alcoholfortified

Alcoholfortified is a term used to describe beverages in which alcohol content has been increased by adding spirits, typically after fermentation. The practice is most common with wine, producing fortified wines, but the concept can apply to other beverages as well. Fortification can aid preservation, stability, flavor development, and to adjust sweetness or body alongside alcohol strength.

Method: A neutral grape-derived spirit or other alcohol is blended into the base beverage, often during or after fermentation. Fortification levels typically place the finished product in the mid-teens to low-20s percent ABV, though exact values depend on style and labeling.

Common examples include fortified wines such as port, sherry, Madeira, and Marsala; aromatized wines such as vermouth, which are fortified and flavored with botanicals. Liqueurs may also involve fortification practices when a base is boosted with spirits, though they are usually categorized by flavor and sugar rather than fortification alone.

Regulatory definitions vary by country. Many jurisdictions distinguish fortified wines as a defined category with specific production rules and labeling standards, including alcohol content ranges and permitted fortifying materials.

Historically, fortification emerged to improve stability and shelf life during transport, especially for maritime trade. Today alcoholfortified beverages are consumed as aperitifs, dessert drinks, or cocktail ingredients, offering a range of sweetness, body, and intensity from nutty and dried-fruit notes to botanical and spice profiles.