A tasting of Madeira and New World tawnies is my idea of fun, but only if we leave the two drier styles of Madeira on the shelf, so that's Verdhelo and Serial off the menu, folks.
In Madeira, that leaves us with Bual and Malmsey. The former is classed as medium dry and is my favourite style of Madeira with layers of caramelised nuts, toffee and dried fruits while the latter are just divine if you have ever enjoyed a pudding wine such as Sauterne or Barsac.
One of the unique facts about proper Madeira by the way is that it's effectively ageless and can stay as fresh as a daisy when the bottle is opened for many years. My personal record with a bottle we tested was ten years and the last glass we enjoyed from it was every bit as good as the first one.
New World Tawnies are some of the more incredible wines ever and some of the most interesting because although they resemble traditional tawny ports, they are often produced with Shiraz which makes such a dreamy fortified wine that it always makes me wonder why the Portuguese don't adopt it. Yeah, that last sentence has probably got me barred from the Douro.
The other big grape for New World tawnies is muscat, which produces a fortified drink that’s as close to sticky toffee pudding with alcohol that you will come without using a blender.
Woodstock, Very Old Fortified Shiraz, 20 year old
Produced with Shiraz and Grenache, this exceptional wine is aged for two decades and produces flavours including toffee, dried fruits, caramelised nuts and mocha. Divine
The Whisky Exchange £28.50 50cl
Barbeito, Rainwater Reserve Madeira
What's not to like, with caramel, nuts, lively fruit and hints of coffee. I always enjoy this cracking introduction to Madeira.
Harris & Co, Castle Douglas £19.95, 50cl
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