Madeira wine: how it’s made, what to try and where to taste it

Madeira wine is one of the world’s great fortified wines, and one of the longest-lived. It is aged by heat and air, the very things that ruin other wines, so a good Madeira can last for decades, even centuries, and an open bottle stays good for months.

How it’s made

Like port, Madeira is fortified with grape spirit to stop fermentation. What makes it unique is the ageing. In the past, barrels crossed the tropics in the holds of ships, and merchants noticed that the heat improved the wine. Today it is recreated in two ways:

Estufagem: the wine is gently heated in tanks for some months. Used for younger, everyday wines.
Canteiro: the wine ages slowly in wooden casks in the warm lofts of the lodges for years. Used for the best wines.

The four classic grapes, from dry to sweet

Sercial: dry, bright and acidic. Lovely chilled as an aperitif.
Verdelho: medium dry, with notes of nuts and citrus.
Boal (Bual): medium sweet, rich and smoky.
Malvasia (Malmsey): sweet, deep and luscious. Perfect with cake, cheese or on its own after dinner.

Much everyday Madeira is made from Tinta Negra, a versatile red grape used across all styles of sweetness.

Reading the label

3 years old: young, simple wines, good for cooking.
5, 10, 15, 20 years old and older: blends with an average age; quality rises fast after 10 years.
Colheita: wine from a single harvest year, aged at least five years.
Frasqueira or vintage: wine from a single year and usually a single grape, aged at least 20 years in cask. These are treasures.

Where to taste

Funchal: several historic wine lodges offer tours and tastings, including Blandy’s on Avenida Arriaga, with its old wooden lofts. Small family houses in the old town have tasting rooms with very old vintages.
Câmara de Lobos and Caniço: some of the larger producers have their cellars outside the city.
The Wine Festival in late August and September, with tastings and harvest celebrations.

Table wines

Madeira also makes still wines under the Madeirense label: fresh whites from Verdelho and other grapes, often grown on the north coast around Seixal and São Vicente, and some reds and rosés. Try them with fish.

Taking it home

Madeira wine travels well, and an opened bottle keeps for months. Buy a 10-year-old Malmsey or Sercial to remember the island; it will last much longer than the holiday.