Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the fortified wines, Madeira’s unfortunate reputation as a mere cooking wine has ensured that it stays mostly unappreciated and barely available.  This is a shame, because not only is Madeira delicious — certainly my favourite amongst the fortifieds — but it’s also one of the most rich in terms of history.

The tale of Madeira starts with Henry the Navigator, son of King John I of Portugal and Governor of the incredibly wealthy Order of Christ (renamed Portuguese order of the Knights Templar). Henry had in his employ many explorers and map makers and was constantly deploying ships to discover new lands for resources and trade, and for the settlement of new Portuguese colonies. On a fateful expedition in 1418, a ship was knocked off course by a storm and landed on a small island. Grateful to be alive, the sailors named this “new” island Porto Santo, or Holy Harbour.

The storm subsided and the ship returned home. One year later, some of the sailors came back, to better acquaint themselves with the territory. Not only did they find Porto Santo: They stumbled upon a significantly larger island not far away, whose dense forests led them to name it Madeira or Island of Wood. Portugal began to colonize the island around 1420.

Despite Madeira’s mountainous terrain, the fertile volcanic soil was kind to the fields of sugarcane that the Portuguese sailors planted and, in no time, Madeira became a sugar-production powerhouse. The port of Funchal became one of the most important stops along the Atlantic routes to Brazil, Africa and India, even more so after the discovery of America.

When other sugar-producing colonies started giving Madeira a run for their money, they changed with the tide and shifted their focus to grape-growing and winemaking. The British ships that constantly stopped at Funchal always needed wine to sell in the many colonies of their vast empire. This is where things get interesting…

So as not to upset the balance of the boat, most heavy loads were stored in holds below deck to act as ballast. Along the journey, the wine inside the barrels was constantly sloshing around and being subjected to extremely hot temperatures for months at a time (for instance, a ship would cross the equator twice on route to India). One would think that this would have an adverse effect on the wine, but when the first barrels were returned to the island in 1722, they found that the result was the exact opposite. It became a thicker, fuller liquid, much more rich and intense in flavour.

Wines from Madeira, now known as vinho de roda or route wine, quickly became famous and fetched top dollar. Once the process became known, ships purchasing supplies at Funchal began purposely comprising their ballast of entirely wine. They also began to fortify their wine with high-proof grape spirits, to protect against spoilage along the journey. The Madeira wine we are familiar with today was born.

In modern times, winemakers no longer need that whole ship hullabaloo to produce the desired result. Nowadays, most producers use large tanks called estufas or cellars that are heated to very high temperatures, with the wine almost at a simmer for up to five months before heading into a barrel for a lengthy aging process.

Madeira wines can be incredibly long lived, with 100-150 year old bottles selling for very large sums of money at auctions with no complaints from the purchaser. For that feat alone, this fantastic liquid of humble (if not accidental) origin deserves our favour!

Memory Lane (Wes Galloway)
3/4oz dark, rich Madeira
3/4oz Becherovka liqueur
3/4oz gin
1 dash Angostura bitters
*Stir all ingredients with ice and strain over good, solid ice cubes in an Old Fashioned glass.  This cocktail also works beautifully with quality Calvados or Slivovic in place of the gin.  Cheers!

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Image courtesy of Dubes.