Take any port in a storm
Australian fortifieds are under threat, so support an endangered species, before it's too late.
Winter's the perfect time to perform a good wine deed. A wine species is at risk. It once enjoyed a robust existence but now is in decline, though it is neither better nor worse than any other member of the greater family of wine. It is fortified wine.
Some of the reasons why are obvious: it's as groovy as grey slacks; it's sweet and alcoholic, making it bad for the waist as well as the health (if overindulged); and it tastes funny. If it's a question of a vintage fortified, a muscat or amontillado to finish the night, some drinkers will have a beer. And the names? Australian makers of fortifieds formerly known as tokay, port and sherry took a big hit when the names had to be handed back to Europe.
So, all up, it's a pretty crushing time to be an Australian fortified producer, which is why I like to perform my good winter wine deed. And with fortifieds, it just wouldn't be the same in summer anyway.
There are also grape varieties out there with an equally tenuous hold on the wine drinker - filed away in some mental bottom drawer and remembered when we feel like something quirky or alternative. Well, now is that time. Use 'em or you will lose 'em.
The Oddballs
Hewitson Miss Harry 2011 grenache/shiraz/mourvedre/cinsault/carignan
This Barossa Valley maker hits the vinous underdog bullseye with not only one but three lesser-known red varieties in his five-way blend. Generous and soft, it's all round edges and sleek mouthfeel.
Brown Brothers 2008 shiraz/mondeuse /cabernet
This classic Brown Brothers creation has tannic spine propelling the red all the way to the outer stratosphere of ageing potential.
Tscharke 2010 Matching Socks touriga nacional
Portuguese grape touriga nacional was first planted for fortified-wine production but we know how that's going these days, don't we? So now it's being reinvented as a dry red. Damien Tscharke does it so, so well in a charming, generous Barossa way.
De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release EZ 2012 gewurztraminer/riesling/pinot gris
The thing about gewurztraminer is it's so individual and yet so misunderstood. It doesn't always have to be sweet and rose petal-ly. De Bortoli shows the possibilities with an edelzwicker (a German wine name indicating a blended dry white) that is fleshy, fruit to the fore, textural and definitely not sweet.
Trifon Estate 2008 marsanne
Grown in Australia since the 1930s and still waiting for its big moment, marsanne is this country's most patient grape variety. It shows both a liking for central Victoria (in this case Murchison) and bottle ageing, and here we find both. The '08 is just beginning to open up: honey, apple, florals and complex saline notes.
Soumah 2012 Yarra Valley Savarro
The great albarino-savagnin grape mix-up in Australian vineyards threatened the promising future of the savagnin grape. Yes, it's not albarino (it's turned out to be closer to gewurztraminer than albarino) but it can be especially delicious. Savarro (100 per cent savagnin) wears an orange-blossom, musk perfume. Exotic spice notes with a burst of citrus on the palate.
The Fortifieds
Birks ''Chip Dry'' very dry fino
Andrew Birks of Bidgeebong Wines is a bit of a legend in Aussie wine circles: a teacher, winemaker and fortified nut who established a solera (traditional system of barrels - lots of them - for blending) under his house more than 25 years ago to produce a palomino-based dry fino style. His effort was rewarded with a most assured, complex style, an Aussie triumph.
Dandelion Vineyards Legacy of the Barossa pedro ximenez
Considered an ''heirloom'' vineyard, the Carl Lindner block of pedro ximenez (PX) has been the source of fortified wines since 1944. The average age of this copper-toned, sweet wine is 30 years. A most gracious dessert wine: pungent spirity nose, savoury citrus peel, woody tones, impenetrable sweetness.
Pizzini Per Gli Angeli 2006
Per Gli Angeli (''for angels'') is a rarity, one of the few Italian-style Vin Santos to be made in this country. The grape is trebbiano, the colour is burnt orange, the abiding flavour is roasted nuts - chestnuts, almonds - cumquat peel, dark honey and spirity generosity.
Woodstock Very Old Fortified
Why should the fact that we can no longer call it ''tawny port'' distract us from this most excellent, enduring Aussie fortified style? It's only a name. Woodstock in McLaren Vale reminds us of the powerful presence these styles make in the glass, so warm and comforting and sustained.
Chambers Old Vine muscadelle
Chambers eschews topaque (the new word for tokay) in favour of the grape's name; the style, however, remains resolutely the same as ever: classic Rutherglen. A rich, thick, old-school muscadelle, the contemplative kind filled with chewy malts, toffee and nuts. A champion of the blender's art. Long may it survive.
Baileys of Glenrowan 2010 VP140
Baileys reintroduced a vintage port to celebrate its 140th anniversary, and what a dazzling piece of wine artisanship it is. If this doesn't tempt you back into Aussie classic VPs, then there's no hope. An arresting perfume to open, layers of black fruits, liquorice, spice, and dried currants rolled into an elegant parcel. Give it 10 years to become seamless and then some, if you can wait.