Maxwell Fortified Release

Winter Warmers: Maxwell's New Fortified Trio

Fortifieds are having a quiet moment at Maxwell - and club members will be the first to feel the warmth.

By Katie Spain

In the cave beneath the McLaren Vale estate, three very different fortified wines have been biding their time: a vintage Shiraz fortified, a tawny, and a white fortified. They weren't originally conceived as a neatly packaged trio, but in a happy accident of sorts, the quality of the beverages demanded it. "It has come together in accidental timing," says Maxwell Wines founder Mark Maxwell. "They were ready at the same time."

It's good news for wine club members and anyone looking to warm their cockles this winter. Take it from me; fortified wine may have been known as an 'old man's' drink, but they are becoming cool again. There's nothing better than a sip or two when the weather is chilly, they are also great served before, during, or after a dinner party for the ultimate 'wow' factor. They're made for winter, but the memories they create will stretch a lot longer. 

I tasted the wines with Mark (and chef Fabian Lehmann's snacks). They are quite the showstoppers. Here's a rundown of the new range, and suggestions on what to pair them with. 

Maxwell Vintage Shiraz
2022 Late Bottle
Limited to 1,300 bottles

Pair with: Dark chocolate, an armchair, and a good book. 

Built on Shiraz - the same variety that underpins so many of the region's classics - this vintage fortified leans into tradition rather than sugar hit. Mark follows an old-school formula he picked up from one of the greats of Australian fortified making: pick the fruit not too ripe (around 14.5-14.8 baume), ferment part-way, then add spirit while there's still just enough sweetness to balance the acid line. The wine spent 12 months in barrel, just long enough to soften the edges without dulling its energy. In the glass, it's all dark plums, spice and length; the sort of wine that invites you to sit down and stay a while. "You can just imagine it with a bit of dark chocolate and a good book on the couch," Mark says. "It really stays on your palate beautifully." This is the bottle you reach for after a long, cold day - the fireside pour that feels like a blanket. 

Maxwell Rare and Old Tawny
Matured for 20 years
Limited to 1,200 bottles

Pair with: Honeycomb-laced desserts, rich winter puddings or a slice of fruit cake on Christmas Eve while you wrap presents and exhale. 

Good things come to those who wait and this comforting tawny is about time. Some of the barrels underpinning this wine quite literally disappeared from view. Years ago, stacks of printed cartons were piled up against a wall in the winery. Behind them, a row of old fortified barrels quietly aged away, essentially forgotten. "One day somebody said, 'What's behind there?'" Mark recalls. "We'd forgotten about these really very old port barrels. That became the basis of the blend." Those rediscovered barrels - now part of Maxwell folklore as the 'lost port' - bring a deep sense of age and pedigree to the tawny. It shows all the classic signs of long, slow oxidation: caramel, honeycomb, Christmas cake, nuts and spice, with that unmistakable tawny hue that comes as red fruit slowly shifts hues, like a moody winter storm. "The name 'tawny' comes from the colour," Mark explains. "It starts red, and through age and oxidation it becomes that brown, tawny tone."

Maxwell 100% Verdelho White Fortified
Cask aged since 2013
Limited to 1,600 bottles

Pair with: Cheese boards, or apple-based desserts with clove or spice.  

Hello, luxury. Bright yet rich, savoury yet sweet. White fortifieds are rarely about a single vintage. Instead, they tend to be quiet accumulations of time - small parcels from different years folded into one another, building layers. At Maxwell, the white fortified draws predominately on barrels from the early 2000s, with older components adding depth. Long, slow ageing in old wood has shaped something golden, nutty and gently caramelised, but still bright enough to feel lifted rather than heavy. It's a natural fit for cheese - think blue, washed rind or aged hard styles - and works beautifully as an end-of-lunch pour when you're not ready for the afternoon to end. "I think of it alongside cheese as a prompt," Mark says. "Cheese is one of those triggers that gets people thinking about fortifieds again. 

As fromage goes, opt for blue cheese for contrast, aged hard cheeses for savoury depth, or washed rind for funk and complexity. It's also the fortified you pour when the sun is low but the day isn't done - after an autumn walk, a mushroom hunt, or a long lunch that needs a soft landing. This is also the quietly thoughtful gift bottle: a refined option for special birthdays, housewarmings or as a second bottle to follow a serious red at the table. 

Putting fortifieds back on the table - how to serve and store them

A recurring theme in the Maxwell cellar is how easily fortifieds are forgotten - not in the winery, but in people's homes. Tucked away in the cellar or the back of a vintage drinks cabinet, they're out of sight and out of mind. Mark's advice is simple: "Put it on display in the dining room or kitchen, not in the cellar. After you open them, you can leave them open. That's the benefit - they can just sit there on a shelf, ready."

Fortifieds also make beautiful markers of time - special birthdays, anniversaries, or babies born in a particular year. The current vintage releases are built to age, and there's particular excitement around bottles that might be opened for a 21st in two decades time.

SHOP MAXWELL FORTIFIEDS