Today fortified wines are enjoying a renaissance, re-discovered by discerning imbibers and modern mixologists all over the world.

Once a popular tipple to savour before or after dinner, fortified wines - Sherry, Port, Madeira and the like - had fallen out of favour in recent times. But now, in pubs and wine bars, high-end restaurants and homes, these wines are finding their way into innovative cocktails, and are being appreciated anew for their fine qualities and strong, complex tastes.

This is the ultimate guide to these freshly rediscovered beverages that are sweeping the globe. In lively style, Becky Sue Epstein surveys the latest innovations and trends, along with their colourful history - the merchants, warriors and kings that helped create them. Featuring fine images, along with anecdotes, facts, history and recipes, this is a superb tour of the long history of fortified wines, and their global resurgence today.