Best spirit to fortify with

[MisterMo]

If you are making your own wine and you want to fortify it with spirits, which is the best to use? The next question when is the best time to fortify it?

 

[Jason]

Brandy is typically used. But most spirits can be used.

if you add it after the fermintation it will be a dry wine. If you add it before it will be sweet. The Brandy or other spirit will kill any fermination. So depending on when you add it, it will kill the yeast, and what sugar is not fermented, making it dry or sweet.

Hope that makes sense, i'm on the laptop, and no spell checker, and my fat fingers do not do so well.

 

[misty]

Everyone I know has used brandy too. I wonder why everyone uses that one and what the difference using brandy to fortify wine is when compared to other spirits.

 

[Sal47]

Misty, have you ever tasted good brandy straight? To me it almost tastes a little like red wine. I believe it's made from grapes too. So maybe that's why it's used, if it's similar maybe it would go well with the wine.

 

[Tomato]

I could see how brandy might compliment wine so Sal's thoughts make sense to me. Jason, thanks for all the information. It does make perfect sense to me.

 

[Jason]

Brandy is made from grapes. When you fortify with it, most will use brandy and wine made from the same type of grapes.

 

[gits]

Brandy is typically used. But most spirits can be used.

if you add it after the fermintation it will be a dry wine. If you add it before it will be sweet. The Brandy or other spirit will kill any fermination. So depending on when you add it, it will kill the yeast, and what sugar is not fermented, making it dry or sweet.

Hope that makes sense, i'm on the laptop, and no spell checker, and my fat fingers do not do so well.

Wow, I had no idea that is how it goes but now I am more than just knowledgeable. I prefer my wine sweet so fortification so I would add it before fermentation. Anyone who tastes Brandy will always keep going back.

 

[gits]

Brandy is both the mostly used and recommended spirit but like I always say, there is never any harm in trying out something new. I prefer sweet wine for example.

 

[hoptoit]

I think brandy is used the most because it is distilled wine. So the flavor profile is works with wine already. I was listening to a radio piece on port wine and it was brainchild of the British in Portugal according to the speaker. But the "brandy" used for the making of port wine is a neutral grape spirit and would not recognizable as Brandy if we were to drink it.

 

[misty]

Misty, have you ever tasted good brandy straight? To me it almost tastes a little like red wine. I believe it's made from grapes too. So maybe that's why it's used, if it's similar maybe it would go well with the wine.

You are so right about that. I am sure that must be the reason. I was just in another thread talking about brandy chocolates too. Mmm, brandy is the best spirit to fortify with.

 

[beckyv1265]

I want to try some blackberry brandy when my berry bushes start producing. I like my wines sweet the best so I will try adding the brandy before the fermentation. Thanks for the info.

 

[wineywiney]

Is Vodka a valid choice at all?

 

[Lenownema]

Azda too, though more expensive. I just opened bottle of red made with red grape juice, elderberries, blueberries and raspberries, and its very good.