Richard Mayson introduces the first, Iberian installment of a two-part tasting of global sweet fortified wines shared with Simon Field MW and Andrew Jefford. Crucially, though, fortified wines have carved out a singular and important niche over recent years. Most of the great fortified wines of the world came about by happy accident. But since the boom years began to peter out in the 1980s, fortified wines have been on a steady downward trajectory in volume terms. It is fair to say that some fortified wines flatter with their sweetness more than others.