Top 5 Australian Fortified Wines

Australian Fortified Wines

Before modern bottling methods, wines were often fortified with grape spirit to protect them from spoiling. The different flavours this produced caught on and, by the time it was no longer necessary, there was a continuing market for these higher alcohol wines. Australian fortified wines were international stars long before our table wines gained recognition; our first European wine gold medal was for an All Saints fortified at the London International Exhibition in 1873. As recently as the 1950s, 86% of Australia’s wine production was fortified. Then, in the 1960s, table wines started to gain ground, and today fortifieds account for a mere 2% of Aussie wine production. We’ve phased out regionally specific European names, like Port and Sherry (just as we stopped calling our sparkling wines Champagne), but we still make world-class wines in the classic fortified styles as well as a couple unique to us. Here are some of my favourites and the benchmark styles they pay tribute to.



Sherry Pfeiffer Wines (Rutherglen, VIC)

Aussie ‘sherry’ is now called ‘Apera’ (a name best ignored). Pfeiffer’s spin on Spain’s fino Sherry, simply called Seriously Fine, lives up to its name and fills in nicely anywhere I’d reach for a glass of Manzanilla. Their Seriously Nutty, like most Aussie amontillado-styles, has a hint of sweetness.



Madeira Drayton’s Family Wines (Hunter Valley, NSW)

The Portuguese island of Madeira makes deliciously food-friendly fortified wines from several grapes, including verdelho. Drayton’s no longer call their liqueur verdelho ‘madeira’, but it still has the gorgeous amber hue and intense savoury toffee nuttiness I love!



Port Chateau Yaldara (Barossa Valley, SA)

True Port comes from Portugal’s Douro Valley and Aussie wines made in this style are now simply labelled ‘Tawny’ (barrel-aged, non-vintage) or ‘Vintage’ (bottle-aged, single year). The Barossa, one of our oldest wine regions, has long produced excellent port-style wines, like Chateau Yaldara’s 20-year-old Tawny.



Muscat Morris (Rutherglen, VIC)

Rutherglen is home to Australia’s unique contribution to fortified wine. Made from barrel-aged muscat rouge à petits grains, it’s classified as Rutherglen, Classic, Grand or Rare, in ascending order of age and intensity. Morris Rare Liqueur Muscat is my go-to match with chocolate desserts!



Tokay Campbells (Rutherglen, VIC)

Another Aussie classic, also at its best in Rutherglen, is made from Muscadelle grapes and now called ‘Topaque’, in deference to Hungary’s Tokaji wines. It has the same four-tier classification as the similar Muscat but is a touch lighter. Campbell’s Isabella Rare is the pinnacle!


Like this list? Try one with Janni Kyritsis’ Caramelised Baked Strawberries!

Share page on:

Recipe Video

Join Me Soon

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken – once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better ordering this than going out to restaurants as the recipes and food quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Read More
I loved the Fresh & Easy Chicken – simple instructions, only a few ingredients and the time factor absolutely spot on. Then came the highlight, the taste, no compromise on the enjoyment of that meal! For the time poor Fresh & Easy hits the mark indeed.
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic Ingredients and quality produce ... I’ve so enjoyed picking fresh leaves from the herb pots and loved listening to the chef's playlist while cooking. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving these boxes! There are Ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Read More
Loving Be Inspired! Felt like a kid opening up a Christmas present when the box arrived. Fresh herb pots are a nice touch!
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Read More
Thanks so much for the Fresh & Easy Meal, it was excellent. We regularly get another meal kit delivery – your offering is vastly superior and a similar price, so big ticks.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from the Recipes+Videos Packs. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)