Fortified Wine
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Muscat
In Australia, as elsewhere, this variety's greatest triumph is with its sweet wines. Grown in the Rutherglen district of Victoria, fully ripened grapes are harvested, then are partially fermented and (traditionally) left to mature in barrels. The result? Heaven! Dessert wine of almost ambrosial concentration and never without a tingling tang of acidity to balance it. The Muscats from north-east Victoria are truly one of Australia's 'gifts' to the word of wine.
Muscat (fortified)
One of Australia's most celebrated fortified wines is the renowned liqueur Muscat. Muscat Blanc Petits Grains grapes are left to ripen and even shrivel well beyond normal maturity before being harvested. The Rutherglen region in north-east Victoria is best known for these Muscat and other fortified styles of wine and has an international reputation for the rich, mellow flavours it captures. Rutherglen Muscats are classified as either 'classic', 'grand' or 'rare' (the richest of the lot). These are about the most intense, 'toffee-ish' pudding wines you're ever likely to experience.
Port
Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Oporto, Porto, and often simply Port) is a sweet Portuguese, fortified wine from the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is often served as a dessert wine. Wines in the style of the Portuguese product called port are produced around the world in several countries—most notably Australia, South Africa, India, Canada and the United States. Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro region. The wine produced is then fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits, often cognac, in order to boost the alcohol content. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in caves (Portuguese meaning "cellars") as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, "Port," in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe from the Leixões docks. The Douro valley where Port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756 — making it the second oldest defined and protected wine region in the world.
Tawny
One of Australia's best known fortified wines traces its genesis back to a barrel of fine fortified wine set aside by the Seppelt wine making family in the Barossa in 1878. Patriarch Benno Seppelt decreed that this barrel, the finest of that vintage, should remain untouched for one hundred years. In 1978 the family released the first of the precious Para Liqueurs. In succeeding years, the family and subsequent corporate owners have continued the tradition, releasing limited bottles of Para Liqueur Vintage tawny wines on the 100th anniversary of their creation. Wine critic Huon Hooke from the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper summed up Para's importance to Australia's wine community in a few succinct words: 'Like the '51 Grange, like a Streeton painting, a Melba recording, a Bradman bat, or a Lawson short story, it's part of the Australian ethos. A true icon.'
White Fortifieds
Many Australian wineries also produce fine white fortified styles. These wines are fine lighter textured, aromatic fortifieds with varying levels of sweetness. They can be appreciated as either aperitif or dessert wines.