Few wines have endured as much havoc and uncertainty than Madeira. Often touted as nearly immortal due to their shelf lives, the best of these wines are like time capsules, with their bottles often containing a sort of living, adapting history.

Out of all the fortified wines in all the lands, perhaps Port has the most brand recognition. There is a reason why most digestif or postprandial listings on wine menus start the category as Port and ____. Port has some extreme clout in the classic world of food pairings (established by the British, of course). Port and Stilton, Port and chocolate, anyone? Sommeliers have certain never-fail tricks in their back pockets and these pairings are of the grander-crowd-pleasing type. Certainly, the category has earned its place among the theater of wine. One might say that Port, nevermind its actual varied range of subcategories, offers comfort to the less experienced wine drinker who knows what to expect: dessert. 

The wine of Jerez, aka Xera, Ceret, Xeres, Sherish and Sherry, has a long and storied history. With a continuous wine growing tradition dating back over three millennia, vineyards were first brought over the Mediterranean Sea and cultivated by the ancient Phoenician traders (1500 BC - 300 BC.) in the southwest land of modern Spain known as Andalucía.

Fortified wines’ multi-faceted category deserves more exploration and nuanced understanding for today’s bar and restaurant community. Not only because their individual histories are part of the very infrastructure of modern civilization but also because contemporary palates are slowly starting to figure out what they may have been overlooking. Now, many bartenders are using the uniquely layered and complex profiles of fortifieds to elevate both cocktail and food pairings. 

Let’s swap out our out-of-date associations that sherries or Madeiras are sweet wines or just cooking wines and start seeing them as fabulous food pairing wines with versatile, storied histories.

Many bartenders and hospitality folks are winding down by playing online games and these virtual spaces have become more and more meaningful, creating community, connection, and a way to socialize outside the bar.

Kyisha Davenport interviews unique hospitality leaders, people who occupy positions outside of your typical bar or server shift, to discuss the nature of their work and how they cope with the challenges in their slice of the hospitality industry. 

Kyisha Davenport interviews unique hospitality leaders, people who occupy positions outside of your typical bar or server shift, to discuss the nature of their work and how they cope with challenges in their roles in the industry.