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All the winners from the Fortified Masters 2023

There is a host of exceptionally good fortified wines to be explored, at all price points. The judges in our annual competition discovered some shining examples that will excite connoisseurs and newcomers alike.

Fortified wines may have been slipping progressively under the radar for a few years, but customers have been missing out on a good thing.

As our 2023 Fortified Masters tasting demonstrates, these wines are fantastic and rather than being old-fashioned they are more post-modern, and well suited to contemporary consumer tastes.

These are often wines to sip and savour, as apértifs, but, as we discovered, many have the depth, structure and balance to match well with different foods. And, the styles reach far beyond the conventional wines of Jerez and Porto.

The Sherries we judged were remarkably high in quality. Palo Cortado, one of the rarest styles, tends to be nutty, gently salty with dried fruit, while Oloroso has the depth of toasted nut, raisin, dried apricot and burnt sugar.

Much of the excitement in this year ’s Fortified Masters came from the diversity of Ports. White Port showed well, and is excellent with a slice of lemon to freshen the wine. Ruby Ports are the mainstay of most Port houses, and costing around £15-£20 these wines deliver dark plum and cherry fruit balanced by fresh acidity and supple tannin texture. Ruby Reserves are rarely more expensive, and have a little more depth and interest. Late-Bottled Vintage expressions exhibited a significant step up, with more concentration and smokiness. At around £25-£30 these wines have the structure and flavour to hold for four to five years after bottling. As expected, the Vintage Ports were exceptional. Full-bodied, delicious, expensive, and worth keeping for 10 to 20-plus years, these are wines for celebration and indulgence.

The Tawny Ports we tried, aged in wood for various lengths of time, were intense but elegant. More concentrated flavours come from wines aged for 20-30 years, which exhibit better integration, layers and complexity.

Colheita Ports, effectively fine old Tawny from a single vintage, and aged in cask for a minimum of eight years, are exquisite and not always expensive, and are becoming better known in the UK.

Madeira, often overlooked, has a long and illustrious history; it was a delight to taste some fabulous, textured and complex wines in this competition. Sappy and savoury, the Malvasias we sampled included some delectable 15- to 20-year old expressions at £20-£25.

Vintage Madeira is high-priced, highly regarded, and indestructible, with the best lasting for more than 100 years.

This year ’s Global Fortified Masters reintroduces the almost forgotten Sicilian wine Marsala. The best of these wines are produced from Grillo grapes, then aged in casks to give dried orchard fruits, nuts, caramel and tobacco.

Australia has long been known for its exciting Muscats and those we judged showed grapey character, with prunes, dates and figs accented by earthiness and cinnamon spice. At prices of £10-£20, they are an unbelievable bargain.

With so much interest and diversity, fortified wines demand exploration and certainly deserve wider recognition in the global marketplace.

Sherry – Palo Cortado

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£100+
Altanza Colección Altanza Roberto Amillo La Saca Jerez Spain Master

Sherry – Oloroso

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£100+
Bodegas Osborne Solera India 25 Years Old Jerez Spain Gold
Bodegas Osborne P P 30 Years Old Jerez Spain Gold

Port – White

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£20-£30
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès White Porto Porto Portugal Silver

Port – Ruby

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£15-£20
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès Ruby Porto Porto Portugal Silver

Port – LBV

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£20-£30
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès LBV Port Unfiltered 2018 Porto Portugal Silver
£30-£50
Alves de Sousa Quinta da Gaivosa Porto LBV 2018 Porto Portugal Gold

Tawny

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
Under £10
De Bortoli Wines 8 Year Old Tawny Riverina Australia Silver
£15-£20
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès Tawny Porto S Porto Portugal Bronze
Porto dos Santos Tawny Reserve Porto Portugal Bronze

Aged Tawny

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£20-£30
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès Infanta Isabel 10 Years Old Tawny Porto Portugal Silver
De Bortoli Wines Old Boys 21 Year Old SE Australia Australia Silver
Porto dos Santos 10 Years Tawny Porto Portugal Silver
£50-£70
Porto Réccua Vinhos Réccua 30 Anos Porto Portugal Gold

Port – Colheita

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£15-£20
Barão de Vilar Feuerheerd’s Colheita 2014 Porto Portugal Silver
£100+
Barão de Vilar Feuerheerd’s Colheita 1974 Porto Portugal Master

Port – Reserve

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£15-£20
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès Special Reserve Porto Porto Portugal Silver
Porto dos Santos Reserve Ruby Porto Portugal Silver

Port – Vintage

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£20-£30
Porto Réccua Vinhos Porto Réccua Vintage 2003 Porto Portugal Bronze
£50-£70
Quinta de Monsul – Rozès Vintage 2019 Porto Portugal Gold
£70-£100
Alves de Sousa Vintage 2020 Porto Portugal Master

Marsala

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£30-£50
Florio Marsala Vergine Riserva VR1609, 2009 Sicily Italy Gold
Florio Superiore Riserva Semisecco SR2715, 2015 Sicily Italy Silver
Florio Superiore Dolce SD1217, 2017 Sicily Italy Silver
£100+
Florio Vergine Riserva VR1898, 1998 Sicily Italy Gold
Florio Superiore Riserva Semisecco SR0301, 2001 Sicily Italy Gold

Madeira

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£20-£30
Henriques & Henriques Verdelho 15 Year Old Madeira Portugal Silver
£70-£100
Henriques & Henriques Malvasia 20 Year Old Madeira Portugal Gold
£100+
Justino’s Madeira Wines Frasqueira Verdelho 1998 Madeira Portugal Master
Justino’s Madeira Wines Frasqueira Verdelho 1999 Madeira Portugal Gold

Muscat

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
Under £10
De Bortoli Wines Show Liqueur Riverina Australia Gold

Semillon

Winery Name of wine Region Country Medal
£20-£30
De Bortoli Wines Black Noble Riverina Australia Gold

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Global Fortified Masters provides a chance for your wines to star. The 2023 competition was judged on 13 June at 20 Berkeley, Mayfair, London, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolade – the title of Fortified Master. This report features the medal winners only.

Please visit the Global Masters website for more information, or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

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