Fortified wines were originally created to help extend a wine’s shelf life as it travelled for weeks and weeks in the holds of ships gently moving across the world. The first explorers discovered that with the addition of spirit, wine could travel safely despite being exposed to extreme heat and oxygen over an extended period of time.

What they hadn’t realised was how popular these styles of wine would go on to become. At The Oxford Wine Company, we’re delighted to report that, after what feels like years in the wilderness, the popularity of fortified wine is once again on the rise! 

Join us for a celebration of fortified wines as we taste our way through six examples of both world famous and lesser-known categories. We’ll discuss history, production, culture and food pairings as we cut through the confusion and focus simply on deliciousness.