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MadeiraFortified Wine
Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands just of the coast of Portugal, which is popular for both drinking and cooking and is the cheif ingredient for the dessert - plum in Madeira - .
The method of production is similar to that employed in other parts of Portugal, but the method employed for hastening the maturation of the wine is peculiar and characteristic.
This consists in subjecting the wine to a high temperature for a period of some months, in buildings known as estufas, these building are specially designed for this task. The purpose of this process is to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage of the aging barrels through tropical climates. Madeira was originally unfortified, but the addition of grape spirits increased its ability to survive long journeys.
The temperaturein these buildings can rangefrom 35° to 60°C according to the quality of the wine, the lower temperature being used to produce better wines. The buildings in which all this is carried out are built of stone and are divided into several different compartments and are heated by hot air derived from a consignment of stoves and flues.
A great deal of the flavor of Madeira is due to this practice, which hastens the mellowing of the wine and also tends to check secondary fermentation inasmuch as it is, in effect, a mild kind of pasteurization. It is also to be noted that the wine is deliberately exposed to air, causing oxidizeation. The resulting wine has a color simlar to that of tawny port. In the past Colourings such as caramel have been used to give some consistency, although this practice is not widely used.
Characteristics
The extreme temperatures and oxygen exposure is the main factor that accounts for its stability, an opened bottle of Madeira will remain the same for a long time, approximately 1 year.
When properly sealed, Madeira is one of the longest lasting wines,it is recorded that Madeiras have been known to last for over a century and a half in near perfect condition.
Before the advent of artificial refrigeration, Madeira wine was particularly popular in areas where it was difficult to construct wine cellars because unlike many other fine wines it could survive being stored over hot summers without spoiling.
Types
There are four major types of Madeira:
Malvasia,
Bual,
Verdelho,
Sercial
The latter two being of the drier varirety. Occasionally one sees
Terrantez
Bastardo
Moscatel varieties
although these are now increasingly rare on the island due to disease - oidium and pests phylloxera.
After the phylloxera epidemic many wines were mislabeled as containing one of these noble grape varieties. Since the epidemic Tinta Negra Mole is the workhorse variety on the island and is found in various concentrations in many blends and vintage wines. Of these, Bastardo and Tinta Negra Mole are red grape varieties, the rest are all white.
Regulations enacted recently by the European Union have applied the rule that 85% of the grapes in the wine must be of the variety on the label. Thus, wines from before the late 19th century and after the late 20th century conform to this rule. Other madeiras do not.
Many vineyards have in the past been ripped up for commercial tourist developments or replanted with such products as bananas for commercial concerns. There is some replanting taking place on the island; however, the tourist trade is generally seen as a more lucrative business than winemaking.
Madeira may be sold as a vintage wine with a specific year when aged in casks for more almost 20 years, or a blended wine with a minimum age, such as 3, 5, 10 or 15 years. Also there are solera wines, having been started in a specific year.
The new types of wine include "Harvest" and "Garrafeira" both wines from a specific year, but with a much shorter aging period than the vintage wines.
Use the wine selector below to find the best wine for your needs.
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