Fortified wines were created for after-dinner sipping, but they have also secured their place in the kitchen. With personalities that range from dry and fine, to smoky-caramel, to rich and raisiny and sweet, fortified wines add elegant distinction to all kinds of savory dishes and desserts.

最熟悉的强化葡萄酒类型的港口，雪利酒，马德拉岛和马尔萨拉分享了一项关键的生产技术：每种技术在发酵过程中或发酵后都会增强白兰地或纯酒精。加法的时机决定了强化葡萄酒的甜味：添加越早，酒就会越甜。在干燥的一面：Fino Sherry，Sercial Madeira和Secco（意大利语干燥）Marsala。在甜蜜的一面：奶油和Amoroso Sherry，Boal和Malmsey Madeira，Dolce（意大利语）Marsala。所有端口（无论是年份（最优惠，最昂贵），黄褐色还是红宝石（质量最低，最便宜） - 都很甜美。

从最干燥的雪利酒到最深的港口，长期以来，强化的葡萄酒被认为与肉类，游戏，鸟类，家禽和贝类配对时，人们一直被认为特别合适。如果没有干雪利酒的镜头，例如龙虾温托（Lobster Thermidor）等经典菜肴就不会一样。像小牛肉马萨拉（Marsala）和扎巴格里奥尼（Zabaglione）一样的菜肴需要他们的命脉，马尔萨拉（Marsala），使它们具有独特的甜味和略带烟熏味。

无论是烹饪经典还是发明自己的葡萄酒，都可以在成品汤或沸腾的炖菜或酱汁中添加一大堆强化葡萄酒。我通常将其添加到烹饪的尽头，然后将其煮几分钟，以去除任何原始的酒精味，并将葡萄酒的口味与汤或炖肉结婚。

Fortified wines also do a neat turnbeforecooking as a marinade. I like to marinate lamb in a mixture of Madeira, garlic, and rosemary. And a ham braised in Madeira or Marsala, along with some broth, is a lovely thing.

On the sweet side, choose sweet sherry, Marsala, or port to flavor mousses, puddings, soufflés, and dessert sauces. Drizzle them over fruit, flavor a sugar syrup with them and brush the syrup over cake layers, or whip the wine with eggs and sugar into an airy custard.

Experiment with fortified wines

• Stir some dry sherry into shellfish bisques or cream of chicken soup.
• Sauté chicken with onions, red peppers, tomatoes, paprika, and chopped ham and deglaze the pan with sherry.
• Steam mussels with some dry sherry, garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs.
•将小马德拉搅拌成焦糖洋葱，以获得美味的蛋topting。
• Sauté chicken livers or calf’s liver with onions and deglaze the pan with Madeira or sherry.
• Brush a berry tart with a berry glaze flavored with Madeira or Marsala.
•调味焦糖酱和甜马德拉酱或Marsala。
•用干燥的玛莎拉（Dry Marsala）浓缩番茄或博洛尼亚酱。
• Stir a spoonful of dry Marsala into mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash.
• Braise lamb shanks in vegetable stock and port.
• Drizzle port over fresh strawberries.

使用体面的版本进行烹饪

In cooking, as in drinking, authentic versions offer the most satisfying character and flavor. To be sure you’re buying the genuine article, look for the country of origin on the label: sherry from Spain; Madeira from the island of the same name off the coast of Portugal; Marsala from Sicily, and port from Portugal. A decent bottle—you probably don’t want to use a vintage port in your onion soup—will cost $10 to $15. If that seems expensive for cooking wine, keep in mind that a little goes a long way. And unlike regular wine, which is best used within a day or two, a bottle of opened fortified wine can happily reside on a pantry shelf for at least a year with no loss in quality. Instead of opening a whole bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to deglaze the pan in which I seared some steaks, I can use a little port instead.

Just remember that a fortified wine has a stronger flavor: while a regular wine whispers hello in most dishes, a fortified wine shouts its greeting. If you use sherry in place of white wine in a chicken dish, you’ll definitely taste the sherry. On the other hand, sherry, Marsala, and Madeira can be used almost interchangeably; the flavors are different, but they share the same intensity.