Welcome to the home of the Sweet and Fortified Wine Association.
Please browse through our site to explore the world of American sweet and fortified wines. Link to member producers and growers or learn more about sweet and fortified wines by visiting our Education and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pages. Whatever your interest in sweet and fortified wines from retailer, exporter, restauranteur, or educator, to wine-loving consumer, please drop by our Membership page and consider becoming an Associate Member of SFWA.

What’s New

SFWA Members Present An Overview of Domestic Port-Style Wines at Wine Educators Conference.

SFWA members Peter Prager, Richard Leeney and Mike Blaylock along with SFWA Executive Director Ken Young presented a 90 minute panel program on domestic port-style wines to members of the Society of Wine Educators during their 32nd Annual Conference in New Orleans. SWE is an international society of over 1,800 wine educators, journalists, producers, distributors, retailers, and consumers whose mission is to “advance wine education through professional development”.

Ken Young began the program with a brief history of the American fortified-wine contrasting the post-Prohibition image of the 1950s and 60s with today’s vision of quality, hand-crafted port-style wines. Richard Leeney, marketing director for Prager Winery and Port Works then spoke to the challenges of marketing premium fortified-wines to the general wine-drinking public. He pointed out that while dessert-style wines now account for 8.7% of all California wine shipments, we don’t know how much of that was fortified wine. Richard emphasized that one of the greatest challenges to the fortified segment of the wine industry was the lack of specific production, market, and consumer information on domestic fortified wines.

Peter Prager, winemaker at Prager Port Works in St. Helena addressed current concepts in fortified wine production while attendees tasted three Prager ports. He described how Prager Aria white port is made from Chardonnay grapes how it differs in technique from the red ports made from single varieties like Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. He then briefly discussed the approach he takes to his field blended Portuguese variety port. Peter concluded his remarks with a comment that since his family has been making and selling port for 30 years, he has found that “people talk dry but drink sweet”.

Mike Blaylock, winemaker for Quady Winery in Madera concluded the presentation with a discussion of the importance of brandy in domestic port-style wines. To illustrate his point, he described how he had experimented with two distinctively different brandies while attendees tasted samples of the two resulting Quady ports. Mike concluded his remarks by reinforcing the importance of blending the brandy at exactly the right sugar level – which normally occurs at three o’clock in the morning.

Savor the Flavor Recipe Book Now Available
Looking for some tasty treats to serve with your domestic sweet or fortified wine? How about a dessert for that special dinner party or outdoor summer event? SFWA can help.

SFWA is making copies of the “Savor the Flavor” Recipe Books to the pubic for $10.00 including shipping and handling. This unique collection of recipes from SFWA members features simple, delightful ways to incorporate ports and sweet dessert wines into any meal.

Order forms are available on the SFWA website or by e-mailing us at sweetandfortified@sbcglobal.net.

Participating Wineries
Quady
Prager Winery and Port Works
Sogno Winery
Stama Winery
Renwood Winery
J. Pedroncelli Winery
Deaver Vineyards
Pessagno Wines
Carvalho Family Winery
Quady Winery

SFWA Joins Forces with Family Winermakers of California in Search for “Port” Term
The Sweet and Fortified Wine Association has joined forces with the Family Winermakers of California in a quest to find a term to replace “Port” on new domestic fortified wine labels. Since ratification of an international treaty prohibiting the use of “generic place names”, the term “Port” cannot be used on new American fortified wine labels as of March, 2007. Existing domestic fortified wine labels with the term “Port” are permissible under a “grandfather” clause in the treaty.

Over the next few months members of both wine producer associations will be asked to submit suggested terms to replace “Port” on domestic fortified wine labels. The suggestions will be reviewed by leaders of both groups and narrowed to perhaps a half dozen potentially acceptable terms. These terms will then be presented to the members for final selection and adoption pending approval from the Federal TTB.

Welcome New Founding Producer Members

SFWA welcomes Ficklin Vineyards in Madera, California as a new Founding Producer Member.

Welcome also to new Founding Producer Members Shrader Vineyards in Napa and Tesouro Port Cellars in St. Helena, California.

SFWA also welcomes Dan Oliverier, MBA, JD as a new Founding Associate Member. Mr. Oliver is from Walla Walla Washington and devote’ of fortified wines.

If you have any questions or comments, drop us an email at sweetandfortified@sbcglobal.net