This is a category of wines with an alcohol content of 15-22%, and includes such well known styles as Sherry, Port, Madeira and New World styles such as Liqueur Muscat. Here the alcohol content of the wine is boosted by the addition of alcohol at some stage during the fermentation. High alcohol will have the effect of killing any active yeast present and in so doing will immediately arrest the normal fermentation process thus having a significant impact on the style of the finished wine.

  Liqueur wines tend to be much fuller bodied (high alcohol alone gives a wine a much fuller mouth feel) and because of the great flavour intensity these wines are often allowed to mature further in order to take on greater complexity and additional character.