Barossa Wines - Fortified Wines   

As the international wine market, including some large exported Barossa wines, takes a hit due to the global economic crisis seeing a drop in wine sales, and combine this with an oversupply of wine produced throughout Australia over the past few years, many winemakers are turning to fortified wines, with the aim to increase customer awareness and appreciation, and therefore customer consumption, of fortified wines.  In particular some well respected fortified Barossa wines are hoping to gain in popularity. 

Fortified wine is made by adding a distilled beverage, such as brandy, to the wine prior to or during the fermentation process of wine production.  Fortified wines are stronger, generally sweeter, and have a higher alcohol content than normal wines, usually the alcohol content of a fortified wine is around 20%.  The alcohol in the distilled beverage added to the wine kills the yeast and leaves a higher than normal level of residual sugar.  Originally wines were fortified in order to preserve them, as fortifying a wine is considered to be the best method of preserving a wine as a winemaker is able to add distinct flavours to the fortified wine, where other methods of preservation do not enable this.  Fortified wines are different from spirits, as spirits are produced by a method of distillation, whereas a fortified wine is produced by adding a distilled spirit to the wine.  The most popular styles of fortified wines produced are port, sherry, vermouth, muscat, tokay, madeira, and marsala. 

Fortified Barossa wines have always been known for their strong flavours, but have generally taken a back seat to the more popular Barossa Shiraz wines throughout Australia and the international market.  In Australia, research has shown that those aged between 25 and 45 only spend on average less than 5% of their alcohol purchases on fortified wines.  They believe that one reason for this is the lack of overall knowledge and understanding about fortified wines among the tourism, restaurant and retail industry throughout Australia.  To equip this industry base with knowledge and confidence in the fortified wine market would go a long way to helping to increase customer awareness and appreciation of Australian fortified wines, and in particular fortified Barossa wines. 

Some of the better known fortified wine producing regions in Australia include Rutherglen in Victoria, where All Saints, Chambers, Campbells, Stanton and Culleen, and Morris are produced, and in Glenrowan where Baileys is produced.  In South Australia McLaren Vale, where Hardys is based, and also Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley.  Seppeltsfield Winery produce some of the best fortified Barossa wines to come out of this region.  With a collection of Aged Tawny Port, Vintage Port,  Sherry Style, Muscat, and Tokay, some of their old vintage fortified wines date back over 100 years.  And Seppeltsfield Winery prides itself on being home to the world’s only continuous collection of fortified wines dating back to 1878.  With such a longstanding tradition of fortified wine production, it is no wonder that their fortified Barossa wines are considered some of the best.