Seasonal stars to help fortify your Christmas

WHETHER a crisp aperitif or luscious dessert wine, this is the season for fortified wines. Distilled spirit, almost always brandy, was originally added to wine to increase alcohol content as a preservative but these days fortification is all about flavour. Port, from the Douro Valley in north Portugal, is typically a sweet red wine, although there are dry and white versions as well. Ruby Port is aged for no more than two or three years. It is ruby red in colour, very sweet with fresh fruit flavours, and goes well with many cheeses and dark chocolate. While Tawny Port is aged for most of its life in small casks during which time it loses the reddish colour of youth and takes the amber hue known as ‘ tawny’. It is complex and nutty with sweet dried fruit flavours. Sherry is made from white grapes grown near Jerez in Andalusia, Spain. Styles range from light dry Manzanillas to Pedro Ximinez, the sweetest wine in the world. Dry Sherry, teaming with unique savoury nutty notes, is ideal with seafood dishes and salty snacks. Like Sherry, Madeira ranges from dry wines as aperitifs to sweet, flavoursome wines for dessert. Historically from the Madeira islands off the coast of Africa, the wine was exposed to heat and movement during long sea journeys which transformed its flavour – now replicated by heating wine in tanks or barrels. These are all meant to be sipped rather than glugged, so don’t be put off by their slightly higher prices. Whether for long, lazy lunches or luxurious dinners, a splash or two of fortified wine adds something special.