MADEIRA WINE: THE WINE THAT ELEVATES THE NAME OF THE LAND

It’s an icon and the most frutuous of the island’s economic gambles. The Ma­deira wine has a centuries old reputa­tion and is an everlasting delight.

As the story goes, by adding alcohol to the local wine after long and hot journeys by boat a second finding joined the Age of Discoveries: the wine could age to become a gener­ous and rare beverage. It took a while, since the 16th cen­tury, for Madeira Wine to win its well-deserved reputation and fame. The moister was fermented and then fortified with 96% vinic alcohol. Stopping fermentation at different stages of the process and you could get dry, half dry, sweet and half sweet Madeira Wine. Then you steam and dry and with the proper know-how you achieve the miracle…

Madeira Wine is, in fact, as old as the island the bears the name. The british made it famous around the world and drank it from their colonies to the ‘salons’ of all the great continental European monarchies. In the 19th century, several plagues and diseases ruined the vineyards but modern techniques finally saved the day and, in the process, the wine.

10 years ago, Madeira Wine represented half of all the ex­ports of Madeira. The economic relevance of the product was never altered, some 4 million liters of superior quality travelling around the world every year. The main caste is Tin­ta Negra, usually mixed with Malmsey, Verdelho, Boal and Sercial (among 25 others).You can drink a Madeira heated up to 30 or 50 degrees to hurry ageing, but the best Madeira Wine requires pace and patience.

As a starter, in combination with the perfect meal or for the simple pleasure of it, Madeira Wine is an everlasting delight.