Maderia wine is made by the same method as Port, but with one vital difference. The newly fermented wine is heated in vats at 50 °C for up to 3 months to give the wine its typical caramelised tang.
Madeira can range in style from fully sweet (doce) to fully dry (seco). It is tangy and pungent with a dry finish - even when it's sweet.
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Location
Madeira is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 700 miles
southwest of Portugal and 300 miles west of the North African town
of Casablanca.
Grapes
- White: Bual, Sercial, Verdelho and Malvasia
(Malmsey)
Look Out For
- Seco: Dry
- Meio Seco: Medium Dry
- Meio Doce: Medium Sweet
- Doce: Sweet
- Reserve: Aged 5 years in oak
- Special Reserve: Aged 10 years
in oak
- Exceptional Reserve: Aged 15 years in oak
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The grape variety indicated on the label does not only name the grape that the wine was made from, but also indicates a certain taste. There is the light and dry Sercial, the slightly weightier and off-dry Verdelho, the medium sweet, rich Bual and the rich and oily Malmsey. The absence of a grape name will usually indicate a lower quality wine made of Tinta Negra Mole.
Most Madeira is blended. This means that a 5 year old Madeira will contain wine that is at least 5 years old, with some older wines added to rounden the taste. Only vintage Madeira and the new types like Colheita and Harvest will contain wine from one single year.
Storage
Always store Madeira wine in an upright position; the contents should not touch the cork. This will allow for a small gas exchange that will help keep the oxidized aroma.
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