Madeira: Too Often Overlooked

Hey everyone,

Today I am trying to find out some stuff about Madeira. I know Madeira as a sweet fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name. Although I've had a bit of Madeira in the past, I never really got my head around it as a wine, and always thought of it in the same way I thought of sherry before I made an effort to understand it. As I sit down with a couple samples of quality Madeira, I have every expectation that my horizons will be suitably expanded as was true when I set my mind to sherry.

It originally came as something of a surprise when I learned that not all Madeira is sweet. I usually assume that the fortification process is intended to stop fermentation while the wine still has a large amount of sugar in solution, and thereby maintain sweetness. Oh, how wrong I was!

The very first wine I am trying is expressly dry. Made by Madeira Barbeito from a single grape variety, Sercial, being the classic ingredient for Madeira, this is very much a dry wine which reminds me somewhat of some drier Marsala. It is definitely an appealing glass of wine. It is fragrant with hints of orange peal, lemon zest and pineapple as well as a touch of vanilla from the toasty oak. The palate is far from boozy. It carries it's 19% ABV with a good bit of grace. Te palate is big and mouth-filling with plenty of almond and fig flavour. Ten years of barrel ageing has turned this bright crisp wine into a rich, dry and almost nutty bottle of very appetising wine. It would be perfect with a bowl of roasted almonds, olives or other finger foods before a big dinner.

The second wine I tried is the same age, by the same producer made this time from the Verdelho grape variety. It is somewhat darker in colour with a brilliant bronze tinge and a hint of pink. According to the label, this wine is semi-dry, compared to the last wine which was described as fully dry. Usually known as the main grape for Vinho Verde in portuguese table wine, it makes an effervescent, appetising companion for shellfish. Here it is similarly rich, with aromas of light fruits, peaches, melons, but in general, it is somewhat muted in comparison with the Sercial. It's as mouth filling as the Verdelho but the flavours aren't quite as defined. Although it is a bit sweeter, there is almost a metallic bitterness to the finish.

Now onto the third example of Barbeito's 10-year-old Madeira, this time made from the Boal grape. Labelled as semi-sweet, the nose is laden with a bit more of a floral profile. It smells a bit of lychee, lemon, furniture polish and perhaps some violets. The furniture polish and the lemon are a bit bigger than the other aspects, but the nose is appealing for sure. The palate is definitely sweeter. It is nutty, tasting of roasted almonds and has a rather more viscous texture. Not quite the accompaniment to dessert I tend to associate with Madeira, but it could definitely do nicely with some crumbly cheeses and biscuits.

The fourth and final ten year old Madeira, made from the classic grape, Malvasia, is labelled as being quite sweet. The colour is lighter than the rest, being sort of light copper in hue. The nose is quite lit and delicate with a perfume of flowers and citrus. Not as much roasted nuttiness as I got from the others, but a hint of almonds nonetheless. The palate is citric, with enough acid to go well with some heavier creamy desserts, the orange zest comes back in this one and I think it is a very complete wine. I would put it at the top of the list for today's tasting. It is a bit more viscous feeling with a nice rich palate and I think that while it is far from the big sweetness of PX Sherry or many ports, it is definitely an interesting and satisfying wine.

The main character I am getting from my educational tasting of Madeira is that the wines are consistently more-ish. They have a hint of maritime saltiness that is so appetising and makes you want to refill your glass again and again. Another nice thing is that they are really very affordable. At £30 per bottle, these can be opened and tasted and then kept as long as you like. They behave rather like ruby port in that you don't need to drink it all in one go. If you decide to go for a Madeira, I highly recommend the malvasia, as it's sweetness makes it both appetising and satisfying.

I do hope you'll get a chance to treat yourself to some nice Madeira and expand your horizons as I did today.

Much Love,

G