(2025) The colour here darkest of all, into nutty brown tones with a hint of ruby. Here, fruitiness is subsumed under spice and cedar, dried fruits, nuts and some sous-bois character. A more comtemplative style, the palate is easily the glycerine richest of the range, slippery in texture and unctuous, with coffee and caramel underpinning and warming the whole fireside picture, though a sweet depth of fruits, dried and mellow, joins excellent acidity. A distinctive style.

(2025) A similar chestnut colour to the Verdelho, there is a lovely figgy richness to this, and underpinning of mocha coffee and the expected nutty tones. But that fruit quality - fig and quince - is evident. Sweet on the palate, but not tasting dramatically moreso than the Verdelho for me, due to the fine acid core and the taut nature of this wine, smooth and elegant into the finish.

(2025) A little deeper and more chestnut in colour compared to the Sercial, this doesn't quite have that wine's aromatic fireworks, more subdued and nutty, with a deep sheen of polished wood. In the mouth it is noticeably sweeter and has a ripe feeling to the fruit, which is more forward than in the Sercial, more unctuous, with classically fine citrus acidity slicing through the finish.

(2025) Pouring a realtively pale tobacco brown colour, this has a delightful nose of citrus - Seville orange mostly - with nuttiness and that bready, yeasty lift that is so appealling. In the mouth it is definitely not 'dry dry', but the unctuous flavours that run from butterscotch to rich coffee have a depth of sweetness that is then cut by a sweep of acidity that certainly freshens and cleanses the finish. The warming nutty tones are there of course, but a delightful, balanced and long wine that's certainly on the dry side.

(2024) Not Sherry, but a solera-aged Pedro Ximénez from a family that produced its first fortified PX wine in the 1940s. Perhaps slightly lighter in colour than a typical Spanish version - nut brown rather than mahogany brown - it pours with engine oil thickness and gloriously sweet and luscious aromas of fig, raisin and walnut, a delicate rancio character adding a layer of intrigue. In the mouth super-sweet and mouth-filling, really all about the sweet and unctuous flavour rather than massive complexity, but utterly delicious.

(2024) From  the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, this is made in a traditional solera, seeing eight years of ageing minimum. 'En Rama' indicates that it is bottled without fining or filtration, and ‘Pasada’ indicates a longer ageing than is usual for Manzanilla. I have to say it is utterly delicious. It is a burnished yellow/gold colour and has the ozone and salty tang of Manzanilla, but a wonderfully creamy hazelnut and almond sheen too. Complex yeasty notes from the long ageing under flor add pungent layers of chamomile, bruised fruit and intrigue. Full, textured, more nuttiness and a certain meaty, umami character in the mouth, it has fabulous length and sparkling acidity. The £15.99 price for a full 75cl bottle at Carrington Wines at time of review is very good - half bottles are selling for £11 - £13 quite widely.

(2024) Another fabulous slice of Australian heritage, this is a fortified wine of unknown age – possibly 1970s? Note of hessian or new laid carpet, caramel and walnut, but is there a hint of Sauvignon zip? There's a streak of espresso bittersweetness that acts to cleanse and propel this. An intriguing wine and holding up really well. Enjoyed this rarity. No alcohol level was stated on the label, so a guess at 15% has been entered by me. It's also difficult to say with this great age whether the wine was lightly fortified or naturally sweet.

(2024) Dry, gentle aromatics, becomes quite smoky and nutty, a peppery quality. Fruit is about prunes and fresher glimpses of blackcurrant. It is moving into a faded, slightly rancio character but really enjoyable. Possibly a blend of Shiraz and Touriga Nacional.

(2023) Madeira is undoubtedly one of the world's great wines, but arguably one of the most overlooked. The volcanic Portuguese island of the same name lies far out into the Atlantic off the coast of Morocco. It is from here that the tradition of these wines, fortified with spirit to withstand long sea voyages, began. Madeira normally has some sweetness, and the level of sweetness traditionally follows through the four most important grape varieties in order: Sercial wines are usually the driest, then Verdelho, Bual, and finally Malmsey, normally the sweetest.

This 15-year-old example of a Verdelho wine is a glowing amber to tawny in colour. The nose has that wonderfully evocative shellac character, old polished wood with a sheen of beeswax and varnish, and a nutty walnut and marzipan depth. In the mouth this is sweet and rich, brown sugar and intense raisin and walnut flooding the palate, with marvellous bitter orange acidity biting down on the long, spicy, tobacco-infused finish. Terrific and world class wine. Price is for 50cl.

(2023) The Sercial grape traditionally makes the driest style of Madeira, and indeed this example has only around 15g/l making it only semi-sweet. The colour is a burnished, glowing amber. The nose is fabulous, from Seville orange to walnut to raisin and milk chocolate. In the mouth it has weight and creamy texture, and while those luscious Muscovado, walnut and apricot flavours flood the mouth, it's the beautiful energy endowed by sparkling acidity that gives this terrific impact. Tannins are modest, and the spirit brings only the gentlest heat to the spicy, fruity finish. Marvellous stuff. Watch the video for more information and food matching ideas. Price for 50cl. Watch the video for more information and food matching ideas.