Australia's most distinctive gifts to the wine world are bottle-aged, relatively early-picked Semillon from the Hunter Valley (now, alas, a rarity) and these strong, brown fortified wines which go so well with the cakes and puddings stuffed with dried fruit that are common at this time of year.
Sunbaked old vineyards way up on the New South Wales border of North-East Victoria are the source of one of the world's most extraordinary wine styles. Exceptionally warm summers and relatively cool (because of high altitude) winters combine with vines up to a hundred years old to produce uniquely sticky strong, sweet...