5 Highlights from our 2025 Fortified & Sweet Silver Medals

The Sweet and Fortified category delivered the highest Silver medal success rate at IWSC 2025, with 67 wines from 147 entries scoring between 90-94 points. This remarkable 45.6% hit rate revealed both individual judge favourites and broader category trends that caught our expert panels by surprise.

1. Portugal: Fortified Wines Dominated

Portuguese fortified wines performed particularly well, with judges consistently impressed by their quality across styles. "The tawny Ports were consistently high-scoring," said David Round MW, with Vintage, Colheita and 20-Year Tawnies all featuring prominently. Both sweet and dry Madeira styles earned particular affection from the judging panels. Mick O'Connell MW called the Madeira flight "absolutely delicious and of a hugely high standard." Moscatel do Douro also earned medals, showcasing Portugal's sweet wine versatility. The category's textural evolution caught attention: "There's more bite from dry extract, not just acid. Producers are playing with texture in interesting ways," said O'Connell.

1. Spain's Sherry Spectrum: Beyond PX

Spanish Sherries earned multiple Silver medals across styles, with Greg Sherwood MW highlighting "exceptionally well-judged balance in the sweeter styles." Whilst Pedro Ximénez (PX) dominated for its rich, concentrated sweetness, medals also went to Cream and Amontillado styles, showing impressive depth in Spain's fortified category.

1. Canada's Icewines: Precision Across Vintages

Canadian icewines and botrytised sweet wines impressed judges with their precision across both youthful (1-5 years) and mature (10-14 years) vintages. Riesling and Vidal Blanc examples particularly caught attention for their clean, focused profiles that showcased varietal character alongside noble rot complexity.

1. Australia: Solera Success and Botrytis Brilliance

Australia proved a surprise performer, earning medals for older solera-style fortified blends and elegant botrytised still sweet wines. These wines demonstrated that innovation and tradition could work hand in hand, moving beyond the expected fortified Muscat category.

1. Cyprus Shines

In a rare but impressive showing, Cyprus earned Silver medals for its Commandaria-style wines, reinforcing the ageing potential and complexity of this historic Mediterranean style. Loel Viomichanoi’s Alasia Commandaria 2020 (93 pts) particularly impressed with notes of caramel, marmalade and toasted walnut.

Explore the silver medal winning wines that recieved 94 and 93 points below. To discover the full list of  Silver medal fortified and sweet wines visit our website.