What Is Madeira Wine?

Madeira is a sweet wine that, although it was immensely popular in Colonial America, is largely unknown today. It is a fortified wine – that is a wine to which brandy or other alcohol has been added. Because of this it does not need to be aged nor does it lose quality with age.

In order to keep the wine consistent from year to year the winemaker adds some of the previous years' wines to the new batch. This is called the Solera method, mixing several different vintages in one batch of new wine.

Madeira Wine History

The island of Madeira is off the southwest coast of Portugal. It is here, in this temperate island climate, that Madeira has been made for hundreds of years.

The island was on the major shipping routes for the Atlantic, so the farmers found that it was an easy thing to sell wine to the sailors and merchants as they came through. The major problem was keeping the wine good during the long voyages and vast climate changes. In order to accomplish this winemakers began to add brandy to the wine as a preservative.

The merchants soon found that the wine was better after having been stored for months in the holds of the ships. Between the heat in the tropics and the constant agitation from the ocean waves the wine took on a rich, caramel character. This intensified the longer that the wines were on the ships. Casks that had been in the hold of a ship for a long journey could be sold for more than a cask that had come straight from Madeira to where it was to be sold.

Madeira was one of the primary wines enjoyed in the American colonies and therefore had a large part in the success of the wine. It was popular well into the Victorian era, both as an after dinner drink and as an ingredient in recipes.

The winemakers of Madeira were dealt a blow in 1852 with the mass destruction of their vineyards by a fungus, Oidium Tuckeri. Many vintners went out of business, refusing to replant the vines but choosing to grow sugarcane instead. Some hardy producers replanted and began again.

In 1873 Phylloxera devastated the grape vines in Madeira. Thought to originate in eastern North America, these microscopic aphid-like insects fed on the roots and leaves of the grapevines until nearly all of the vines died or were seriously impaired.

Today in Madeira there are only about 20% of the original grapevines remaining.

Since there are no long voyages on small sailing vessels in the 21^st century the winemakers of Madeira have had to find other ways to replicate the unique flavor and quality of the wine.

First the winemaker adds distilled alcohol, usually brandy, to the wine. This is done early in the fermentation process to stop the chemical reactions of the yeast on the sugar. Since the yeast no longer feeds upon the sugar after the brandy is added much of the sweetness of the wine is retained.

The wine is heated slowly and exposed to air for several months. Once the process is completed the wine will retain its quality for an indefinite period of time – literally hundreds of years if it is sealed.

Madeira Producers

Over half of all the Madeira wines produced today are made by wineries that belong to the Madeira Wine Company, an association compromised of 27 producers. There are only seven independent producers left. Following are some of the primary Madeira producers today, both involved with the Madeira Wine Company and independent of it.

Barbeito

Barbeito was founded in 1946 and is part of the Madeira Wine Company. This producer is known for a full bodied, robust Madeira.

Cossart Gordon

Cossart Gordon boasts of being the oldest Madeira producer in the world, producing wines since 1745. Their 15 year old Madeira is a consistent winner and fetches some of the highest Madeira prices at auction.

Henriques & Henriques

Although the Henriques family has been making Madeira since the 1400s the company was not founded until 1850 when two brothers went into partnership and formed Henriques and Henriques. It is considered by many to be the largest, most respected independent Madeira house.

Justino Henriques, Filhos, Lda

Although Justino Henriques was formed as a limited company in 1953 it has been in existence since 1870 as a private family company.

Leacock's

Leacock's was founded in 1760 and is the second oldest producer of Madeira in the entire world. Thomas Leacock left England in 1741 at the age of 15 and was apprenticed in the firm of Catanach and Murdoch, Madeira merchants. After learning as much as he could, Leacock founded his own company in 1760.

Madeira is classified by two distinct criteria – its sweetness and the age of the finished blend. The bottle is dated by the earliest year in the blend while the name of the grape indicates how sweet the wine is.

The most common grape is Tinta Negra Mole, used in bulk wines and the more inexpensive blends. Other grapes used in Madeira, from the sweetest to the driest are:

• Malmsey
• Bual
• Verdelho
• Sercial

Producers generally won't release the better wines until they are quite old. Commonly wines are released at 10 to 15 years, while the best wines may be over 100 years old. The label will state on of the following:

• Finest – 3 year old wines
• Reserve – 5 year old wines
• Old Reserve – 10 year old wines
• Extra Reserve – 15 year old wines
• Vintage – wines that are more than 20 years old are labeled as vintage. These are made with the best wines from the best years. These wines may be more than 150 years old and fetch thousands of dollars at auction.

• Madeira should be served at room temperature for the full aroma and flavor experience.
• Open the bottle at least 24 hours before serving. Once in awhile the wine may have a bad small called bottle sickness. This does not affect the wine but should be allowed to dissipate before the wine is served – leave it uncorked for 48 hours or longer until the smell goes away. Decanting the wine is a good idea.
• Break the wax seal by hitting it with a spoon and then peel off the pieces of wax. You can also shave the wax off. This is especially important with very old bottles.
• If the cork breaks immediately filter the wine through a clean coffee filter.
• Decant the wine at room temperature. Sercial should be stored in the refrigerator but let it come to chilly room temperature before serving.
• An opened bottle will be good for several weeks to months.
• When Madeira is placed in front of you pass it clockwise. This is a long held tradition.

Madeira is a warm, sweet wine that doesn't normally accompany the main course, unless you choose a rich mushroom or chicken dish. The flavors of caramel, toffee, and raisins make it perfect as the luxurious finish to any meal.

Cheese

Madeira pairs well with cheese and can hold its own with many appetizers. Since the wine is so sweet rich, flavorful cheeses are perfect. Choose:

• Bleu cheeses
• Brie
• Camembert
• Gruyere
• Smoked cheeses

Desserts

Madeira is one of the few wines that pair well with many desserts because of the balanced sweetness. Suggested desserts are those with rich, full flavors, such as:

• Black Forest Cake
• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate truffles
• Cream Brule
• Pecan Pie

You probably won't find a good Madeira at your local grocery store or most liquor stores. Generally you will find the young Madeiras that are should be used mainly as cooking wines. While most people can't afford a wine auction there are many online venues for Madeira and other specialty wines.

The Madeira that you choose will depend on several factors:

• Availability
• Budget
• Menu
• Personal taste

You will need to experiment with a variety of Madeiras to find the one that you like the best.

If you are a Madeira fan you may want to try to attend the Madeira Wine Festival at least once in your lifetime. The wine festival is held during the main period of grape harvesting, in the first few days of September.

The festival begins with the picking of the grapes. There are parades, activities, and demonstrations of all of the old wine making traditions. Of course, there is music, dancing, food, and lots of celebrating. There are folklore groups, musicians, and many activities to enjoy and attend. Since this is a large celebration you will want to make your plans and reservations early.

Madeira is an age old wine that will never go out of style. If you have never tasted it you should give it a try.