本干货为双语，前半部分为中文部分，想挑战英语的同学，不妨直接拉到后半部分看英文版。
甜葡萄酒酿造使用的葡萄品种特别甜，要在酵母把所有天然糖分转化为酒精之前停止发酵。有几种不同的方法可以中止发酵，过冷法（super-cooling）和加入高酒精度白兰地就是其中的两种方法，这两种方法都是通过创造一种不适合酵母生存的环境而停止酵母活动。市场有上百种不同类型的甜葡萄酒，但大多数可划分为五大风格。今天我们就一起来探访这个美轮美奂的甜酒世界。
如果留意的话，你会发现很多不同类型的甜酒都是使用同一种葡萄酿造而成，这个现象有两个解释：一是历史原因--某些葡萄品种已被用于酿造甜酒长达数个世纪之久；另一个是与生俱来的优势--这些葡萄品种本身就带有甜美的香气，因此它们天生特别适合酿造甜酒。
一个很好的例子就是白麝香，这种葡萄品种比稍显摩登的赤霞珠大约要早1500年。
起泡型甜酒
高酸度和独特的气泡质感使得起泡酒品尝起来感觉不如它实际上甜。如果你有幸品尝到不同品种酿成的起泡酒，你会发现特定的某些品种要比它们的同类闻起来（和尝起来）偏甜。比如，一款半甜型的香槟（通常是由霞多丽和黑皮诺酿成）就不如那些半甜型的麝香气泡酒甜，尽管两者拥有相同数量的糖分。
在选择甜葡萄酒或者一些起泡酒时，请留意酒标上的以下字样:
Demi-Sec：法语，半干
Amabile：意大利语，微甜
Semi Secco：意大利语，半干
Doux：法语，甜
Dolce / Dulce：意大利或西班牙，甜
Moelleux：法语，甜
*以上术语请不要同‘Sec’, ‘Sekt’ or ‘Secco’混淆，它们分别是法语，德语和意大利语中“干型”
清淡型甜酒
清淡型甜酒清爽甜美，是炎炎夏日的完美选择。许多这种类型的甜酒同印度或东南亚料理搭配相得益彰。由于果香四溢，它们是水果甜品或香草类甜品最喜爱的“小恋人”。比如，琼瑶浆（Gewurztraminer)以其馥郁的荔枝和玫瑰花香出名，它与甜品香梨塔和猕猴桃塔是很棒的搭配。
琼瑶浆（Gewürztraminer）
一种花香馥郁酒精度中等的葡萄酒，在法国阿尔萨斯，意大利阿尔托，加州和新西兰等地很常见。
雷司令（Riesling）
既有干型风格也有甜型风格，前者在澳大利亚，阿尔萨斯和美国比较常见，后者多见于德国。雷司令葡萄酒酸度很高，从而很好的中和了酒中的甜度。
米勒-图高（Müller-Thurgau）
一种并不常见的白葡萄品种，来自德国和部分俄勒冈州产区也能见到，带有芬芳的花香，酸度清淡，典型的日常用酒，同香肠搭配不错。
白诗南（Chenin Blanc）
白诗南经常在美国酿成甜酒的形式，同时大量存在于南非和法国的卢瓦尔河谷。选择白诗南葡萄酒时需谨慎，因为许多南非和法国酿酒商出产的干型白诗南品尝起来和长相思并无二致。
维欧尼（Viognier）
大多数的维欧尼葡萄酒并不是甜的，然而，作为一种芳香型品种，有时你会在它浓郁的果香中嗅到桃子和香水般的芳香，这种类型的维欧尼是法国罗纳河谷Condrieu AOP产区的特长。
浓郁型甜酒
浓郁型甜酒是采用高质量的葡萄品种酿造成非强化型风格甜酒。大多数葡萄酒可陈年50年以上，这是因为这类酒中的糖分和酸度可以持久的保存葡萄酒年轻的生命力。这类酒中有很多历史上就已名扬四海的“明星”酒款，包括曾是俄国沙皇的最爱的匈牙利托卡伊（Tokaji,读作tou-kayi）；而荷兰人和英国人则是南非Constantia 甜酒的疯狂粉丝；法国的苏玳甜酒曾在19世纪被美国人民视若珍宝。
浓郁性甜酒的酿造有多种不同的方法，了解这些方法可以帮助大家理解他们的风味特点。
晚收型（Late Harvest）
晚收型甜酒名如其酒，酒农在秋收时延长葡萄在藤上的停留时间，葡萄本身会变得浓缩而甜美，使得所酿酒款的残留糖分或酒精度变高（这取决于酒庄的发酵方式）。在法国阿尔萨斯“晚收型”被称为“Vendage Tardive” ，在德国称为“Sp?tlese”（但是Sp?tlese并不一定是甜酒）。在美国有很多晚收型葡萄酒被当做甜酒出售，酒精度通常高达15-17%。
贵腐酒（Noble Rot）
贵腐菌是一种称为Botrytis Cinerea的灰霉菌，它的孢子能够感染水果和蔬菜。虽然听起来和看起来都很不美观，但它能够为葡萄酒增添一种独特的姜和蜂蜜的味道，因而备受欢迎。有很多甜酒是使用贵腐菌感染过的葡萄酿造而成，包括：
法国贵腐甜白（Barsac, Cadillac 和Monbazillac）
都是位于法国波尔多或波尔多附近的法定产区，使用赛美容，长相思和密斯卡岱（Muscadelle）三种葡萄品种酿成的一种金黄色甜白葡萄酒。
托卡伊（Tokaji）
来自匈牙利，使用被贵腐菌感染过的Furmint及其他五种葡萄品种酿造，根据酒款所含的糖分划分3到6 Puttonyos（级别），5 Puttonyos的托卡伊至少拥有120克的残留糖分，同一瓶可口可乐所含的糖分类似。还有高于6 Puttonyos的两个级别Aszu Eszencia和Eszencia。
Auslese, Beerenauslese 和Trockenbeerenauslese 级别的雷司令
在德国有一套根据酒款甜度而设立的级别称为Pradikatwein, Auslese是这套系统中首个使用高比例贵腐菌感染葡萄的级别。不仅比低级别的QbA和Kabinett甜，而且拥有较高的酒精度。
草席甜酒（Straw Mat）
葡萄采收之后放在草席上晒干，之后再压榨酿酒。
意大利的Vin Santo
使用特雷比奥诺（Trebbiano）和马尔维萨(Malvasia)两种葡萄品种酿造而成，拥有强烈的坚果和类似于红枣的味道，这类葡萄酒在意大利各地均有生产，各自风味不同。
意大利的Passito
这是另外一种草席甜酒，使用红、白多种不同的葡萄品种酿造而成，例如，Passito di Pantelleria是一种麝香葡萄酿造的草席甜酒，而Caluso Passito是用皮埃蒙特珍贵葡萄品种Erbaluce 酿成。
希腊的草席甜酒（Greek Straw Wine）
希腊有多种不同的草席甜酒，Vinsanto是使用酸度高的 Assyrtiko酿成；Samos是用麝香葡萄品种酿成；Commandaria是一种历史可追溯到公元前800年前的塞浦路斯甜酒。
德国的Strohwein和奥地利的Schilfwein
是一种在奥地利和德国越来越稀少的甜酒类型，采用Zweigelt葡萄酿成。
法国的Vin de Paille
最知名的产区是法国汝拉（Jura)，靠近阿尔卑斯山，使用霞多丽和古老的葡萄品种Savagnin酿成。
冰酒（Ice Wine或Eiswein）
真正的冰酒极其稀少且昂贵，原因有两：1)这种冰酒只在大雪纷飞，整个葡萄园都降至冰点以下8度的年份酿造。2）冰酒必须在葡萄冰冻的状态下采收和压榨，时间要在午夜进行，所以通常在像加拿大，德国和瑞士这样的冷气候国家酿造。大多数的冰酒使用雷司令和威代尔(Vidal)两种葡萄品种，或其他任何葡萄品种，甚至品丽珠都可以用于酿造冰酒。你会发现冰酒的带有浓郁的蜂蜜甜香，与贵腐菌感染过的甜酒风味相似。
甜型红酒
甜红葡萄酒的产量近年来一直在下滑（除却那些廉价的商业化产品，然而），但仍然有一些精工细作历史上就已身负盛名的甜红值得尝试。绝大多数这样的甜红是用来自意大利的奇葩葡萄品种酿成。
蓝布鲁斯科（Lambrusco）
蓝布鲁斯科是一个同时出产干型，甜型和起跑酒三种类型葡萄酒的意大利产区。因为它是一种气泡酒，因而不可避免的在散发出覆盆子和蓝莓果香的同时夹杂着酵母微妙的气息，甜酒类型会在酒标上注有“Amabile”或”Dulce”。
布拉凯多（Brachetto d’Acqui）
是一种来自意大利皮埃蒙特，使用布拉凯多（Brachetto）品种酿成的红或桃红葡萄酒，有静止(still)也有气泡形式。以其迷人的花香和草莓香气而闻名，同时是火腿命中注定的好搭档。
斯基亚瓦（Schiava）
一种来自阿尔托（Alto Adige）但几将绝迹于意大利版图的稀少葡萄品种，酒款在口中释放出甜美的覆盆子和棉花糖香气，但是糖分却并不高。
弗雷萨（Freisa）
曾经一度是皮埃蒙特地区最伟大的红葡萄品种，常与内比奥罗（Nebbiolo）相提并论，单宁淡雅，芳香的樱桃气息飘逸。
维波利雷乔托（Recioto della Valpolicella）
如同阿马罗尼一般辛苦复杂的酿造过程，拥有无与伦比的丰满和浓郁度。
晚收型甜红
在美国市场上有很多晚收型葡萄酿造的甜红，主要葡萄品种有仙粉黛，幕合怀特，马尔贝克和小西拉。无不迸发出丰盈的甜香和高调的酒精度。
加强型甜酒（Fortified Wine）
加强型甜酒的酿造是将葡萄白兰地加入到葡萄酒中，所生成之酒既有甜型也有干型。大多数加强型甜酒酒精度很高（大约17-20%），开瓶之后，保存时间要比其他类型的酒款长很多。
波特酒（Port）
波特酒来自于葡萄牙北半部，兴于杜罗河谷。使用多种葡萄牙传统葡萄品种酿成，最有名气的一些包括：Touriga Nacional,Touriga Franca和Tinta Roriz。这些品种会在秋后采收到一起，统一在敞盖大桶内人工脚踩直到发酵开始，然后在发酵进行到一定程度时将中性葡萄烈酒（酒精高达70%）加入到桶内，进而停止发酵，波特酒就此生成。加强完成后会使用一系列酿酒工艺，形成以下多种不同风格的波特酒。
宝石波特（甜）
波特酒的入门级别，带有薄荷味道的清新波特，甜味要比茶色波特淡很多。
年份 & 晚装瓶年份波特（甜）
晚装瓶年份波特和年份波特的风格近似，但前者注定要趁年轻时饮用，而后者注定要在饮用之前陈年20至50年的时间。
茶色波特（非常甜）
茶色波特的陈年发生在酒庄的大木桶和小木桶内。陈年的时间越长，酒款的坚果和无花果气息越浓。一款30-40年的Tawny波特是最优雅的。
波特风格的葡萄酒，又名天然甜（甜）
根据欧盟“受保护的法定产区”规定波特酒只能在葡萄牙酿造，但全世界都可以酿造波特风格的葡萄酒，例如，仙黛粉波特或者黑皮诺波特，通常我们称这些酒为Vin doux naturel（天然甜）。
雪莉酒（Sherry）
雪莉酒来自西班牙的安达路西亚，使用Palomino, Pedro Ximinez（简称PX）和麝香葡萄三种品种按照不同的比例酿造而成，雪莉酒最主要的特点是在酿造过程中有意氧化，从而使得所生成之酒带有坚果的美味香气。
Fino（干型）
所有雪莉酒中酒体最淡也是口感最干的一类，带有锋利的酸涩和坚果风味。
Manzanilla（干型）
一种来自特定产区的Fino Sherry，部分甚至比Fino更淡。
Palo Cortado（干型）
一种风格稍显浓郁的雪莉酒，陈年时间较长，颜色更加深沉，进而风味也更加浓郁。这些酒通常为干性，且带有咸腥的水果和坚果特点。
Amontillado（大多数是干型）
一款陈年后的雪莉，多带有花生和黄油的风味。
Oloroso（干型）
一种陈年时间很长的深色雪莉，常年的水分蒸发导致酒精度很高，Oloroso如同雪莉酒中的苏格兰威士忌。
Cream（甜）
通过混合Oloroso和Pedro Ximinez酿成的甜味雪莉酒。
Moscatel（甜）
一种带有无花果和红枣特点的甜味雪莉酒。
Pedro Ximinez (PX)（很甜）
一种带有红糖和无花果特色的甜味雪莉酒。
马德拉酒（Madeira）
马德拉是一种使用四类葡萄品种在马德拉岛（位于大西洋）上酿成的葡萄酒。马德拉酒与其他酒类的不同之处在于它的酿造工艺：需要经历一种加热和氧化的过程--这是一种传统上会破坏葡萄酒风味的过程，经历了这种过程所生成的马德拉酒在口感上带有核桃类坚果，盐质和油质特色。因为使用四种不同的葡萄品种，马德拉拥有从干到甜一系列不同类型的风格，能够适应很多不同的菜品。
Rainwater & Madeira
如果酒标上标有“Madeira”和“Rainwater”，可以假定该酒是由四种不同品种混酿而成，甜度中等。
Sercial（干性）
Sercial是所有马德拉酒中酒体最干也最淡的葡萄品种。这类酒酸度高，带有桃子和杏的气息。市面上那些陈年时间长达达100年的Sercial 马德拉一点也不稀奇。
Verdelho (干性)
Verdelho年轻时带有柑橘类水果特色，陈年后会进化出杏仁和核桃类坚果风味。
Bual（甜）
Bual马德拉酒口味偏甜，带有焦糖，红糖，无花果和黑核桃的特点，一些陈年10年的中等甜度的Bual马德拉酒很常见，也有一些陈年高达50-70年高龄。
Malmsey（甜）
Malmsey马德拉带有橙子类柑橘和焦糖气息，口感上油质和氧化类坚果特点突出。
天然甜葡萄酒（Vin Doux Naturel）
天然甜葡萄酒同波特酒在酿造上很是相似：首先基酒初酿成，中性葡萄白兰地随后添加。Vin doux naturel这个术语来自法国，但这种类型的甜酒可以形容很多来自世界各地的葡萄酒。
歌海娜为主的 VDN
主要来自法国南部，比如Maury, Rasteau 和朗格多克露西龙地区的Banyuls。
麝香品种为主的VDN
主要有Muscat de Rivesaltes, Muscat de Frogtignan, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Ruthernglen Muscat（澳洲），Orange Muscat和来自意大利的Vin Santo Liquorose。
Malvasia为主的 VDN
大多数来自意大利的西西里岛，比如Malvasia delle Lipari Liquoroso。
Mavrodaphni
来自希腊，Mavrodaphni是一种同波特酒有很多相似之处的甜红葡萄酒。
Skip the heavy dessert option for something that will make your mouth twinkle. Dessert wines are meant to be enjoyed in small glasses and treasured like a glass of Scotch. Learn about the 5 major styles of dessert wine, from delicately fizzy Moscato d’Asti to rich brooding vintage Port.
Dessert Wine Basics Sweet wine is produced with extra sweet wine grapes. In order to make them sweet, the fermentation is stopped before the yeast turns all the natural grape sugar into alcohol. There are several ways to stop the fermentation, including super-cooling or adding brandy to wine. Both methods create an environment where yeast won’t survive. While there are hundreds of different types of dessert wines available in the market, most fall into 5 main styles. This guide outlines the 5 styles and includes examples of each.
Throughout this guide you’ll notice that some wine grapes are used for dessert wines more than others. There are two reasons for this: one is historic – the grapes have been used for sweet wines for centuries – The other is physiological – the grapes have inherent sweetness in their natural aromas making them perfect for sweet winemaking.
An example of these types of wine grapes is Muscat Blanc. This wine grape is around 1500 years older than the more en vogue Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sparkling Dessert Wine
The sensation of bubbles and high acidity in most sparkling wine makes them taste less sweet than they actually are. When you taste more of the different varieties, you’ll notice certain grape varieties smell sweeter (and thus taste sweeter) than others. For instance, if you try a Demi-Sec traditional Champagne (which is usually a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) it will taste less sweet than a Demi-Sec Sparkling Moscato even though both may have the same amount of sugar.
When looking for sweet dessert wine Champagnes and other bubbly wines, keep your eyes peeled for these words on the label:
Demi-Sec* (‘off-dry’ in French)
Amabile (‘slightly sweet’ in Italian)
Semi Secco* (‘off-dry’ in Italian)
Doux (‘sweet’ in French)
Dolce / Dulce (‘sweet’ in Italian / Spanish)
Moelleux (‘sweet’ for some French wines)
*not to be confused with ‘Sec’, ‘Sekt’ or ‘Secco’ which is the term for ‘Dry’ in French, German and Italian, respectively
Lightly Sweet Dessert Wine
Lightly sweet wines are refreshingly sweet; perfect for a hot day. Many of these sweet wines pair well with spicy foods like Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine. Light sweet wines are meant to be enjoyed at their freshest although some examples, such as Riesling, age well.
Expect these wines to be exploding with fruit flavors and well suited for fruit-based and vanilla-driven desserts. For instance, consider Gewürztraminer: this wine is known for its lychee and rose petals aromas. A Gewürztraminer might pair well with a pear and kiwi tart.
Gewürztraminer
A highly floral wine with moderate alcohol that’s commonly found in Alsace, Alto-Adige (Italy), California and New Zealand.
Riesling
Available in both dry styles (common in Australia, Alsace and the US) as well as sweeter styles more commonly available from Germany. A wine with high natural acidity which helps cut the sweet taste.
Müller-Thurgau
A less common variety also from Germany and found in parts of Oregon that has floral aromas with slightly lighter acidity. Classic porch wine and well-loved with sausages.
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is commonly made in a sweeter style in the US and it’s also produced in large amounts in South Africa and the Loire Valley of France. Pay attention to labels when buying Chenin Blanc because many South African and French producers create dry versions that taste more similar to Sauvignon Blanc.
Viognier
Viognier for the most part, is not sweet. However, as an aromatic grape variety, occasionally you can find it in a fruit-driven style smelling of peaches and perfume. It’s rich and oily on the palate. This style of Viognier is found specifically from Condrieu AOP from the Rh?ne Valley) in France.
Richly Sweet Dessert Wine
Richly sweet wines are made with the highest quality grapes in an unfortified style. Many of these wines can age 50+ years because sweetness and acidity preserve their fresh flavor. Some of these wines are historically important including Hungarian Tokaji (‘toe-kye’) which was loved by the Tzars of Russia; South African Constantia which was an obsession of the Dutch and English; and French Sauternes which was loved by Americans in the early 1800′s.
There are several ways to produce richly sweet dessert wines and you can understand them better by how they’re made.
Late Harvest
Late harvest means exactly what it’s called. As grapes hang on the vine longer in the season they become even sweeter and more raisinated, resulting in a wine that has a higher residual sugar (or alcohol, depending on how long you let it ferment). In Alsace this style is called “Vendage Tardive” and in Germany it is called “Sp?tlese”. There are many late harvest wines in the US which are sold as dessert wines and typically have around 15-17% ABV.
Noble Rot
Noble rot is a type of spore called Botrytis cinerea that rots fruits and vegetables. While it sounds and looks disgusting it adds a unique and highly sought-after flavor of ginger and honey in wine. There are many wines made from ‘noble rot’ grapes including:
Sauternes, Barsac, Cadillac and Monbazillac
are French Appellations in and around Bordeaux that use Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle to make a golden-hued sweet wine.
Tokaji
is a wine from Hungary made with botrytis Furmint grapes that are rated in different levels of sugar, from 5-6 Puttonyos (with a minimum of 120 grams residual sugar; the same level as cola).
Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling
In the German Pradikat system (a sweetness labeling system), Auslese is the first level with a higher proportion of botrytis-affected grapes. Besides being sweeter than the lower level ‘QbA’ and ‘Kabinett’ German Rieslings, they also tend to have higher alcohol.
Straw Mat
Grapes are laid out on straw mats to raisinate before being pressed into wine.
Italian Vin Santo
is made with Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes and has rich nutty date-like flavors. There are several styles of Vin Santo made throughout Italy.
Italian Passito
Another straw wine made with several different kinds of grapes, both white and red. For instance,Passito di Pantelleria is Muscat-based and Caluso Passito is made with the rare grape Erbaluce from Piedmont.
Greek Straw Wines
Greece also produces Vinsanto which is made with high-acid white Assyrtiko grapes; Samos is a sweet wine made from Muscat grapes; and Commandaria is a sweet wine from Cyprus that dates back to 800 B.C.E.
German Strohwein/Austrian Schilfwein are increasingly rare sweet wines made from Muscat and Zweigelt grapes in Austria and Germany.
French Vin de Paille Most notably from the Jura region of France, which is adjacent to the alps, these Vin de Paille are produced using Chardonnay and ancient Savagnin grapes.
Ice Wine (Eiswein)
True ice wine is extremely rare and expensive for two reasons: 1) it only occurs in bizarre years when a vineyard freezes and 2) ice wine must be harvested and pressed while the grapes are still frozen (usually in the middle of the night). Ice wines are commonly produced in cold regions like Canada, Germany and Switzerland where the aforementioned prerequisites can be met. Most ice wines are made with Riesling or Vidal grapes although anything, even Cabernet Franc, can be used to produce an ice wine. You’ll find them to be honeyed and richly sweet, similar to a ‘noble rot’ wine.
Sweet Red Wine
Sweet reds are on decline except for cheap commercial production. However, there are still a few well-made historically interesting sweet reds worth trying. The majority of these awesome sweet red wines are from Italy using esoteric grapes.
Lambrusco
A region producing a refreshing bubbly wine in both dry and sweet styles. Since it’s a sparkling wine, it will have a yeasty undertone along with raspberry and blueberry flavors. Sweet versions are labeled as “Amabile” and “Dulce”.
Brachetto d’Acqui
A still and bubbly red or rosé wine made with Brachetto grapes from the Piedmont region. Famous for its floral and strawberry aromas as well as its affinity to pairing with cured meats.
Schiava
A rare variety from Alto-Adige that is nearly wiped off the map. Smelling sweetly of raspberry and cotton candy while being refreshing and only a touch sweet.
Freisa
Once one of the great red varieties of Piedmont, Freisa is related to Nebbiolo with lighter tannins and floral cherry notes.
Recioto della Valpolicella
Made in the same painstaking process as Amarone wine, Recioto della Valpolicella is lush, bold and rich.
Late Harvest Red Wines
There are many red dessert wines in the US made with grapes such as Zinfandel, Mourvedre, Malbec and Petite Sirah. These wines explode with sweetness and heightened alcohol content.
Fortified Wine
Fortified wines are made when grape brandy is added to a wine and can either be dry or sweet. Most fortified wines are higher in alcohol content (about 17-20% ABV) and have a longer shelf life after they are opened.
Port
Port wine is made in the Northern part of Portugal along the Douro river. The wines are made with dozens of Portuguese traditional grapes including some of the most famous: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. The grapes are collected and fermented together in open tanks where the grapes are stomped daily as the wine begins to ferment. At a point in the fermentation, the wine is strained and blended with a neutral grape spirit (with nearly 70% ABV) that stops fermentation and creates the fortified wine. After this process, there are a series of winemaking steps that lead into the different styles listed below.
Ruby & Crusted Port (sweet)
This is an introductory style of Port wine that tastes of freshly minted port and is much less sweet than Tawny Port.
Vintage & LBV Port (sweet)
LBV and Vintage Port are made in the same style but LBV are designed to be enjoyed in their youth (due to the style of cork enclosure) and vintage Ports are meant to be aged about 20-50 years before drinking.
Tawny Port (very sweet)
The process of aging a Tawny Port happens at the winery in large wooden casks and smaller wooden barrels. The longer the Tawny Port ages, the more nutty and figgy it becomes. A 30-40 year Tawny is the best.
Port-Style Wines a.k.a. Vin Doux Naturel (sweet)
Port can only be made in Portugal although many producers all over the world make port-style wines such as Zinfandel ‘Port’ or a Pinot Noir ‘Port’. We refer to these wines as vin doux naturel(see below).
Sherry
Sherry comes from Andalusia, Spain. The wines are made using Palomino, Pedro Ximinez (a grape, not a person) and Moscatel grapes. Wines are produced using varying amounts of the three grapes and are purposefully oxidized so that they develop nutty aromatics.
Fino (dry)
The lightest and most dry of all the Sherries with tart and nutty flavors.
Manzanilla (dry)
A specific style of Fino Sherry from a more specialized region that’s even lighter than Fino.
Palo Cortado (dry)
A slightly richer style of sherry that is aged longer producing darker color and richer flavor. These wines are typically dry but will have fruit and nut aromas with salinity.
Amontillado (mostly dry)
An aged sherry that takes on nutty flavors of peanuts and butter.
Oloroso (dry)
A very aged and dark sherry that has higher alcohol content due to the evaporation of water as the wine ages. This is more like the scotch of Sherry.
Cream (sweet)
A sweet style of Sherry made by blending Oloroso with Pedro Ximinez Sherry.
Moscatel (sweet)
A sweet sherry with fig and date flavors.
Pedro Ximinez (PX) (very sweet)
A very sweet sherry with brown sugar and figlike flavors.
Madeira
Madeira is a wine produced using up to 4 different grapes on the island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Madeira is very unlike other wines because, in order to produce it, the wines undergo a heating and oxidation process – techniques that would traditionally ‘ruin’ a wine. The result is a rich fortified wine with walnut-like flavors, salinity and an oiliness on the palate. Because of the 4 different grapes used, Madeira range from dry to sweet making them work well alongside a meal or even as a pre-dinner drink.
Rainwater & Madeira
When the label just says “Madeira” or “Rainwater” assume that it’s a blend of all 4 grapes and somewhere in the middle in terms of sweetness.
Sercial (dry)
Sercial is the driest and the lightest of all the grapes in Madeira. These wines will have higher acidity and be dry with notes of peaches and apricot. It’s not too uncommon to see Sercial Madeira aged for 100 years.
Verdelho (dry)
Verdelho has citrus notes and will develop nutty flavors of almond and walnut with time.
Bual (sweet)
Bual leans on the sweet side with notes of burnt caramel, brown sugar, fig, rootbeer and black walnut. It’s common to find 10 year old ‘medium’ (meaning: medium sweet) Bual Madeira although there are several well aged 50-70 year old Bual as well.
Malmsey (sweet)
Malmsey Madeiras have orange citrus notes and caramel to their taste along with the oily oxidized nutty flavor.
Vin Doux Naturel (VDN)
Vin Doux Naturel are made in a similar style to Port where a base wine is created and finished with neutral grape brandy. The term vin doux naturel comes from France, but this classification could be used to describe a wine from anywhere.
Grenache-based VDN Typically from the south of France, such as Maury, Rasteau and Banyuls from Languedoc-Roussillon.
Muscat-based VDN Muscat de Rivesaltes, Muscat de Frotignan, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Ruthernglen Muscat (Australia), Orange Muscat and Vin Santo Liquoroso (Italy).
Malvasia-based VDN mostly from Italy and Sicily such as Malvasia delle Lipari Liquoroso.
Mavrodaphni From Greece, Mavrodaphni is a sweet red wine with many similarities to Port.
来源：Wine Folly,作者：Madeline Puckette 酒斛网翻译。
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