Fortifieds are under seige. It looks like only the best and the cheapest will survive. More of you are thinking about your health and your driving licence, and most of you are looking at what’s left in your wallet. Prices have risen right across the board, and especially in the premiums and mid-market products. Where a couple of years ago Australia’s best fortifieds were absurdly cheap, they now frequently command world prices, and we all know where we stand next to the rest of the planet in that respect. Philip Murphy of Dan Murphy’s Cellars in Melbourne says that there’s less to choose from at the bottom end. “The consumer is being pushed upwards. Much of the blame must go to the Government for the introduction of that tax on fortifying spirit, which they have since removed. So many companies immediately stopped making the stuff”. Even the cheap flagons are disappearing, which will either bother you severely or not at all. Murphy still has the Mildara Rio Vista range, but they’re not all that cheap any more. Penfolds Royal Reserve Port still brings up the rear at $2.99, but that’s not quite the deal it used to be. In the early ’80’s, while at university, I clearly remember it was just over a dollar. What do you have to pay today to get a good fortified? More than ever, apparently. Not only have the prices of some of the better-known brands soared, but the quality of many has declined as well. Unfortunately, the ports you were weaned onto may not be the drinks they once were. To get something really special, Murphy reckons you have to spend around $18, and I agree. Of course there are the exceptions, but the difference in quality between the cheaper examples and the $10 bottles is shrinking. There are some well-made, sound wholesome ports around that price, but generally they lack interest and character, and Murphy doesn’t find them all that exciting. Nevertheless, it would be a brave, or foolish retailer not to stock them. Michael Agostino is a new Melbourne retailer who has moved from the wholesaler business with Caldbeck’s (formerly Taylor-Ferguson) to pick up a struggling liquor outlet and revitalise it to become one of Melbourne’s leading specialist wine stores. He doesn’t see a great deal of movement in fortified wines at all, but notices a growth in the smaller areas of premium muscats and tokays. He acknowledges that his smaller size makes it difficult to compete with the deals presented by larger outlets for the cheaper brands of fortified wine. “Some consumers are prepared to spend a bit for real quality”,Q he begins. “There are a number of fortifieds well into the $20 to $40 bracket now, and they do have a market”. Alleluia. Wines like Campbell’s Merchant Prince Muscat do sell at around $50 per bottle, as does Saltrams’ Pickwick Port at $35. At last our best are being recognised for what they are – as good as anyone’s. Others in the top bracket that Agostino finds sell well are the Baileys HJT, some of the special Lindemans releases and the Seppelts Show fortifieds. Murphy agrees with all of that, although perhaps they have put the prices up a shade quickly for him, adding “But the Seppelt DP 90 is stunningly good”. Some companies, like the well-known Baileys in Victoria have increased the cost of their premiums quite dramatically over recent years. No-one is disputing their right to do so, but some retailers are finding them much harder to move than before. Several retailers have noticed a return to favour of the late-picked sweet whites, for it’s possible that more people are returning to these wines as a lower-alcohol means of finishing a meal. If you’re going to drink a bottle of something before stepping into the chariot, a good splash of sauternes will leave you in far better shape than a tot of port. But quite frankly, the best low-alcohol alternative are the Germanic style of sweet white – they’re frequently as low as 8% alcohol by volume. “We recently had a stack of Morris Botrytis Semillon which sold at under $10 per bottle”, says Michael Agostino. “It would walk out the door by the case-load. But in this market too, demand is very closely related to price.” This winter will be Agostino’s first as a retailer. He is confident of an increasing demand for quality fortifieds, especially of the North-East Victorian variety. Murphy expects ports to retain their popularity. “The connoisseurs’ market will remain reasonably healthy and is worthy of stocking, but it is a small percentage of the overall picture. Thousands of people give port as a Christmas present, and the winter port drinker is a big market.” Penfolds Club is clearly the biggest seller and doesn’t have much to fear. The sherry market is as quiet as ever despite various small attempts to lift its profile, and the (genuine) madeira market is miniscule. “About 1% of the population know what they are”, says Agostino, in what may be an over-generous estimation. There you have it. The whole Australian industry is going through an adolescence at present, as we discover new markets and at last an ability to compete with the international heavies on their own ground. It’s no different with the fortifieds. One day a pattern will emerge and then it will be easier to relate price and quality. In the meantime, buy lots of port, sherry, muscat and tokay. But don’t mix them with lemonade or Coke. At least we grew out of that the first time round.
