Often set a side for cold, rainy weather, a small glass of any of these wines can offer a sweet or toasty finish to a large meal.
Warre's "Optima" Ten Year Old Tawny Port
Price $24
Rating 91
The color is a rosy shade of brick. The sip is hottish and chewy with caramel, dried fruit and nutty nougat.
Port is a sweet fortified wine, name derived from the fact that such wines are shipped out of the Portugese city of Oporto. There's a specific region in northern Portugal's Douro Valley that has exacting regulations for producing quality port wines, with the four basic categories being Vintage, Tawny, Ruby and White. Tawny Ports, tawny in color and ready to drink when bottled, are made from a blend of grapes from several different years and can be aged in wood for as long as 40 years (labels typically indicate the number of years).
Blandy's Sercial Five-year-old Madeira
Price $18
Rating 89
The nose hints of roasted cashew and acidity. The sip reveals roasted almond
and toasted wheat bread flavors in this complex, rather dry Madeira. Note
that Sercials are the driest of the Madeiras.
The first Madeiras evolved from the days when wines were transported by
ship. It was discovered that during the lengthy voyage, the air circulation
(which caused oxidization) and warm temperatures created wonderful wines.
Today this activity is emulated through a process called "estufagem."
Blandy's "Rainwater" Madeira NV
Price $18
Rating 89
The flavors are tangy with lime, subtle sweetness and a long complex length.
Madeira can range in color from pale blond to deep tawny and runs the gamut
from quite dry to very sweet. It is also an excellent cooking wine and can
be used in both sweet and savory preparations.
Royal Tokaji Wine Red Label, 5 Puttonyos 2000
Price $32 (500ml)
Rating 94
On the nose, there are fruit aromas dominated by apricot and quince, with a
lovely touch of wild flowers and orange peel. The palate exhibits ripe
orange, figs and orange and grapefruit peel flavors, with a hint of honey at
the end.
Six vintages of the Royal Tokaji Red Label have been produced since its
premier release of the 1990 vintage. This wine is a blend of carefully
selected grapes from several of Royal Tokaji’s vineyards.
The methods and traditions of producing Aszú wines have changed little since
the 17th century. Aszú grapes are individually harvested from bunches and
collected in 20L (4.5 gallon) wooden tubs called “puttonyo.” The number of
puttonyo added to each barrel of non-Aszú wine that serves as a base gives
the final puttonyos level of the wine. On a scale of one to six, the more
puttonyos, the sweeter, richer and rarer the Tokaji.
