Great-value fortified wine: 11 top bottles to try
Decanter continues its series of top wine buys available in the UK with a selection of 11 fortified options.
Fortified wines may be largely associated with Christmas in the UK, but with a myriad of styles, there’s no reason why this category can’t be enjoyed year round.
A chilled manzanilla on a balmy day, a contemplative oloroso and a good book, a tawny Port with a shard of dark chocolate by the fireside…
Scroll down to see notes and scores for 11 great-value fortified wines
Offering great versatility, fortified is also a category that lends itself well to cocktails. Anyone for a Bloody Sherry, whereby you replace the gin or vodka with fino? Or perhaps a refreshing white Port and tonic, garnished with a slice of orange.
We’ve picked out 11 great-value fortified wines all available in the UK and priced at £20 or less per 75cl.
Starting with Sherry, Marks & Spencer’s Extra Dry & Light Manzanilla offers up classic apple, blossom and yeast flavours and would make a great tapas all-rounder. Sánchez Romate’s Don José Oloroso is rich, powerful and nutty with a streak of salinity and a long finish. Or if you’re after something sweeter, Morrisons’ Pedro Ximenez is bursting with toffee, currants and spices.
Port lovers will also find plenty to celebrate here. Quinta do Vale Meão’s Reserve Port for The Wine Society’s Generation Series is balanced and elegant with great ageing potential. Co-op’s Irresistible 10 Year-Old Tawny Port oozes berries and black cherry while Graham’s Fine White Port is perfect for summer drinking.
Outside of these two classic regions, seek out Samos Vin Doux from UWC Samos – a fully sweet fortified Muscat with honeysuckle and fruit salad aromas. Martinez’s 5 Year Old Dolce Superiore Riserva Marsala offers a great alternative to cream Sherry, with its notes of nutty toffee, dried figs and vanilla oak spice.
Great-value fortified wine: 11 to try
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Sánchez Romate, Don José Oloroso, Jerez, Spain
95
<p>It’s unbelievable that a wine of this complexity is priced at just over a tenner for a 75cl bottle – testament to the fact that Sherry <i>still </i>has image problems. Perfect for the festive season, when a glass, slightly chilled, would be delicious beside the fire, with some nuts. Rich, powerful and nutty in character, with aromas of coffee, sultanas and dark chocolate. Mellow and dry with a streak of salinity, it has a finish that goes on forever. So good.</p>
Sánchez Romate
Marks & Spencer, Extra Dry & Light Manzanilla, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Jerez, Spain
93
Made for M&S by Williams & Humbert, this is a deliciously refreshing and great-value aperitif to serve chilled alongside some olives or almonds, or as the main wine to accompany a tapas spread. Dive into its saline depths, rounded by classic apple, blossom and yeast flavours and a long nutty finish.
Marks & SpencerSanlúcar de Barrameda
Morrisons, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Jerez, Spain
92
Fantastic purity of caramel and figs on the nose. Mellow and smooth on the palate – just like drinking liquid chocolate raisins – with notes of toffee, currants and Christmas spices. There is also decent freshness to balance the rich sweetness, with residual sugar high at 383g/l. A great-value wine perfect for the festive season.
Morrisons
Quinta do Vale Meão, The Wine Society's Generation Series Reserve Port, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
92
It was inevitable that The Wine Society special anniversary series would include a Port, and the retailer reached out to Quinta do Vale Meão, producer of The Society’s Exhibition Port, to blend this limited celebratory edition. Fragrant and transparent on the nose, with aromas of red cherries, violets, crushed rose petals and poached plum, this is a classy Ruby Port, bottled unfiltered and with potential to age for another decade. In the mouth, vibrant acidity lifts the luscious fruit core, supported by a firm tannic structure. A thick layer of cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon adds both richness and playfulness. Balanced and elegant with very good alcohol integration.
Quinta do Vale MeãoPort
UWC Samos, Samos Vin Doux, Aegean Islands, Greece, 2022
92
Fantastic value at a tenner for a full-sized bottle, this fortified Muscat contains around 200g/L sugar so is fully sweet, but is delightfully fresh and light in style. Aromatic, with honeysuckle and fruit salad aromas and flavours, stone fruit and citrus to the fore. Serve chilled with fruit salad, strawberries or baklava for the perfect summer dessert.
2022
UWC Samos
Co-op, Irresistible 10 Year-Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
91
A satisfying, heart-warming bottle to stock up for Christmas. It has an intense nose of caramel, black cherry, prunes, and touches of sourdough. Dried herbs, brown sugar, and sweet spices are infused in a rich stew of dark berries and black cherry. Complex and long.
Co-op
Co-op, Irresistible Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Jerez, Spain
91
Raisin, mince pie, dried figs, dates, and prunes – a parade of festive vibes in a half-bottle. Richly luscious on the palate – essentially chocolate raisin in liquid form. It has great purity with only hints of sweet spices. A delightful treat to be savoured by the fireplace.
Co-op
Graham's, Fine White, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
91
Graham’s white Port is fine indeed, unpretentiously balancing fleshy, sweet stone fruit with notes of fresh almonds, camomile and apple blossom. The perfect base for a Port & Tonic or simply on the rocks, this is a compulsory presence in one’s fridge door throughout spring and summer.
Graham'sPort
Morrisons, The Best 10 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
91
This generous, heart-warming Christmas treat, made by Symington Family Estates, is sure to keep the party going. A pronounced nose of roasted hazelnuts and dried figs, complemented by sourdough and raw almonds. Bruised apple and burnt sugar on the palate, leading to a lingering maple syrup finish.
Morrisons
Warre's, King's Tawny Port, Port, Douro Valley, Portugal
91
Plush cherry, plum, ripe strawberry and fig are lifted by mahogany and cedar notes. Fragrant herbaceousness, with macerated oregano, thyme and sage at the core of medicinal edge. Unctuous, honeyed core with cranberry jam, spice-infused raisins and fleshy prune. Good acid backbone balancing the deep, sweet fruit.
Warre'sPort
Martinez, Dolce 5 Year Old, Marsala, Superiore Riserva, Sicily, Italy
90
Marsala's not just for tiramisu or zabaglione – this sweet style, with 103g/L of residual sugar, is a fresh alternative to cream Sherry and would be delicious with a mince pie. Made by historic producer Martinez, founded in 1866, the round, creamy palate is packed with notes of nutty toffee, dried figs and vanilla oak spice.
MartinezMarsala
