Fortified Wines
In the mid 1800’s the Australian wine industry was only just establishing itself. During this time, one of the problems winemakers had was exporting their wines to European markets without damage to the product. The process of fortification was a solution to this problem as it helped preserve the wines for their long voyage overseas.
The grapes of fortified wines are generally left on the vine much longer than usual. This allows the grapes to become more concentrated as they dry out slightly. It also allows their sugars to fully develop.
Fortification involves the adding of a small portion of brandy spirit to an already partly-fermented red wine. Usually after fortification the wine is left to mature in small oak barrels. It can be left in these barrels for decades, evolving into a complex, aromatic and concentrated wine.
