Angelica wine
Encyclopedia
Angelica wine is an historic sweet fortified wine
usually from California
made typically from the Mission grape
. It is often served as a dessert wine
.
Some varieties consist of the unfermented
grape juice fortified with brandy
or clear spirit immediately after pressing. Others are made like port, where the only partially fermented wine
, still retaining a large amount of sugar, is infused with brandy. The relatively high alcohol of the brandy arrests the fermentation, leaving a fortified wine high in alcohol and high in residual sugar (usually about 10 to 15%). It is typically made from 50% Mission wine and 50% Mission brandy.
Angelica dates to the Mission period
in California and its name is thought to be taken from the city of Los Angeles
. It was produced by the Franciscan
missionaries and is one of the first wines made in the state. Several California producers continue to produce Mission-based Angelica.
The wine is sometimes made in a simple style and is inexpensive. Some is made with great care from ancient vines and can be quite expensive. Gypsy Canyon Vineyards uses century old vines and winemaker notes from the 18th and 19th centuries to produce an Angelica which spends two years on oak and sells for $120 for a half bottle (375 ml). Bottles of Angelica as old as 1870 can still be found and show great distinction.
Fortified wine
Fortified wine is wine to which a distilled beverage has been added. Fortified wine is distinguished from spirits made from wine in that spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is simply wine that has had a spirit added to it...
usually from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
made typically from the Mission grape
Mission (grape)
Mission grapes are a variety of Vitis vinifera introduced from Spain to the western coasts of North and South America in the 16th century by Catholic New World missionaries for use in making sacramental, table, and fortified wines.-History:...
. It is often served as a dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
.
Some varieties consist of the unfermented
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...
grape juice fortified with brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
or clear spirit immediately after pressing. Others are made like port, where the only partially fermented wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, still retaining a large amount of sugar, is infused with brandy. The relatively high alcohol of the brandy arrests the fermentation, leaving a fortified wine high in alcohol and high in residual sugar (usually about 10 to 15%). It is typically made from 50% Mission wine and 50% Mission brandy.
Angelica dates to the Mission period
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
in California and its name is thought to be taken from the city of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It was produced by the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
missionaries and is one of the first wines made in the state. Several California producers continue to produce Mission-based Angelica.
The wine is sometimes made in a simple style and is inexpensive. Some is made with great care from ancient vines and can be quite expensive. Gypsy Canyon Vineyards uses century old vines and winemaker notes from the 18th and 19th centuries to produce an Angelica which spends two years on oak and sells for $120 for a half bottle (375 ml). Bottles of Angelica as old as 1870 can still be found and show great distinction.