It’s that time of year… Baby, it’s cold outside, which also means it’s time to try some fortified wine.
If you’ve ever tried a fortified wine, you would know that it’s mighty fine! What you may not know, is that Perth, and specifically the Swan Valley, is actually renowned for its fortified wine!
The Swan Valley has the perfect climate to produce fortified wines, so a taste of these is a must!
We’d better get going to the Swan Valley on a wine tour then, shall we?
First things first though! What exactly is fortified wine? Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit is added.
What you may not know, is that ‘fortified’ means strengthened. Therefore, it makes sense that fortified wines are essentially stronger in alcohol than standard wines.
These wines are higher in alcohol content because they have been mixed with a distilled spirit. Most commonly this spirit is brandy, but it can be any neutral spirit distilled from grapes, grains or sugar. Because these wines are stronger than usual, you should drink these in smaller quantities.
There are many different styles of fortified wine, including Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine Vermouth. While we’d love to dive deep into each and every one of these for you, today we are just going to tell you about two of our favourites.
Port is a magical drink, with several different styles – our favourites, ‘Vintage’ and ‘Tawny’ Port.
Vintage Port is wine of an outstanding single year, which is usually blended from several grape varieties and it’s made to age for decades!
Tawny Port is typically a blend of wines from different vintages and has spent up to 100 years maturing in wooden barrels prior to release.
Olive Farm Wines have a beautiful Tawny Port, with an approximate average age of 15 years.
Muscat is very much an Aussie vino success story with its own rich history.
Its heart is in Rutherglen, Victoria, where it’s deep, layered and powerful, nutty and raisin flavours come from extended time in wood along with exposure to high summer temperatures that would normally ruin other non-fortified wines.
Where to go in the Swan Valley for a magnificent Muscat?
There are many available, but the Windy Creek Estate Liqueur Muscat would have to be one of our favourites. This creamy Muscat even won a silver medal at the Singapore Airlines Swan Valley Wine Show last year!
Your own personal taste preference, will depend on which Fortified Wine is for you. Why not book a Wine Tour in the Swan Valley and try a few?
Head to our bus tours page to find a Perth Wine Tour that’s right for you!
Posted in Wine Guide and tagged Fortified Wine, Swan Valley, wine tour Perth on 6th July 2018.
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"Thanks for the awesome brewery tour Matt! Everything went so well and it was great to just relax and know that the day was in good hands. Thanks so much, everyone had a ball!!"
"Awesome tour once again (my 3rd time now, it's that good). Matt is a legend, can't speak highly enough of him (even though he wore his Hawthorn jersey all day after the grand final). If you're looking for a fun day out, get onto the liquid gold brewery tour. Looking forward to the next trip with Top Gun in the future!"
"This tour really was 'Top Gun'. Premier venues, tastings, lunch and coach travel with added fizz from Matt. We have been on wine trips around the world - California, France and Spain in particular - and this trip was up there with the very best. Close to Perth, short distance between wineries so more tastings and less travel time. Would recommend a visit to the Swan Valley. Many thanks again Matt for a fantastic day."
