Four potent wines for after dinner by Darryl Beeson Often set a side for cold, rainy weather, a small glass of any of these wines can offer a sweet or toasty finish to a large meal.   Warre's "Optima" Ten Year Old Tawny Port Price $24 Rating 91 The color is a rosy shade of brick. The sip is hottish and chewy with  caramel, dried fruit and nutty nougat.   Port is a sweet fortified wine, name derived from the fact that such wines  are shipped out of the Portugese city of Oporto. There's a specific region  in northern Portugal's Douro Valley that has exacting regulations for  producing quality port wines, with the four basic categories being Vintage,  Tawny, Ruby and White.  Tawny Ports, tawny in color and ready to drink when  bottled, are made from a blend of grapes from several different years and  can be aged in wood for as long as 40 years (labels typically indicate the number of years).   Blandy's Sercial Five-year-old Madeira Price $18 Rating 89 The nose hints of roasted cashew and acidity. The sip reveals roasted almond and toasted wheat bread flavors in this complex, rather dry Madeira. Note that Sercials are the driest of the Madeiras.   The first Madeiras evolved from the days when wines were transported by ship. It was discovered that during the lengthy voyage, the air circulation (which caused oxidization) and warm temperatures created wonderful wines. Today this activity is emulated through a process called "estufagem."   Blandy's "Rainwater" Madeira NV Price $18 Rating 89 The flavors are tangy with lime, subtle sweetness and a long complex length.   Madeira can range in color from pale blond to deep tawny and runs the gamut from quite dry to very sweet. It is also an excellent cooking wine and can be used in both sweet and savory preparations.   Royal Tokaji Wine Red Label, 5 Puttonyos 2000 Price $32 (500ml) Rating 94 On the nose, there are fruit aromas dominated by apricot and quince, with a lovely touch of wild flowers and orange peel. The palate exhibits ripe orange, figs and orange and grapefruit peel flavors, with a hint of honey at the end.   Six vintages of the Royal Tokaji Red Label have been produced since its premier release of the 1990 vintage. This wine is a blend of carefully selected grapes from several of Royal Tokaji’s vineyards.   The methods and traditions of producing Aszú wines have changed little since the 17th century. Aszú grapes are individually harvested from bunches and collected in 20L (4.5 gallon) wooden tubs called “puttonyo.” The number of puttonyo added to each barrel of non-Aszú wine that serves as a base gives the final puttonyos level of the wine. On a scale of one to six, the more puttonyos, the sweeter, richer and rarer the Tokaji. For more great wine suggestions, click here Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.