Fortified Wines
Fortified Wines are wines that have been fortified with brandy and sometimes flavored with herbs, roots, peels, and spices. Fortified wines are often used in cooking, or they're served as apéritifs or dessert wines. Initially used as a method to preserve some wines, fortification is the addition of brandy or a neutral spirit in order to boost a wine's alcohol content. Fortified wines generally have between 17 and 21 percent alcohol.

Some of the better-known examples are Port, Sherry, Madeira, Malaga, Marsala, Tokay, Frontignan, Frontignac, Vermouth, Tokay, Frontignan and Frontignac. The most famous is Lillet (L’Aperitif Bordeaux), a French aperitif wine.

There so many of these names can’t be used to describe an Australian made product. Muscat is the one exception and refers to the name of the grape it’s made from. The Muscat family of grapes includes Orange Muscat, Muscat Canelli and Muscat de Frontignan. Muscat can make a lovely white wine but different Muscat grapes make the lovely sweet syrupy red fortified wine we know in Australia. Most of the wine produced in Australia during the 1800’s and up to the mid 1900’s was fortified. Only the last thirty years have seen table wines overtake fortified wines in quantity produced.

Lillet
Lillet is a French Aperitif made from a blend of wine, liqueurs, fruits and herbs. It originated in the French village of Podensac and has been made since the late 1800s. Lillet Blanc is made from white wine and is drier than Lillet Rouge, its red-wine counterpart. Both are classically served over ice with an orange twist.
Lillet is a blend of rigorously selected wines and fruit liqueurs, aged in oak vats for around 12 months, during which it is given the same care as the Grinds Crus (great wines) of Bordeaux.
Lillet Blanc has a golden color with candied orange, honey, pine resin, lime and fresh mint aromas.
Full and rich on the palate with a lovely, long aftertaste. Lillet is well known for use in the James Bond Martini.

The James Bond Martini
The James Bond martini appears in his very first book (by Ian Fleming), Casino Royale. In chapter 7: "A dry martini," he said. "In a deep champagne goblet.  Oui, monsieur.  Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, and then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel.”

Gordon's is a gin. While most martinis are made with gin, and vodka martinis are just made with vodka, the Bond Martini wildly mixes them. By shaking it, you make the drink cold, which is key for most vodka drinks to taste well. It also mixes the vodka and gin well.

Madeira
A Fortified wine from the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic. This durable wine was very popular in colonial America. This fortified wine is named for its birthplace, an island off the coast of Africa. Madeira wines first became popular back in the days of cross-Atlantic sailing ships, because they were able to survive long, hot trips in rolling ships. And they didn't just survive, they actually improved, so much so that sending them off on long round-trip sea voyages eventually became an integral part of their production, though the practice has since been abandoned. Varieties of Madeira (in order from driest to sweetest) include the Sercial Madeira, Rainwater Madeira, Verdelho Madeira, Bual Madeira = Boal Madeira, and Malvasia Madeira = Malmsey Madeira.

Marsala
A sweet wine from Cape Boeo, W Sicily, Italy, a port on the Mediterranean Sea. It takes its name from the town that produces it, Marsala. This popular Sicilian fortified wine is Italy's answer to sherry and Madeira. It's served as a dessert wine, but it's also a key ingredient in many Italian dishes, including zabaglione, tiramisu, and veal scaloppini. The largest Marsala house, Florio, was founded in 1832 by Calabrian Vincenzo Florio, known as the "father of the Sicilian wine trade.'' Owing no doubt to the importance of this wine, Florio's warehouse and cellars occupied a full kilometer of frontage along the sea. It was the first Italian Marsala house. The Marsala wine trade has always been dominated by large houses.

For at least a century it was the equal to Sherry and Madeira. In time though, it was relegated to the kitchen as mere cooking wine. The wine has now climbed back into respectability.

Today, Marsala comes in three different colors Oro (golden), Ambra (amber), Rubino (ruby) Marsalas are graded according to their sweetness and age. The sweetest Marsalas are called "dolce," followed by "demisecco," and then "secco," which are the driest. Ranked from youngest to oldest, the age grades are "fine," "superiore," "superiore riserva," "vergine," and "stravecchio."

Port
A sweet, fortified, usually red wine of considerable renown from the Douro region of northern Portugal, named for the town of Oporto where it is aged and bottled; also, any of several similar fortified wines produced elsewhere.

Port is a sweet fortified wine from the grapes growing on the deep valley walls sloping down to the Douro River in Portugal. Port is made from up to about 40 grape varieties, most of which are red. After a brief fermentation to about 6% alcohol, the still fermenting grape must is poured off into larger containers holding spirit, which kills the yeast and stops fermentation. The young wine is then shipped from the vineyards to the Port houses in Oporto, where it stays in barrel for a year or two. At that time a "vintage" can be declared, and the Port bottled with a vintage designation.

There are 5 general ‘types’ of port available:

• White port is a simple multi-vintage blend, either sweet or dry
• Ruby and Tawny ports are usually sweet multi-vintage blends
• Dated ports are quality wines, usually of a "tawny" type, and are marked as to their age
• Harvest ports are single vintage and aged at least 7 years
• Vintage port is a single vintage and of the highest quality

Sherry
From Jérez, naturally dry fortified wine, pale amber to brown in tint. The term sherry originally referred to wines made from grapes grown in the region of Jérez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain; today it may refer to any of the fortified wines from S Spain and is also applied to similar wines produced in the United States, Latin America, and South Africa. After fermentation the wine is fortified with brandy. Matured in cask for several years, the wine, when mature is classed as Palma, very dry; raya, full and rich; or palo cortado, an intermediate variation. The big sherry houses blend the wines with reserves from the Soleras, collections of flavoring wines from very fine vintages, kept in dated casks and maintained for long periods by exact replenishment of the blending wine withdrawn from the oldest cask with wine from the next oldest. The varieties of sherry include amontillado and Manzanilla, apéritif wines of the Palma type; the fairly sweet, fruity oloroso and amoroso, blended from palo cortado; and the very sweet golden or brown Sherries, raya blends. The dessert Sherries are usually colored and sweetened by the addition of dark, syrupy wines. Sherry contains from 15% to 23% alcohol, the more highly fortified wines being for export. Sherry must be long matured in wood and bottle to acquire the mellowness demanded of brandied wines. It is a widely used flavoring in fine cookery.

Vermouth
Wine-based fortified drink flavored with aromatic herbs. The name derives from the German "Vermut" or "Wormwood", a bitter herb and traditional ingredient of vermouth and absinthe. This is a fortified wine that's heavily flavored with sugar, herbs, roots, flowers, and spices. It contains up to 19% alcohol. The sweeter, darker type of vermouth is sometimes called Italian vermouth, and the lighter, drier type, French vermouth. Vermouth is used as an appetizer and as a mixer in cocktails. It's sometimes served as an apéritif, but it's better known as a key ingredient in many cocktails, including martinis and Manhattans. It's also used to perk up sauces, especially those that accompany seafood. Vermouth ranges from very dry to very sweet. Noilly Prat and Martini & Rossi are well-respected brands.

Using Fortified Wines in Recipes:
Fortified wines are generally used to finish a sauce. It can be used earlier in a marinade but will often loose some of its characteristics if used too early.

• Fortified wines are excellent flavor enhancers in soups, bisques and broths.
• Fortified wines are often used in veal and chicken dishes and fruit dishes such as figs.
• Fortified wines can be used in place of aged balsamic vinegar.

As a general rule, choose the sweeter varieties for cooking as they have a richer flavor. Marsala can be substituted with Madeira or sherry. In cooking, the robust Ruby Port retains is color well and is therefore an excellent choice with the added bonus that it’s cheaper than a vintage or Tawny Port. Since Port has quite a strong flavor, it should be used with discretion in both sweet and savory recipes until you become familiar with its results. Port can generally be used interchangeable with Madeira and sweet sherry. Avoid using Fino Sherry.

A Word About Prices of Fortified Wines:
There are vintages of some fortified wines that can be extremely pricy. The newer vintages are excellent for ingredients in cooking and also to drink.  Very discriminating consumers may buy older vintages but not necessary to enjoy this drink. Experiment!!

Florio Dry Marsala .75 Lt. $10
Deep amber with dark gold reflections; dry and typically fine with delicate hints of raisins and vanilla; great to serve as an aperitif, particularly with cheese and fruits. Can be used in any recipe that calls for Marsala. 

Use Dry Marsala in Chicken Marsala, Mushroom Marsala, Florio Vinaigrette with Field Greens, Pecan Encrusted Halibut. Use Sweet Marsala in Shortcake with Macerated Oranges or Strawberries.

Leacock Madeira 10 year .75 Lt. $35
Excellent for dessert or with cheese.

Yalumba Museum Muscat from Australia .375Lt. $14
The production of premium fortified wine has long been part of the history at Yalumba. Yalumba maintains its reputation for its premium quality fortified wines by occasionally releasing very small parcels of Show Reserve stocks.

Made from the red and pink clones of the Muscat, a petite grains grape variety, this luscious dessert wine displays all the characteristics of this classic Australian wine style.

Merryvale Antigua from California .50 Lt $26
Muscat fortified wine usually 11 years old.  Golden/amber in color from its long aging in French oak, the wine is a complex combination of nuts and orange-peel aromas. Thick and rich in the mouth, the nuts and orange-peel theme continues from the entry through the long finish, highlighted by the many subtleties from the fine brandy and time in the barrel.

Chef Bill Waring is a Personal Chef and resides in San Antonio, Texas. His website is www.thyme-n-wine.com