Woodstock Old Fortified Tawny Style NV

 

Winter is fortified season. As part of a new tasting experience at the Woodstock cellar door, three fortifieds and a Botrytis have been matched with Haigh's Chocolates. A dark chocolate almond cluster is the weapon of choice with this Old Fortified Tawny Style.

Woodstock Muscat NV

 

Dangerously smooth, I received this Muscat from Woodstock as part of their celebration of International Chocolate Day. Three fortifieds and a Botrytis have been matched with Haigh's Chocolates for a very different cellar door tasting.

Woodstock Vintage Fortified Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

 

As part of a new tasting experience at the Woodstock cellar door, three fortifieds and a Botrytis have been matched with Haigh's Chocolates. You had me at chocolate!

Pizzini Per Gli Angeli 2012

Christmas pudding in a glass is a more than apt description of this hypnotic dessert wine from Pizzini. Per Gli Angeli is Italian for 'For the Angels". Made in the Vin Santo style, when you consider the winemaking process, the angels seem to have taken their fair share too. This is simply sublime.

St Anne’s Liqueur Shiraz 2019

Liqueur Shiraz - one of those styles you either love or not.

Hayes Family Wines Show Reserve Batch No. 1 Rare Tawny

Winter screams for a fabulous tawny. That night cap is always a cheeky reward best served with a dressing gown on and slippers ready to kick off. It's even better if you can sip it slow in front of a fire. Warm your insides with this absolutely delicious tawny sure to hit the spot. 

Huntington Estate Vintage Fortified Shiraz 2013

There's power and ripe fruit awaiting your attention here. A fortified that slips down all too easily.

Dirt Candy The Inheritance Liqueur Muscat NV

Handcrafted and barrel aged, something special sits inside this beautifully packaged bottle. It's the little touches that catch the eye with these Dirt Candy releases. This Liqueur Muscat is hand bottled, hand corked, wax capped by hand, hand stamped and labelled, you guessed it, by hand.

Bimbadgen Fortified Verdelho NV

I kept going back for more of this excellent and most tasty gear. But fortified is not everyone's drink of choice, so here's an idea to mix it up a little...

Soak a cup of dried fruit with a cup of this fortified overnight. Pour generously over ice cream...Christmas Day dessert sorted!

Loaded with aromas of hazelnuts, butterscotch and toffee plus some orange zest and dried apricots, it's quite alluring I must say.

The mouth is coated nicely but this is a drop which is not too dense nor heavy as some fortifieds can be. There's a warmth to the length which just persists and hangs on for what seems an eternity.

Yep, do that Christmas Day dessert thingy with a little glass on the side just for good measure. I reckon it will hit the mark.

Region: Hunter Valley
RRP: $28
Source: Sample

www.bimbadgen.com.au

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TeAro Estate Pruners Reward Fortified Shiraz Grenache

Chilly nights call for something warming and a fortified easily fulfills that criteria.

This fortified 50/50 blend of Shiraz Grenache from the Barossa Valley has been blended away from nine year old barrels. Brand Ambassador Todd Rowett says he happily left them in the shed to do their thing. And the final result is impressive.

Super soft and generous with dense Christmas cake and sultanas. Toss in some orange peel, a lick of toffee and some gentle rancio, the delivery is thick and lip smackingly delicious. Five percent fortified muscat has added a slick sweetness sweeping across the very long and what seems to be a never ending finish.

Kick the slippers off, undo the belt a notch or two and sit back and enjoy.

Region: Barossa Valley
RRP: $35

www.tearoestate.com

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Rocland Estate 10 Years Tawny

Aged for an average of ten years, this was an excellent match with my dessert on Christmas Day.

Overflowing with Christmas cake and spiced fruit aromas, the palate delivers nutty flavours of almond and cashew. A ridiculously long finish and a dash of spice which slowly dries out simply entices another sip.

Fortified wines are often underrated and very good value. This exemplifies that.

I'd definitely grab a bottle of this given the chance.

Who: Rocland Estate
What: Tawny (19.5% alc)
Where: Barossa
When: NV
How: $15 (375mL bottle)

www.roclandestate.com

Fortified Night SwirlSniffSpit 19 June 2012

We were privileged enough to indulge and have the opportunity to share in some wonderful fortified wines at Swirl Sniff Spit this week. Our taste buds were led on a journey by Julian Coldrey who did an outstanding job educating us all.

Fortified wine is some of the best aged and best value wines on the market yet it is so under appreciated by the consumer market. The age of some barrels used for blending solidifies this, particularly as Rare fortifieds as seen below use a base wine of at least 60 years of age as seen in this case.

I was keen to seek out some fortifieds with a point of difference as all these wines could easily fall into the raisin, toffee, butterscotch categories.

A few of the highlights:

The Pfeiffer Wines Rutherglen Muscat was a great start. Fresh, with aromas of orange rind and orange oil. An engaging mouth warmth and long finish. Nicely balanced and top value.

Who: Pfeiffer Wines http://www.pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.au/
What: Muscat (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $20 (500 mL)
Follow them: www.twitter.com/PfeifferWines



The Morris Wines Class Liqueur Tokay had a most amazing nose of vegemite and marmite which was very distinct. A smooth palate which was moreish but the finish didn't kick on as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, lots to like about it.

Who: Morris Wines http://www.morriswines.com.au/
What: Tokay (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $17 (500 mL)

The Chambers Rosewood Winery Old Vine Muscat had some oomph factor. Beautifully balanced with lip smacking depth and length. A whiff of coffee bean with great intensity and a smidge of spice. This oozes Christmas cake and left a subtle warmth in the mouth along with a delicate soft length. Yummo!

Who: Chambers Rosewood Winery http://www.chambersrosewood.com.au/
What: Muscat (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $65 (375 mL)
Follow them: www.twitter.com/ChambersWinery

Sublime! This Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat is without peer. Incredible viscosity and impeccable length and it would be rude not to lick out the glass in respect. Something that really stood out for me apart from the never ending length, was that there was no mouth warmth as experienced with the other wines of the evening. This a is complement of the blending but also demonstrates the age of the wine which has a base wine of at least 60 years old. Another 50 years easy left in this wine, and oh how graceful it will be then. Looking at the value component, a definite special occasion drop, but by the same token, a 60 year old table wine of this quality would easily be significantly more expensive. A special treat deluxe and easily the Wine of the Night.

Who: Campbells Wines http://www.campbellswines.com.au/
What: Muscat (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $125 (375 mL)

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