Madeira, Port, Sherry: The Equinox Companion to Fortified Wines fills a niche for all those seeking to understand the fortified wine industry as a whole: its history, producers, winemaking methods, and practical aspects of enjoying these unique wines, numbered among the world's most long-lived beverages. This book constitutes an educational compendium representing organised cutting-edge knowledge on the three classic fortified wines, brought to us by the Iberian culture. The reference work enables an appreciation of the histories of madeira, port and sherry against the background of world-changing events. Extensive terminological research has distilled years of professional knowledge into a reliable compendium, taking the reader on unique educational journeys through winemaking activities, from selection of grapes to bottle ageing. The companion offers comprehensive terminological coverage, including classifications and serving temperatures, as well as the intricacies of flavour compounds, responsible for various notes identified in wine bouquets, such as those of an old blended madeira, a vintage port, or a palo cortado sherry. Guidelines on wine and food pairing have been included to ensure the companion's suitability for a wide audience of readers: from wine experts to connoisseurs, from gourmet restaurant chefs to home cooks.

Piotr Nagórka

Piotr Nagórka, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw. As Head of the Laboratory of Cultural Terminology at the Faculty of Applied Linguistics, he directs and conducts research in multilingual terminology while offering terminological assistance to various domains of knowledge, including wine and food science and studies on human values. He has authored two dictionaries dedicated to the field of oenology and numerous articles on Europeans’ ethical concepts. His encyclopaedia Madeira, Port, Sherry: The Equinox Companion to Fortified Wines has gained widespread attention from linguists and wine professionals, having been nominated for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2021 and recognized by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, winning the prestigious Prix de l’OIV award in 2022. He has received research fellowship awards from the University of Vienna and Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz. His research results have been published as journal articles and book chapters, and presented at international conferences in Dresden, Mainz, Riga, Venice, Warsaw and Wrocław.