Madeira one of the great fortified wines of the world
Wines made in subtropical volcanic Atlantic Madeira
Madeira Portugal fortified wines
One of the great fortified wines of the world, Madeira has been disappearing from view but is positioning itself to make a comeback.
Madeira comes from the eponymous subtropical, volcanic Atlantic island, world-famous for its diversity of flora and fauna, which was appropriated by Portugal in 1419 as part of the country’s colonial project.
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Madeira is one of the world’s three great fortified wines, alongside Port (from Douro Valley, Portugal) and Sherry (from Jerez, Spain) and, just like them, is a unique product impossible to reproduce elsewhere.
Near-perfect growing conditions deliver high-quality grapes, the vines imparted with ephemeral ocean influences.
Madeira wine has a long (and disrupted) history spanning six centuries and today finds itself, as with other traditional drinks, trying to reassert itself in contemporary gastronomic culture.
Perhaps mirroring the creation of the White Port-based aperitif Portonic, which has received terrific touristic success in the Portuguese city of Porto, there has been a move towards incorporating Madeira in cocktails.
Ginger Highball is Madeira with ginger beer and peach bitter; The Negronaldo features plum juice and Campari; and others incorporate preparations such as melon juice, basil syrup, Calvados, and lime juice.
Júlio Fernandes (of Madeira producer Justino’s) believes this trajectory can “introduce Madeira to customers who are not keen on fortified wine” and represents a “flexible way of looking at Madeira”.
Dr Jamie Goode, founder of influential wineanorak.com, adds that while premium Madeira appears to be selling well, mixology can be a good way to get less-expensive Madeira to the market (for example a 3-year-old (3YO) as opposed to a single vintage Madeira such as a 1995).
A food loving wine
Others stress the importance of bringing Madeira to the dining table, or the cocktail party, as well as behind the bar.
Nelson Calado from Blandy’s believes that Madeira “is one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting food wine there is”.
For example, he says Sercial makes for a lovely aperitif with salted almonds, Verdelho pairs with roast chicken, Bual is great with blue cheese, and Malvasia matches with rich desserts such as sticky toffee pudding.
These kinds of ideas lead fortified wine away from the end of the meal, where we might place it, to something that can be enjoyed in different ways at different times of the day.
Fascinatingly, the China market has chosen to promote Madeira not within these categories but as a wedding wine, or as a gift for new-born babies, according to Macau-based professional sommelier and wine writer, Maggie Mak.
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This is uniquely unusual and clever marketing, which is apparently leading to good sales particularly in Zhejiang, the home of Chinese Yellow Wine, because the taste is considered similar.
Madeira’s capital city Funchal
So, what is Madeira, and is it worth trying?
The Portuguese introduced the vine to the island, and there is evidence of wine being exported, though sugar cane was the most important crop.
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However, from 1570 onwards, the Portuguese colony of Brazil became a much cheaper source of sugar cane, and vines became Madeira’s principal crop.
Madeira’s capital city, Funchal, served as a convenient stopping-off point for ships before they crossed the Atlantic.
Wine was included in the ship rations as well as for trading opportunities, and the barrels that were loaded onto ships served also as ballasts. But something unexpected was to happen.
It was discovered that the pitching and rolling on the ocean, in conjunction with the heat of the sun, transformed the wine into something quite special.
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From then on, casks were deliberately shipped out to the tropics and then back to Madeira, whereby the wine became known as vinho da roda or tornaviagem (“return journey wine”).
Barrel aged Canteiro method
Experimentation into fortification and amelioration of table wine on dry land began, and in 1794 the first estufa was created.
This process of controlled heating allowed for the creation of something close to the taste of the Madeira of the high seas, but now achieved in a more consistent manner.
However, higher-quality wine is produced according to the canteiro method, whereby wine is aged for at least two years in barrels stacked in the warmest rooms at the top of the lodge.
In many ways Madeira, which varies from dry to sweet, is easier to understand than, say, Port, for although there are various classifications (Colheitas, Frasqueiras, 5YO and 10YO, and so on), the character of the wine depends on the grape varietal, the name of which always appears on the label.
The Madeira world is not hard to navigate. There are just six producers (compared with up to seventy port producers) – Barbeito, Blandy’s, H.M. Borges, Henriques & Henriques, Justino’s, and Pereira d’Oliveira.
Tinta Negra, which accounts for about 88 per cent of plantings, is the workhorse grape, while the so-called “noble” grapes are Sercial, Verdelho, Boal (or Bual), Malvasia (also known as Malmsey) and Terrantez.
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Most important to know is that Terrantez – which was almost extinct – has the highest reputation, Sercial is always dry, and Malvasia is the sweetest.
Madeira sweetness and acidity
Yet with Madeira, even when we talk of sweetness, there is a natural high acidity and saline quality that can disguise it.
For example, Pereira d’Oliveira Malvasia 2000 has a residual sugar of 64g/L which is the same as Pedro Ximénez Sherry or PX (the one famously poured over vanilla ice-cream), but it tastes fresh and saline, finishes long, and would be wasted on ice-cream!
So, while the traditional vocabulary associated with Madeira tasting includes terms such as burnt sugar, treacle, dried fruit, caramel, honey and beeswax, the natural acidity also delivers sensations of lemon zest and orange peel, tropical fruit, and even savoury, vegetal notes.
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The wines are not too rich or cloying and clunky on the finish. Blandy’s Terrantez 1978 is precise on the palate and almost explodes on the fresh finish; Pereira d’Oliveira Boal 1980 has “religious” aromas (old church furniture?!) and literally flows across the palate with concentrated flavours.
Madeira red, white and sweet
Today, a dynamic tourism market is important for interest in and sales of Madeira, and there are many opportunities to visit Madeira lodges and attend tastings in downtown Funchal.
Júlio Fernandes (of Madeira producer Justino’s) adds that the demographic is moving from tourists in their sixties staying in hotels to a more vibrant cohort of thirty- or forty-year-olds enjoying a more dynamic Airbnb-style experience.
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He adds that technological innovation in Madeira production – while not reinventing it – can serve to, for example, preserve fresh fruit aromas and even “improve” Madeira and attract a younger audience.
There’s also a move towards the production of table wine, which Dr Jamie Goode founder of influential wineanorak.com, believes is a way to make interesting wine “without the cashflow issue of ageing a wine for twenty years”.
Certainly, producers Barbeito and Justino’s have been experimenting with high-quality (white) table wine, perhaps riding on the mounting success of volcanic wines such as those of Sicily.
Nelson Calado of Madeira Wine Company says that his firm’s first foray into table wine was 1992, and he believes that the table wine movement serves as a wonderful affirmation of Madeira as a wine region “par excellence”.
Text Annabel Jackson / Photos WESSIELING
