All the medallists from the Global Fortified Masters 2024

From bone-dry fino Sherry to rich LBV Port and luscious liqueur Muscat, fortified wines offer something for everyone, reports Patricia Stefanowicz MW. 

The annual Global Fortified Masters is a fascinating event, as while these wines draw on traditional, long-standing techniques, they are far from old-fashioned. The quality of wines we judged was outstanding at a variety of price points, reflected by the number of Gold and Master medals awarded.

We started with vermouth, much of it in standard, ‘industrial’ styles from northern Italy, but there are some wonderful artisanal versions too. The Trinchero family produces modern-style dry and sweet vermouth in California, while Cherubino’s Valsangiacomo Reserva from Valencia earned a well-deserved Master.

Sherry is probably the first wine that springs to mind when talking about fortified wines, and we were impressed by two manzanillas en rama – one from Equipo Navazos, the other from Bodegas Hidalgo; both picked up Golds.

The amontillados from Hidalgo and Barbadillo also showed how concentrated and stunning dry amontillado can be. Our one palo cortado, Altanza’s Colección Roberto Amillo, nutty and gently salty with dried fruit, shows the beautiful balance expected from this unusual style. Oloroso has depth of toasted nut, raisins and dried apricots, and a burnt sugar overtone, with tangy acidity and silky tannins. Dry or sweet, these are stunning wines – and not terribly expensive, given their extraordinary quality.

Much of the excitement this year came from the diversity of Ports. White Port showed well and makes an excellent light aperitif, with a lemon twist to add extra zing. Ruby Ports are the mainstay of most houses; at prices around £15–£20, these are delicious wines, with dark plum and cherry fruit balanced by fresh acidity and supple tannin texture.

Late-bottled vintage Ports are a significant step up, with more concentration and toastiness. At around £25–£30, they are excellent value and have the structure and flavour to hold for four to five years after bottling.

As expected, vintage Ports are exceptional, and our single example this year, Amphitheatrum from Alves de Sousa, is a worthy Master winner, worth keeping for 20-plus years.

Tawny Ports, aged in wood for various lengths of time, are intense, but elegant. We dished out Gold medals to Taylor’s, Sandeman and Alves de Sousa, plus an ‘interloper ’ from Australia, de Bortoli’s Old Boys Tawny which, although made from Muscadelle grapes, behaves very well as a ‘tawny’ after 21 years of ageing in oak. Extra-intense tawny Ports from wines aged for 20-80 years, and then blended, exhibit better integration, layers of flavour and complexity – and Sandeman’s 20-year-old fully deserved its Gold medal.

Vermouth

Sherry – Fino

Sherry – Manzanilla

Sherry – Amontillado

Sherry – Oloroso

Sherry – Palo Cortado

White Port

Ruby Reserve Port

LBV Port

Reserve Port

Vintage Port

Tawny Port

Tawny

Marsala

Madeira

Muscat

Chenin Blanc

Semillon

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Global Fortified Masters provides a chance for your wines to shine. The 2024 competition was judged on 11 October at Da Henrietta in London, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolade – the title of Fortified Master. This report features the medal winners only.

Please visit the Global Masters website for more information or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com