Other Fortified
Other Fortified wines
2014: Gold: 3; Silver: 7; Bronze: 0; Commended: 5
2013: Gold: 1; Silver: 3; Bronze: 1
Must-list index: 40%
Overall performance SWA 2014: A
This is often a fascinating part of the Sommelier Wine Awards, and so it proved again this year, with lots of good wines and a good deal of highly positive feedback.
Three Golds is a good performance for this section – and all the more interesting given that it achieved it without a big input from Madeira, which was somewhat under-represented this year. It’s a bit like Barcelona winning La Liga with Lionel Messi spending most of the season injured.
The sweet spot (no pun intended) was mostly around the £15 mark, with wines that were able to provide real interest and a point of difference compared with more traditional fortifieds, but that didn’t veer into Russian oligarch territory.
The dessert Muscats were reckoned to be a nailed-on match for sticky toffee pudding by our salivating tasters, so if you have that on your menu, you might want to take a look.
FOOTNOTE: while prices shown on the winning tasting notes relate to the size of bottle available, prices are normalised for 75cl for judging purposes.
From the Tasting Teams
‘The best flight of the day, with some great styles of wine, all showing balance, with no heat, and some great wines to pair with specific types of food.’ Damon Little, Restaurant Nathan Outlaw
‘There was high quality across the board. You could sell these wines as they stand out, offering points of difference, and the prices are good.’ Sandro Lyhs, Oxo Tower Bar