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y James Cluer<br />
THE STory oF ForTiFiED WinES<br />
Wine fashion can change<br />
pretty quickly. It wasn’t<br />
so long ago that fortified<br />
wines dominated the shelves and<br />
consumers were fascinated by port and<br />
sherry. Portugal and Spain aside, in<br />
the early days the Australian and South<br />
African wine industries mainly produced<br />
fortified wines and it used to be quite<br />
common to order a pint of port in a pub<br />
in England. Times have changed. Per<br />
capita consumption of these stronger,<br />
more alcoholic wines has declined in<br />
many of their traditional markets because<br />
people are, apparently, eating fewer<br />
desserts, which typically accompany these<br />
undervalued treasures.<br />
Port, sherry, Madeira and the<br />
French vin doux naturels have, for the<br />
most part, an image problem. They’re<br />
what our parents drank or what our<br />
parents’ parents drank. For the modern<br />
day hipster, that’s a hard image to shake.<br />
Truth be told, fortified wines can<br />
be some of the very best quality wines<br />
in the world. They come in a vast range<br />
of styles, suitable for drinking before a<br />
meal in some cases, occasionally during<br />
a meal and definitely at the meal’s end.<br />
And what an ending they can be! There<br />
is nothing like a sweet dessert with a<br />
great vintage port, an old Madeira or a<br />
Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, the wine<br />
that is liquid romance. In wine, you could<br />
say that Bacchus saved the best for last.<br />
The production methods for<br />
fortifieds are often so intricate that they<br />
make a regular winemaker’s job look<br />
like child’s play. Fortified wines are<br />
also typically very consistent in style<br />
and quality, due to the fact that a large<br />
number of them are multi-vintage<br />
blends, eliminating the inconsistency of<br />
single vintage wines. Best of all, because<br />
most fortifieds are battling that image<br />
problem, they’re great value. The deals<br />
are unbelievable.<br />
Next time you’re buying wine,<br />
remember to pick up some fortified<br />
wines and start becoming a trendsetter<br />
yourself. Here are some favourites.<br />
LATE BOTTLEd VinTAgE PORT<br />
For a more classic style of port, you<br />
simply can’t beat a late bottled vintage<br />
for value. These usually cost under $35<br />
and are a brilliant alternative to the<br />
much more expensive vintage ports.<br />
They are dark in colour, heady on the<br />
nose with sweet black fruits, pepper<br />
and chocolate aromas. They explode on<br />
the palate with rich, concentrated fruit,<br />
layers of dense, sweet Christmas cake<br />
flavours and a slightly fiery kick on the<br />
finish. Tawny and typical late bottled<br />
vintage ports don’t need decanting.<br />
They can be served straight from the<br />
bottle and they keep quite well for a<br />
week or so after opening. If you really<br />
want to be a hero at a party be the one<br />
BlaNdy’S duKe oF<br />
CLaRENCE MadEIRa<br />
Portugal $27.49 280982<br />
This Madeira has a pleasant<br />
burnt aroma to the nose with<br />
flavours of dried fruits. it will<br />
keep well for some time after<br />
you’ve cracked the seal.<br />
GONzaLEz ByaSS TIO PEPE<br />
FiNo Sherry<br />
Spain $21.99 242669<br />
uncle Pepe is the major fino<br />
brand worldwide. it is pale<br />
lemon in colour with a unique<br />
salty tang, citrus nose and a<br />
bone dry, super crisp palate.<br />
GONzaLEz ByaSS NuTTy<br />
SOLERa OLOROSO SHERRy<br />
Spain $16.99 35204<br />
Enjoy the nutty aromas and<br />
flavours of grilled meats and<br />
toffee in this sherry. unlike a<br />
fino, this oloroso-style can<br />
be left open for some time<br />
without risk of spoilage.<br />
TASTE 19<br />
2011<br />
VPIWF
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