Vino generoso

Vino generoso , often just called Generoso , is the name in Spain for a fortified wine that is mostly made from white, but occasionally also from red or red and white grapes. In contrast to Licorosos, which are always sweet wines, Generosos can be matured both dry and sweet. Overall, however, the distinction between the terms is imprecise and, like the non-uniform German terms fortified wine and dessert wine , often misleading.

All sherries , manzanillas , some wines from Montilla-Moriles and the wines of the Málaga region are generosos. In addition, Generosos are produced in almost every Spanish wine-growing region, but they are mostly of local, seldom national importance. Despite all the differences in terms of grape varieties and expansion, the Spanish Generosos have in common, in addition to the interruption of fermentation forced by spraying, the mostly long must fermentation and the subsequent oxidative expansion, which is largely reductive due to the resulting flor yeast only in products that are similar to Fino . Generosos need a long barrel aging and achieve their quality potential in the barrel. Often the wines mature in the Solera system , but vintage wines are also produced in which the amount of wine that has been bottled or evaporated from the barrel is refilled with wines from barrels of the same vintage. All Generosos have a good shelf life, but once bottled, they hardly improve in quality.

In Portugal these wines are called Vinho generoso . These are also produced in almost every wine-growing region in this state. The Generosos from Madeira , Porto and Setúbal are the best known.

literature

• Roger Voss: Pocket Guide to Fortified and Dessert Wines. Mitchell Beazley 1989. ISBN 978-0855336981
• F. Paul Pacult: Kindred Spirits: The Spirit Journal Guide to the World's Distilled Spirits and Fortified Wines Hyperion Books 1997. ISBN 978-0786881727
• Stephen Brook: Liquid Gold: Dessert Wines of the World . Constable 1987. ISBN 978-0094669208