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Portugal > Wines > Madeira
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History
The fortified drink known as "Madeira" comes from the small Island of the same name that lies in the Atlantic Ocean. Although vines were introduced into this Island in the 15th Century, the Madeira wine we taste today was only refined to its present state in the eighteenth century. It is reputed that the quality of the soil was established when the 15th Century discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco deliberately set fire to the forests on the Island. They were so dense that are reputed to have burned for a period of 7 years. It thus created a rich mixture of volcanic soil and potash that the vines appreciate. It is said that in order to create good Madeira it has to travel. This was discovered by the trading ships that used the Island as a port on their eastern trips through the Tropics. The wine was thus raised to a temperature of 45ºC. through the Tropics and cooled again in the months of the ensuing journey. This was discovered almost by accident when a shipment of wine was returned to the Island and the shippers realized why the flavour had been so improved.

The popularity of Madeira through recent history is well recorded and here are two small and interesting stories.

"Napoleon, in order to have some comfort in his exile arranged to sail past the Island to trade some of his precious paintings for "pipes" of Madeira with the Leacock family."

"Winston Churchill on raising a glass of Bual remarked – Do you realize that this wine was made when Marie Antoinette was still alive."

The English settlers in the middle of the 18th Century basically developed the Madeira wine trade. The first two people to become successfully involved were John Leacock, an orphan son of a London weaver, and Francis Newton, a young Scot. Initially the wine was not fortified but this changed around the 1750s to improve its life span during long voyages. The producers then experimented and designed a process named "estufagem"

Process
Today, the wine undergoes its normal fermentation either prior or after to being treated to the "estufagem" process. To produce the sweeter variety the treatment is used prior to fermentation. The process involves the heat of the sun and it is assisted by hot water pipes to maintain the temperature between 40º-50º C. for a period of six months.

There are four main different types of Madeira that are named after the grape from which it is made. The driest is Sercial that normally is aged for at least eight years. It is a dry wine drunk as an aperitif or with fish, and best served slightly chilled. Verdelho is sweeter in taste and classifies as a medium-dry wine and often used to accompany a slice of fruity cake. Bual is a dark and nutty medium-sweet wine and often served as an alternative to a Port wine. Malmsey is much the sweeter and heavier of the four, and happily drunk as an after-dinner digestive. There are available bottles that can be purchased that carry a date from 100 to 200 years old!

The main "Madeira Houses" are Barbeiro, Blandy Brothers, Cossart Gordon, Harveys, Henriques & Henrigues, Leacock, Lmelino, Power Drury & Co. and Rutherford & Miles.




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