If you are at all familiar with the latest trends in hip cocktails then you will know that wine and champagne cocktails are all the rage.
One could write an entire book about wines and still barely brush the entire subject, but only a few wines are used to make authentic cocktails. Below is a list of the most common kinds of alcohols that are technically classified as wines that are used to create classic mixed drinks.
Champagne
While the term Champagne is sometimes casually used to describe any form of sparkling rotgut, it is only supposed to refer to the sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of France. Champagne was invented by a monk by the name of Dom Perignon.
Lillet
Lillet is a French aperitif produced in Bordeaux, and comes in either red or white (although the white version is the more common). It is fortified with Armagnac, herbs, fruit, and Bordeaux wine.
Port
Port is a rich fortified wine, meaning that additional alcohol has been added to what might otherwise be a normal wine. There are several kinds of Port available on the market.
Vintage Port is aged for at least two years in a barrel and stays in the bottle for at least ten years.
LBV or Late Bottle Vintage Port is aged for between four to six years in oak casks/.
Ruby Port is a rich red in color and is not aged.
Tawny Port is amber in color and aged from a month to six months before it is bottled for consumption.
Sherry
A proper sherry can only be produced in a region near Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. It is made almost exclusively from the Palomino Fino grape.
Dry (French) and Sweet (Italian) Vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine aperitif, flavored with herbs, spices, barks, and flowers. There are various brands of vermouth produced in both Italy and France, and the flavors can be added through infusion, maceration, or distillation. The name “Vermouth” itself derives from the German “Wermut” (Wormwood, which kills parasites in the digestive track, is an ingredient in Vermouth).
The original version of Vermouth is Italian what we call Sweet Vermouth. Eventually the French (dry/white, as opposed to sweet/red) version of Vermouth came into existence so recipes would differentiate between the two by specifying “Italian Vermouth” or “French Vermouth”. In order to keep it straight in your mind just ember that Red Vermouth is sweet and that white vermouth is always dry.