SHERRY

Sherry

Sherry: is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez (Jerez de la Frontera), Spain.

The word “Sherry” is an Anglicization of Xeres (Jerez), pronounced as “Hereth” In earlier times, Sherry was known as sack (from the Spanish saca, meaning “extraction” [from the solera]). In Europe, “Sherry” is a protected designation of origin; in Spanish law, all wine labeled as “Sherry” must legally come from the Sherry Triangle, which is an area in the province of Cádiz between Guadalquivir and Guadalete within the areas of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. In 1933 the Jerez Denominación de Origen was the first Spanish denominación to be officially recognized in this way, officially named D.O. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry and sharing the same governing council as D.O. Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Vineyard areas: Vineyards are sited in an area with the town of Jerez de la Frontera in the middle, Lebrija at the north, Chipiona to the west, Chiclana de la Frontera to the south and Arcos de la Frontera to the east. Two more towns are important Puerto de Santamaria and especially for the Fine Manzanilla Sherry styles made, San Lucar de Barrameda.

After fermentation is complete, Sherry is fortified with wine alcohol in order to slightly raise its final alcoholic content. The level of alcohol in the base wines is increased by mixing wine and alcohol (“half and half”) until the correct alcoholic strength is acquired. After fermentation the base wine naturally reaches an alcoholic strength of between 11 and 12.5 percent by volume.

Types

• Fino (‘fine’ in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of Sherry. The wine is aged in barrels under a cap of flor yeast to prevent contact with the air.One of the best wines of the world. Final alcohol content is 16 to 18%. Must be drunk quickly within a few days of opening.
• Manzanilla is an especially light variety of Fino Sherry made around the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Should have 16 to 18% alcohol. These wines are aged in bodegas facing the sea, the resulting wine has a distinct salty taste on the palate. Very dry in style and these are best of dry Sherries.
• Manzanilla Pasada is a Manzanilla that has undergone extended aging or has been partially oxidised, giving a richer, nuttier flavour.
• Amontillado( in the style of Montilla ) is a variety of Sherry that is first aged under flor but which is then exposed to oxygen, producing a sherry that is darker than a Fino but lighter than an Oloroso. Naturally dry, they are sometimes sold lightly to medium sweetened but these can no longer be labelled as Amontillado.
• Oloroso (‘scented’ in Spanish) is a variety of Sherry aged oxidatively for a longer time than a Fino or Amontillado, producing a darker and richer wine. With alcohol levels between 18 and 20%, Olorosos are the most alcoholic Sherries.[ Like Amontillado, naturally dry, they are often also sold in sweetened versions called Cream Sherry. As with Amontillado “Sweet Oloroso”, “Rich Oloroso” and “Oloroso Dulce” are prohibited terms.
• Palo Cortado is a variety of Sherry that is initially aged like an Amontillado, typically for three or four years, but which subsequently develops a character closer to an Oloroso. This either happens by accident when the flor dies, or commonly the flor is killed by fortification or filtration.
• Jerez Dulce (Sweet Sherries) are made either by fermenting dried Pedro Ximénez (PX) or Moscatel grapes, which produces an intensely sweet dark brown or black wine, or by blending sweeter wines or grape must with a drier variety.
• Cream This is the term for sweetened Oloroso and is rich deep amber to golden brown & very sweet and is a common type of sweet Sherry made by blending different wines, such as Oloroso sweetened with PX.
On 12 April 2012, the rules applicable to the sweet and fortified Denominations of Origen Montilla-Moriles and Jerez-Xérès-Sherry were changed to prohibit sweet Oloroso and sweet Amontillado banning terms such as “Rich Oloroso”, “Sweet Oloroso” and “Oloroso Dulce”. Such wines are to be labelled as “Cream Sherry: Blend of Oloroso / Amontillado” or suchlike.

The “Sherry” brand

Spanish producers have registered the names Jerez / Xérès / Sherry and will prosecute producers of similar fortified wines from other places using the same name. In 1933, Article 34 of the Spanish wine Law established the boundaries of Sherry production as the first Spanish wine denominación. Today, Sherry’s official status is further recognized by wider EU legislation. Sherry must come from the triangular area of the province of Cádiz between Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. However the name ‘Sherry’ is used as a semi-generic in the United States where it must be labeled with a region of origin such as American sherry or California sherry. However such wines cannot be exported to the EU. Australian wine makers now use the term Apera instead of Sherry, whilst Australian consumers still use the term Sherry.

Production

Climate

The Jerez district has a predictable climate, with approximately 70 days of rainfall and almost 300 days of sun per year. The rain mostly falls between the months of October and May, averaging 600 l/m². The summer is dry and hot, with temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F), but winds from the ocean bring moisture to the vineyards in the early morning and the clays in the soil retain water below the surface. The average temperature across the year is approximately 18 °C (64 °F).

Soil

There are three types of soil in the Jerez district for growing the grapes for Sherry:
• Albariza: The best vineyards are planted on the albariza soil. the lightest soil, almost white, and best for growing Palomino grapes. It is approximately 40-50 per cent chalk, the rest being a blend of limestone, clay and sand. Albariza preserves moisture well during the hot summer months.
• Barros: a dark brown soil, 10 per cent chalk with a high clay content. Produces coarser wines.
• Arenas: a yellowish soil, also 10 per cent chalk but with a high sand content. Produces big yields of poor quality wines.
The albariza soil is the best for growing the Palomino grape, and by law 40 per cent of the grapes making up a Sherry must come from albariza soil. The barros and arenas soil are mostly used for Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes.
The benefits of the albariza soil is that it can reflect sunlight back up to the vine, aiding it in photosynthesis. The nature of the soil is very absorbent and compact so that it can retain and maximize the use of the little rainfall that the Jerez region receives.

Grapes

Before the phylloxera infestation in 1894, there were estimated to be over 100 varieties of grape used in Spain for the production of Sherry, but now there are only three white grapes grown for Sherry-making:
• Palomino: also referred to as Palomino Fino, the dominant grape used for the dry sherries. Approximately 90 per cent of the grapes grown for Sherry are Palomino. As varietal table wine, the Palomino grape produces a wine of very bland and neutral characteristics. This neutrality is actually what makes Palomino an ideal grape because it is so easily enhanced by the Sherry winemaking style.
• Pedro Ximénez: used to produce sweet wines. When harvested these grapes are typically dried in the sun for two days to concentrate their sugars. Wine made from these grapes are used to sweeten the Sherry. These are not planted much now in the Jerez region as the area of Montilla grows it better as most of the Sherry sweetening wines come from here.
• Moscatel: used similarly to Pedro Ximénez, but it is less common.
Sherry-style wines made in other countries often use other grape varieties.

Harvesting:

The vintage takes place in the first three weeks of September and the vintage last for about 15 days. Using just one grape variety presents problem in that all the grapes will ripen at the same time so needing a large labour force at the harvest time.. The grape bunches are usually one kilo in weight or very near.
Yields:
The grapes will be picked and placed in to baskets that holds 12 to 14 kilos of grapes. 60 baskets will fill one sherry butt.. Yields of must will be three butts per aranzada ( an area of land equivalent to 0.45 acres ).

Pressing:

The Palomino grapes are harvested in early September, and pressed lightly to extract the must. Traditionally grapes are trodden in large open troughs (lagares). Now a days the Wilmes pneumatic is more predominantly used. The must from the first pressing, the primera yema, is used to produce Fino and Manzanilla and the must from the second pressing, the segunda yema will be used for Oloroso ; the product of additional pressings is used for lesser wines, distillation and vinegar.

Fermentation:

Natural yeast are used. The 72 hour fermentation in the hot climate is very active having the appearance of boiling. Almost all the sugar are converted to a strength of 11 to 12% of alcohol. Fermentation continues slowly and quietly for further 6 to 8 weeks. Fermentation is in casks (butts) which are left open for the wine to have an air contact and encourage oxidation.

Classification and Fortification:

Immediately after fermentation, the wine is sampled and the first classification is performed. The casks are marked with the following symbols according to the potential of the wine:

/ A single stroke indicates a wine with the finest flavour and aroma, suitable for Fino or Amontillado. These wines are fortified to about 15 percent alcohol to allow the growth of flor. Flor develops due to the action of a yeast based fungus called Mycoderma Vini. The yeast seems to be a special form of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces carpensis.0
/. A single stroke with a dot indicates a heavier, more full-bodied wine. These wines are fortified to about 17.5 percent alcohol to prevent the growth of flor, and the wines are aged oxidatively to produce Oloroso.
// A double stroke indicates a wine which will be allowed to develop further before determining whether to use the wine for Amontillado or Oloroso. These wines are fortified to about 15 percent alcohol.
/// a triple stroke indicates a wine that has developed poorly, and will be distilled.
A butt of Sherry is usually measured at 500 litres although the actual capacity of the casks is 600 litres. This empty space ( ullage ) encourages oxidation essential for the forming of the Sherry style.
The Sherry is fortified using destilado, made by distilling wine, usually from La Mancha. The distilled spirit is first mixed with mature Sherry to make a 50/50 blend known as mitad y mitad (half and half), and then the mitad y mitad is mixed with the younger Sherry to the proper proportions. This two-stage procedure is performed so the strong alcohol will not shock the young Sherry and spoil it.

Aging and blending:

The fortified wine is stored in 500-litre casks that are made of North American oak called butts which is less porous than French or Spanish oak. The casks, or butts, are filled five-sixths full, leaving “the space of two fists” empty at the top to allow flor to develop on top of the wine. Sherries are matured in tall well ventilated buildings called Bodegas.
Sherry is then aged in the solera system, which is a system of fractional blending .This is a rather complex arrangement of barrels (butts) where wine travels from one to another in a precise order during its maturation using tools called the canoa (canoe) and rociador (sprinkler) to move the wine gently and avoid damaging the layer of flor particularly in the fino barrels.. Rather confusingly, the lowest level of butts is known as the solera, which is the name also used for the entire system. This is the final stage in the maturation process, and this is where the wine leaves the system. Up to one-third of the wine may be withdrawn each year from these barrels, but typically the amount taken will be 10–15%. They are fed by wine from the next level of butts, knows and the first criadera. The first criadera is in turn topped up by a third level of butts, the second criadera. Wine in the second criadera is usually replenished by new wine, which may be stored in the bodega. There can be more than three levels in the most complex of the solera systems. Sherry that has been through a solera system such as this will therefore contain a mixture of vintages. The system helps maintain a house style, and results in consistent wines. Some vintage-dated sherries that have not been through a solera exist, but these are a rarity .The portion of wine moved from one criadera to another is limited to a maximum of 33% percent of each barrel. This process is called “running the scales” because each barrel in the series is called a scale.
So the age of the youngest wine going into the bottle is determined by the number of barrels in the series, and every bottle also contains some much older wine. Sherry is aged in the solera for a minimum of 3 years.

Fining and filtration:

Before the Sherry is bottled it undergoes a couple of fining and filtration to render it absolutely clear before the sherry is bottled. In case a sweet sherry is made then the Sherry extracted from the solera is blended with vino dulce made from Pedro Ximenez grapes. Also may be added boiled down must from the Pedro Ximenez grapes to get the requisite colour.

Bottling: In the final step of the preparation the Sherry is bottled and sent to the market. Sherry does not benefit from bottle ageing.

Storing and drinking:

Once bottled, Sherry does not benefit from further aging and may be consumed immediately, though the sherries that have been aged oxidatively may be stored for years without losing their flavor. Bottles should be stored upright to minimize the wine’s exposed surface area. As with other wines, Sherry should be stored in a cool, dark place.
Fino and Manzanilla are the most fragile types of Sherry and should usually be drunk soon after opening. In Spain, Finos are often sold in half bottles, with any remaining wine being thrown out if it is not drunk the same day it is opened.[ Amontillados and Olorosos will keep for longer, while sweeter versions such as PX, and blended cream Sherries, are able to last several weeks or even months after opening, since the sugar content acts as a preservative.
Sherry is traditionally drunk from a copita, a special tulip-shaped Sherry glass. Sampling wine directly from a Sherry butt may be performed with characteristic flourish by a venenciador, named after the special cup (the venencia) traditionally made of silver and fastened to a long whalebone handle. The cup, narrow enough to pass though the bunghole, withdraws a measure of Sherry which is then ceremoniously poured from head height into a copita held in the other hand.
Recently, young people drink it mixed with lemonade soft-drink and ice. It is called Rebujito, although it was popular in the Victorian age, known as sherry-cobbler.[
Non solera Sherries: Non solera Sherries are also available, being of a particular vintage and unblended. These are termed as Almacenistas. These will generally be made by Sherry specialists called “Afficionados”and sell them to the major Sherry producers although an increasing amount is being sold publicly.

Sherry producers:
Gonzalez Byass
Pedro Domenq
Harveys
Duff Gordon
Osborne
Barbadillo
Williams Humbert
Croft

MADEIRA

Madeira

Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands. Madeira 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.
Cheaper versions are often flavoured with salt and pepper for use in cooking.
The islands of Madeira have a long winemaking history dating back to the Age of Exploration 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 as the wine producers of Madeira found out when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip.
Today, Madeira is noted for its unique winemaking process which involves heating the wine up to temperatures as high as 60 °C (140 °F) for an extended period of time and deliberately exposing the wine to some levels of oxidation. Because of this unique process, Madeira is a very robust wine that can be quite long lived even after being opened.[
In conformance with these EU regulations most countries limit the use of the term Madeira or Madère to only those wines that come from the Madeira Islands.

Viticulture:

The island of Madeira has an oceanic climate with some tropical influences. With high rainfall and average mean temperature of 66 °F (19 °C), the threats of fungal grape diseases and botrytis rot are constant viticultural hazards. To combat these threats, Madeira vineyards are often planted low trellises, known as latada, that raise the canopy of the vine off the ground similar to a style used in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. The terrain of the mountainous volcanic island is difficult to cultivate with vineyards planted on man-made terraces of red and basaltic bedrock. These terraces, known as poios, are very similar to the terraces of the Douro that make Port wine production possible. The use of mechanical harvesting and vineyard equipment is near impossible, making wine grape growing a costly endeavor on the island.[3] Many vineyards have in the past been ripped up for commercial tourist developments or replanted with such products as bananas for commercial concerns. Some replanting is taking place on the island; however, the tourist trade is generally seen as a more lucrative business than wine-making.

Grape varieties

The four major types of Madeira are named according to the grape variety used. Ranging from the sweetest to the driest style, they are: Malvasia (also known as Malmsey or Malvazia), Bual (or Boal), Verdelho, and Sercial. Occasionally one sees Terrantez, Bastardo and Moscatel varieties, although these are now increasingly rare on the island because of oidium and phylloxera. After the phylloxera epidemic, many wines were “mislabeled” as containing one of these noble grape varieties, which were reinterpreted as “wine styles” rather than true varietal names. Since the epidemic, Tinta Negra Mole and Complexa are the workhorse varieties on the island, and are found in various concentrations in many blends and vintage wines. Of these, Bastardo and Tinta Negra Mole are red grape varieties, the rest are all white. Regulations enacted recently by the European Union have applied the rule that 85% of the grapes in the wine must be of the variety on the label. Modern Madeiras which do not carry a varietal label are generally made from Tinta Negra Mole.

Winemaking:

The initial winemaking steps of Madeira start out like most other wines with the grapes being harvested, crushed, pressed and then fermented in either stainless steel or oak casks. The grape varieties destined for sweeter wines, Boal and Malvasia also referred to as Malmsay, are often fermented on their skins to leach more phenols from the grapes to balance the sweetness of the wine. The more dry wines made from Sercial, Verdelho and Tinta Negra Mole are separated from their skins prior to fermentation. Depending on the level of sweetness desired, fermentation of the wine is halted at some point by the addition of neutral grape spirits. Producers of cheaper Madeira will usually ferment the wine completely dry, regardless of grape variety, and then fortify the wine so as not to lose any alcohol to evaporation during the estufagem aging. The wines are then artificially sweetened and coloured..

Sercial is nearly fermented completely dry, with very little residual sugar (0.5 to 1.5° on the Baumé scale). This style of wine is characterised with high-toned colours, almond flavours and high acidity.

Verdelho has its fermentation halted a little earlier than Sercial, when its sugars are between 1.5 and 2.5° Baumé. This style of wine is characterized by smokey notes and high acidity.

Bual/Boal has its fermentation halted when its sugars are between 2.5 to 3.5° Baumé. This style of wine is characterized by its dark colour, medium-rich texture, and raisin flavours.

Malvasia/Malmsey has its fermentation halted when its sugars are between 3.5 and 6.5° Baumé. This style of wine is characterised by its dark colour, rich texture, and coffee-caramel flavours. Like other Madeiras made from the noble grape varieties, the Malvasia grape used in Malmsey production has naturally high levels of acidity in the wine, which balances with the high sugar levels so the wines do not taste cloyingly sweet.

Estufagem” process

What makes Madeira wine production unique is the estufagem aging process meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage of the aging barrels through tropical climates. Three main methods are used to heat age the wine, used according to the quality and cost of the finished wine:
• Cuba de Calor: The most common, used for low cost Madeira, is bulk aging in low stainless steel or concrete tanks surrounded by either heat coils or piping that allow hot water to circulate around the container. The wine is heated to temperatures as high as 130 °F (55 °C) for a minimum of 90 days as regulated by the Madeira Wine Institute.
• Armazém de Calor: Only used by the Madeira Wine Institute, this method involves storing the wine in large wooden casks in a specially designed rooms outfitted with steam-producing tanks or pipes that heat the room, creating a type of sauna. This process more gently exposes the wine to heat, and can last from six months to over a year.
• Canteiro: Used for the highest quality Madeiras, these wines are aged without the use of any artificial heat, being stored by the winery in warm rooms left to age by the heat of the sun. In cases such as vintage Madeira, this heating process can last from 20 years to 100 years.
Much of the characteristic flavour of Madeira is due to this practice, which hastens the mellowing of the wine and also tends to check secondary fermentation in as much as it is, in effect, a mild kind of pasteurization. Furthermore, the wine is deliberately exposed to air, causing it to oxidize. The resulting wine has a colour similar to a tawny port. Colourings such as caramel coloring have been used in the past to give some consistency, although this practice is decreasing. Wine tasters sometimes describe a wine which has been exposed to excessive heat during its storage as being cooked or maderized.

Styles of Madeira:

Since 1993, Madeira produced from Tinta Negra Mole grapes is legally restricted to use generic terms on the label to indicate the level of sweetness as seco (dry), meio seco (medium dry), meio doce (medium sweet) and doce (sweet).
A wine labeled as Finest, means it has been aged for at least three years. This style is usually reserved for cooking.

Wines made from at least 85% of the noble varieties of Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey are usually labeled based on the amount of time they were aged.
Wines with Solera listed were made in a style similar to sherry with fractional blending of wines from different vintages in a solera system.
Reserve (five years) – This is the minimum amount of aging a wine labeled with one of the noble varieties is permitted to have.
Special Reserve (10 years) – At this point, the wines are often aged naturally without any artificial heat source.
Extra Reserve (over 15 years) – This style is rare to produce, with many producers extending the aging to 20 years for a vintage or producing a colheita. It is richer in style than a Special Reserve Madeira.
Colheita or Harvest – This style includes wines from a single vintage, but aged for a shorter period than true Vintage Madeira. The wine can be labeled with a vintage date, but includes the word colheita on it.
Vintage or Frasquiera – This style must be aged at least 20 years.

Rainwater

A style called “Rainwater” is rarely produced today, and when it is, is usually shipped only to the United States. This style of wine is mild and similar to Verdelho, but can be expected to be made from Tinta Negra Mole, and is primarily used as an aperitif. Accounts conflict as to how this style was developed. The most common is the name derives from the vineyards on the steep hillsides, where irrigation was difficult, and the vines were dependent on the local rain water for survival. Another theory involves a shipment destined for the American colonies that was accidentally diluted by rainwater while it sat on the docks in Savannah, Georgia. Rather than dump the wines, the merchants tried to pass it off as a “new style” of Madeira and were surprised at its popularity among the Americans.

Characteristics

Exposure to extreme temperature and oxygen accounts for its stability; an opened bottle of Madeira will survive unharmed for a considerable time, up to a year. Properly sealed in bottles, it is one of the longest-lasting wines; Madeiras have been known to survive over 150 years in excellent condition. It is not uncommon to see Madeiras pushing the century mark for sale at stores that specialize in rare wine. Vintages dating back to 1780 are known to exist. The oldest bottle that has come onto the market is a 1715 Terrantez.
Before the advent of artificial refrigeration, Madeira wine was particularly prized in areas where it was impractical to construct wine cellars (such as those in parts of the southern United States) because, unlike many other fine wines, it could survive being stored over hot summers without significant damage.
Lower-quality Madeira wines may be flavored with salt and pepper to prevent their sale as Madeira wine. Instead, they are exported—mainly to France—for cooking purposes. This wine is most commonly used in sauce madère (Madeira sauce).

Madeira producers and shippers:

Adelaide, Anderson, Aspinwall, Averys, Barbeito, Blandy’s Madeiras Lda. (MWC), Broadbent, Cossart Gordon Lda, Funchal Wine Co, Gibbs & Co, Gonçalves, J. H. (Borges)

MARSALA

Marsala

Marsala is a wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala wine first received Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 1969.

While the city’s natives sometimes drink “vintage” Marsala, the wine produced for export is universally a fortified wine similar to Port, Madeira and Sherry. Originally, Marsala wine was fortified with alcohol to ensure that it would last long ocean voyages, but now it is made that way because of its popularity in foreign markets.
History

The most creditable version of the introduction of Marsala fortified wine to a wider range of consumers is attributed to the English trader John Woodhouse. In 1773, Woodhouse 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.[2] Fortified Marsala wine 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 recognized that the in perpetuum process raised the alcohol level and alcoholic taste of this wine while also preserving these characteristics during long distance sea travel. Woodhouse further believed that fortified Marsala wine would be popular in England. Marsala wine indeed proved so successful that Woodhouse returned to Sicily and, in 1796, began the mass production and commercialization of Marsala wine.
Producers:

At present there are five main producers of Marsala. They are Florio, Rallo, Pellegrino, Mirabella, and De Bertoli. There ar4e about 50 smaller producers.

Soil and climate:

The soil is generally volcanic mixed with iron oxide, the climate is hot, dry and sunny with fierce winds from Sahara desert, ideal conditions for tough sugar laden grapes.
Grapes used:

Marsala is produced using the Grillo, Inzolia, and Catarratto white grape varietals, among others.

Marsala contains about 15-20% alcohol by volume. Different Marsala wines are classified according to their color, sweetness and the duration of their aging. The three levels of sweetness are secco (with a maximum 40 grams of residual sugar per liter), semisecco’ (41-100 g/l) and sweet (over 100 g/l). The color and aging classifications are as follows:
• Oro has a golden color. Addition of mosto cotto is forbidden.
• Ambra has an amber color. The coloring comes from the mosto cotto sweetener added to the wine. Mosto cotto is concentrated must which is reduced or thickened by boiling.
• Rubino has a ruby color. This is a red wine version and the production system is a cross between Madeira and Sherry and including aspect of Port and Montilla. Addition of mosto cotto is forbidden for this.
• Fine has minimal aging, typically less than a year.
• Superiore is aged at least two years.
• Superiore Riserva is aged at least four years.
• Vergine e/o Soleras is aged at least five years.
• Verginee/o Soleras Stravecchio e Vergine e/o Soleras Riserva is aged at least ten years.

Unfortified Marsala can be found—De Bertoli’s Vecchio Samperi.

Marsala wine was traditionally served as an aperitif between the first and second courses of a meal. Contemporary diners will serve it chilled with Parmesan (stravecchio), Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and other spicy cheeses, with fruits or pastries, or at room temperature as a dessert wine.