong it goes right to your head. And calvados – made from apples – had the appropriate pomaceous aroma.

Determining the difference between the first two challenged. As our instructor said, you’ll either get a 50% or a 100% on this section. Not so encouraging.

It is said that Cognac is more refined to Armagnac’s earthy smell. Unable to tell the difference I committed my physical reaction to memory. Noting Armagnac burned my nasal cavity more than its counterpart. Scoring 100% on this section, this proved to be a good tactic.

We finished our last class with a small chat about fortified wines. Wines with added alcohol – namely brandy. Port, Sherry, Madeira, and vermouth are the most common.

First a regular table wine is made. Or at least the process is started. Fermentation, as we know, is the transformation of sugar (naturally within grapes) into alcohol. Depending on the desired sweetness of the finished fortified wine, neutral alcohol is added – halting fermentation. The sooner it is added, the less sugar has been transformed into alcohol. Resulting is a sweeter beverage.

Certain types of styles of fortified wines are aged, either in bottle, oak, or both. And must contain certain levels of alcohol.

Near the Spanish–French border lie the Pyrenees. An environment full of sunshine. Allowing late harvest (October) to occur. The long, warm weather slowly shrivels grapes on the vine, concentrating overall sugar. Perfect for Rivesaltes production. With only 16% alcohol this wine can still be served with a main course of meat and fruit. Unlike 19% Port. Which should be enjoyed as an after dinner drink.

There are three types of Port – white, young ruby, and Tawny. White, is just that, white Port. Young ruby is a young Port that is made from different harvests. And tawny are different aged Ports which are further aged, turning a reddish brown color – hence the name, tawny. Tawny Ports can range from 10 to 40 years old. These are best for drinking, whereas ruby Ports are better suited for cooking.

Port is made in the Duoro Valley of Portugal. Sherry from Andalusia in South-West Spain. Madeira from the island of Madeira off the coast of Africa. And vermouth refers to a method, not location.

Like wine, fortified wines can be white, red, or rosé. We tasted a white Sherry-Fino. Fino – one of the three sweetness levels – is the lightest and driest. A great accompaniment to walnut cake.

Sherry is made in the presence of oxygen – unlike any other wine. This forces oxidization. If you know the smell, or taste of Sherry, then you know oxidization. A unique experience to say the least. I struggled with this glass. A bit too rusted iron-y for my taste.

Session #6 – Tastes

• Rivesaltes, 2005
• Port-Tawny by Dalva
• Port by Taylor’s, 2003
• Sherry-Fino
  

A whirlwind class, nonetheless. Marking that the ends have begun to surface. Le Cordon Bleu. Paris. And France all together. Are slowly. Systematically. Wrapping themselves up.