Madeira

Light amber-tawny color and a nose of dried figs, walnuts, and maple syrup, this wine offers otherworldly complexity, featuring cinnamon-clove spiciness with overtones of citrus peel and woodsmoke. There is just enough sweetness to excel as an after-dinner wine, but its long, dry finish also makes it work beautifully with food. 
 
Madeira was once the most coveted wine in the United States. Our Founding Fathers toasted the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a glass of Madeira. It was also served at George Washington’s Inauguration. 
 
Madeira is a fortified wine made on the Portuguese island of Madeira, located just over 500 miles west of Casablanca. The island was established as a port of call for ships traveling between Europe to India in the late 15th century. A small wine industry emerged to supply ships with wine for the long voyages. Since wines at the time spoiled easily, producers began adding a small amount of distilled alcohol to act as a preservative. The Dutch East India Company became a major customer, taking multiple “pipes,” or large casks of the wine, for their expeditions to India. 
 
Madeira could have become just another fortified wine, like Port, except it was discovered that the extreme heat it experienced in the holds of ships during the long trip transformed the wine. After making the voyage to India, one cask was returned to Madeira, and it was discovered the wines had taken on flavors of roasted nuts, stewed fruits, caramel and toffee. People loved the taste, and a new style of Madeira was created. For years, producers aged their wines by sending them on long, hot voyages. The wines were known as “vinho da roda” or wines that made the round trip. However, that method proved timely and expensive, so producers developed “estaufas,” special rooms at the wineries where the wine was stored in trestles which used the sun’s heat to transform the wine. 
 
Madeira is made from the red grape Negra Mole and one of four white grapes: Malvasia, Bual, Verdelho and Sercial. Madeira made with Malvasia and Bual tends to be sweeter and used as after dinner wines while Madeira made with Verdelho and Sercial are drier and usually served chilled as an aperitif. 
 
Madeira’s popularity suffered a near fatal blow in America during Prohibition. After Prohibition’s repeal, Madeira was seen largely as a cheap cooking wine and nearly forgotten. Madeira reemerged after a dedicated marketing campaign in the 1990s. While it never regained its devoted following, Madeira is a wine deserves your attention. 
 
Among the many virtues of Madeira is that it is not subject to temperature variations, so that it can be stored just about anywhere. It also keeps for months, if not years, after opening. Just put a cork or stopper in the bottle and store it in your wine cellar or kitchen cabinet.