Fortified
Fortified
Fratelli Fici Marsala Superiore Secco
Italian Fortified
Amber colour shows antique-gold reflections, with an ethereal aroma and dry palate. Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia and Damaschino are harvested by hand in the province of Trapani. Fermentation begins in temperature-controlled steel before fortification with alcohol or wine brandy and cooked must. Oak ageing lasts at least two years. The wine contains eighteen percent alcohol and can accompany mature cheeses, smoked-fish appetizers or dessert.
Miles Rainwater Medium Dry Madeira
Portuguese Fortified
Topaz colour with golden reflections leads to dried fruit, orange peel and wood. The palate is medium-dry, with refreshing citrus character and a long finish. Fermentation uses natural yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel before fortification. The wine then undergoes three months of heating and cooling, followed by three years in American oak. It contains eighteen percent alcohol.
Taylor Fladgate Fine White Port
Portuguese Fortified
Sweet fruit, honey and wood shape a rich, perfumed aroma. The palate is full-bodied and velvety, with a long, flavoursome finish. White grapes grow mainly on the upper terraces of the Douro Valley. Individual wines mature in wooden vats for about three years before blending. The blend includes Malvasia Fina, Viozinho, Esgana Cão, Rabigato and Gouveio, and contains twenty percent alcohol.
El Maestro Sierra 15 Year Oloroso 375 mL
Spanish Fortified
Hazelnut aromas and exotic spices accompany a richly textured, nutty profile. Made from Palomino, this dry fortified wine undergoes oxidative ageing in American oak butts. The base wine is fortified to eighteen percent alcohol. Ageing through a criaderas-and-solera system lasts fifteen years. The final wine contains nineteen percent alcohol and comes from Jerez de la Frontera.
Alvear Fino Montilla-Moriles NV
Spanish Fortified
Straw colour accompanies an assertive, yeasty aroma with a crusty-bread note. The palate is clean and tangy, with a refreshing finish and a soft texture. Pedro Ximénez wine is aged biologically under a clear layer of flor yeast, which protects it from oxidation and gives the style its characteristic aroma and flavour. The wine contains fourteen-point-five percent alcohol.
González Byass Tío Pepe Fino Sherry
Spanish Fortified
Pale straw colour is clean and bright. Bakery aromas sit with almonds, chalk and flor. The palate is very dry, savoury and saline, with a lightly bitter note and a long, complex finish. The wine is made entirely from Palomino and undergoes biological ageing beneath flor through the criaderas and solera system for at least four years in American oak. Alcohol is fifteen percent.
Lustau Pedro Ximénez San Emilio 375 mL
Spanish Fortified
Pedro Ximénez grapes are sun-dried after harvest to concentrate their natural sugar. The wine ages for twelve years in Jerez de la Frontera. Deep mahogany colour with an iodine-coloured rim accompanies floral, citrus, dried-fruit and spice notes. The palate is very sweet, smooth and velvety, with pleasant acidity and a full, long profile. Alcohol is seventeen percent.
Dolin Rouge Vermouth de Chambéry
French Fortified
Bright copper colour accompanies stewed fruit, prune, walnut and herbal notes. Sichuan pepper, almond, citrus, pear and cinnamon sit with gingerbread, tobacco, oregano and hyssop above a subtle bitter base. The recipe uses thirty to forty spices and botanicals and carries sixteen percent alcohol. Serve it over ice as an aperitif or use it in a Negroni or Manhattan.
Hidalgo La Gitana Fino Clásica
Spanish Fortified
Straw-yellow in colour, this fortified wine is dry, crisp, delicate and balanced. It matures beneath a veil of flor and carries fifteen percent alcohol. Made from Palomino in Jerez, it has aromas linked to flor and a spicy, persistent palate. The style is served slightly chilled and suits tapas, cured ham, fish, seafood, mild cheese and nuts.
Dow’s 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Blackberry and blueberry aromas are joined by mint. The substantial mouthfeel carries black-forest fruit, fleshy black plum, peppery tannins and fine acidity, with tobacco and tea in a long, dry finish. Grapes come from Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira and are trodden in modern lagares. The blend includes Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz.
Lustau Don Nuño Dry Oloroso Solera Reserva 375 mL
Spanish Fortified
Bronze-amber colour with gold glints accompanies walnut, tobacco, sultana and leather. The palate is dry, full and rounded, with raisin, dark chocolate and spice. A long dry finish includes sultana, nutty tobacco leaf and spice. This Oloroso undergoes oxidative ageing for twelve years at Bodega La Campana in Jerez de la Frontera. Alcohol is twenty percent.
Bodegas Hidalgo Heredad Hidalgo Medium Amontillado
Spanish Fortified
Full amber colour accompanies a medium-sweet style with complex, nutty character and a long palate. Palomino Fino is the grape. The family entered sherry production in 1792 in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and the business has remained in family hands through six generations. Its vineyard holdings cover more than two hundred hectares, including some vines up to eighty years old.
Warre’s Warrior Finest Reserve Port
Portuguese Fortified
Cherry, blackberry, raspberry and fig paste sit alongside caramelised brown sugar. A light pepper note appears on the finish. The blend includes Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca. Maturation in seasoned oak lasts four to five years. The profile remains youthful and fruit-rich, and this non-vintage reserve Port requires no decanting before service.
Callejuela Manzanilla en Rama
Spanish Fortified
Completely unfiltered, this manzanilla is energetic and savoury, with garlic, scallion, aged sheep's cheese, brine, mushroom, fresh tobacco, straw, earth and chalk. Palomino comes from the Macharnudo, Añina and Callejuela vineyards on albariza soils. The wine ferments in stainless steel, is fortified to fifteen percent and enters a solera system. It is drawn from the ninth criadera.
Alvear Amontillado Montilla-Moriles
Spanish Fortified
Dry and light-bodied, this Amontillado combines toffee, butter pecan and apricot with burnt banana, spice and almond paste. A mild mushroom note and dried-fruit character add savoury depth, while the finish is nutty. Made from Pedro Ximénez, the wine spends about eight years in a solera system. It comes from Montilla-Moriles and is bottled at seventeen percent alcohol.
Primitivo Collantes Fino Ceballos NV
Spanish Fortified
Palomino Fino from the Pozo Galván vineyard grows on luminous albariza soils and rests for three years under flor. Olive brine, fresh meadow grass, green herbs and Marcona almonds meet a saline finish. The family’s vineyards also include Matalián and El Inglés around Chiclana de la Frontera. This dry Fino can accompany simply prepared seafood, cured ham or roast pork.
Graham’s 2019 Late Bottled Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Blackcurrant and blackberry meet dried mint, eucalyptus, liquorice and rock rose. The profile also includes black fruit, cocoa, black plum and white pepper. Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional lead the blend, with smaller portions of Sousão, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Amarela and Tinta Barroca. It matured for five years in large oak barrels. Dark chocolate or firm cheeses are suitable companions.
Vya Extra Dry Vermouth
American Fortified
Lavender, linden, elecampane and rosebuds shape an herbaceous, citrus-led profile. Golden raisin and dried apple meet lemon peel, sage and grapefruit, with a dry finish and mouthwatering acidity. The base combines dry California white wine with Essensia Orange Muscat, then receives more than fifteen botanicals. This vermouth can be served in a martini or over ice with lemon.
Quinta da Pacheca Tawny Port
Portuguese Fortified
The colour shows amber tones, while the profile includes nuts, dried fruit and red-fruit aromas. The tawny is assembled from younger wines aged three or four years and older wines aged seven or eight years. Maturation takes place in wooden barrels. It can be served as an aperitif or with cheese and chocolate desserts. Maria Serpa Pimentel is the winemaker.
Domaine Rolet Macvin du Jura Rouge
French Fortified
Garnet red in colour, with kirsch-like aromas of sweet cherries and ripe fruit. The palate balances sweetness and alcohol, leaving a gentle fruit sensation on the finish. Poulsard must is combined with old destemmed marc that spent more than six years in oak. The finished Macvin then ages for more than thirty-six months. Serve cool, between six and eight degrees Celsius.
Blandy’s Rainwater Medium Dry Madeira
Portuguese Fortified
Rainwater is made from Tinta Negra and presented in a medium-dry style. Pale golden colour accompanies nutty aromas and a light, fresh palate. Vinification begins in stainless steel with natural yeast, and fortification takes place after about four days. Maturation lasts three years in American oak casks. The wine is blended, filtered and clarified before bottling and contains eighteen percent alcohol.
d’Arenberg 2009 The Vintage Fortified Shiraz
Australian Fortified
Fruitcake, spice and plum pudding appear with melted butter and brandy-snap notes. The palate is dense and layered, with figs, plums, star anise, liquorice, cloves and candied citrus peel. Chewy tannins and acidity frame a long, clean, fresh finish. Fine brandy spirit brings juniper, rose and apricot notes. Made entirely from Shiraz in McLaren Vale, the fortified red reaches 17.5 percent alcohol.
Narrative Fortified
Canadian Fortified
Merlot and Syrah are fermented in concrete, then fortified mid-ferment with grape spirit distilled on site. The wine spends at least two years in neutral oak before bottling. Pepper, sweet black cherry and chocolate sit within a lightly creamy texture and smooth finish. It can be served slightly chilled or at room temperature, with toasted almonds or fruitcake.
Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana Triana Pedro Ximénez
Spanish Dessert
Dark mahogany with iodine reflections, the wine combines dried fruit, mature fruit, raisins and toast. Its palate is velvety, structured and dense, with plum and raisin flavours and a persistent finish. Made entirely from Pedro Ximénez, the wine reaches fifteen percent alcohol and comes from Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. The fruit is dried in the sun for several days before vinification.
M. Antonio de la Riva Manzanilla Fina Miraflores Baja
Spanish Fortified
Intense aromas of chalk and hydrocarbon notes sit above a saline palate marked by anise and basil. Palomino Fino comes mainly from the Casilla Verde vineyard in Miraflores Baja, around seven kilometres from the Atlantic, with a smaller share from neighbouring sites. The wine averages three to three and a half years under flor in a traditional criaderas-and-solera system.
Bodegas Barón Soluqua Manzanilla Pasada
Spanish Fortified
Pale yellow in colour, the wine has concentrated aromas with old casks, dried flowers, nuts and a delicate nuance from biological ageing. The palate is fleshy and very dry, with weight, acidity, slight bitterness and a pleasant finish. Made from Palomino, it averages twelve years of ageing and contains fifteen percent alcohol. The designation is Manzanilla–Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Bodegas Barón Micaela Palo Cortado
Spanish Fortified
Caramel and toasted nuts meet a light butter note, bitter orange, sea-breeze salinity and tobacco leaf. Dried herbs, gentle bitterness, vivid acidity and balance are also present. Made from one hundred percent Palomino and aged an average of twenty-five years, this medium-dry Sherry contains nineteen percent alcohol. Its Sanlúcar de Barrameda origin sits within Jerez-Xérès-Sherry.
Pamplemousse Jus 2024 Fortified
Canadian Fortified
Castel and Marquette grapes form the blend. Fortification uses a grape-based spirit from Maple Leaf Distilling, and the wine ages for one year. Gentle oxidative character accompanies dried cranberries, raisins and subtle spice. Production totalled 570 bottles. This first fortified release comes from a small independent natural winery in Summerland, British Columbia, established by a group of friends.
Domaine de la Tournelle Macvin du Jura Blanc NV
French Fortified
Chardonnay juice makes up two thirds of the blend, with one third Jura pomace. The pomace spends three years in cask. The juice settles statically for twelve hours before assembly. The finished blend remains in cask for twenty-four to thirty-six months. Bottling is unfiltered and without sulphur dioxide. Alcohol is seventeen percent, with residual sugar between 180 and 220 grams per litre.
Ramos Pinto 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Concentrated ruby colour, nearly opaque at the centre, accompanies ripe cherry, raspberry, black plum, eucalyptus and cedar. Cherry, plum, sweet red berries and bergamot sit with meaty, silky tannins. The blend contains Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Sousão, Tinto Cão and Tinta Roriz. Grapes are foot-crushed in lagares, and the wine ages in large casks. It is bottled without filtration or hot and cold treatment.