Declaration of Independence

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What did the founding fathers drink when they signed the Declaration of Independence? Drunk by the founding fathers during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Madeira was also what Francis Scott Key sipped as he composed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” George Washington (who reportedly drank a pint every night with dinner), Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin all adored it, as did John Adams (who wrote to his wife, Abigail, about the copious amounts they consumed during the Continental Congress). By the end of the eighteenth century, nearly a fourth of all the Madeira produced was being exported to the American colonies. The unbridled American passion for Madeira was certainly a testament to its compelling flavor. But Madeira’s popularity was equally based on something far more mundane: taxes. As of 1665, British governing authorities in the colonies had banned the importation of European goods, unless they were shipped on British ships that had sailed from British ports (and paid British taxes). Merchandise shipped from Madeira was exempted. Merchants in Madeira took full advantage of the loophole, establishing close trading relationships with merchants in Baltimore, Boston, New York, Savannah, Charleston, and Philadelphia. (from Winespeed)What do we really know about today's Madeira?Madeira is fortified wine from Portugal. The Portuguese Madeira Islands (a small rock in the Atlantic), off the coast of Africa, produced a variety of styles from dry to very sweet. It has not changed in over 300 years!Its unique taste comes from repeatedly heating the wine, creating interesting flavors of coffee, stewed fruit, roasted nuts, and caramel. The resulting taste is similar, with flavors of caramel, walnut oil, peach, hazelnut, orange peel, and burnt sugar.Dry styles are served chilled with starter courses. We first tried this on the Algarve, back in 2002. The sweeter styles are served after dinner, much like fine cognac or dessert wines. The inexpensive Madieras are used for cooking.So, why did madeira become a needed commodity? In the 1600 and 1700s, wine often spoiled at sea, and needed to be fortified. by adding a little brandy, to survive the long sea voyages. And this little island, Madeira, was an important provisioning point for long sea voyages to the Americas. Interestingly, the casks would be heated and cooled as it passed through the various regions. The wine's flavor deepened, becoming better, earning the name, "Vinho de Roda."So, there are two main types: Blended, which is inexpensive, and Single Varietal, which is higher quality, and made from four different varieties. Here are the details:

Blended Madeira

Blended Madeira is often inexpensive and lower quality, but there are several higher end examples that make wonderful sipping wines; these usually carry an age designation.
Finest Madeira isn’t the finest style of Madeira, but instead a 3 Year Old blended style with the grape Tinta Negra Rainwater Madeira is a fruity blend that must ages at least three years before release. This inexpensive style is good for cooking or mixing in cocktails, but isn’t half bad by itself either. The grape Tinta Negra is used for producing rainwater and other young blends. Reserve, that oft-abused wine labeling term, has different meaings in Madeira. Reserve wines are between 5-10 years of age, Special Reserve is 10-15 years old and undergo a higher quality winemaking process, Extra Reserve is 15-20 years in age. 20 Year Old is a multi-vintage blend that incorporates wines from several different years that are proven by a panel to taste at least 20 years old, and often older. 30 Year Old and 40 Year Old Madeira follow this same pattern.

Single-Varietal Madeira

Varietal Madeira represents the highest quality Madeira wine that are perfect for aperitifs or dessert wines. These wines are made as both non-vintage blends and as single vintage wines that can age for centuries due to Madeira’s unique winemaking process.
Sercial (“Ser-seal”) is the brightest, most crisp style of Madeira. It is usually served as an apéritif at the start of the meal, or alongside light fish and vegetable dishes. Sercial shows lemony, spicy herbaceous notes and often displays a stony mineral character on the palate. These wines have a slight sweetness that is offset by their acidity, especially when served chilled. Verdelho (“Ver-dell-oo”) is smokier, slightly more concentrated, and richer than Sercial. A classic pairing for Verdelho Madeira is soup, especially seafood bisque or smoked potato and leek soup. Verdelho’s dryness and intensity of flavor makes it one of the most flexible Madeira styles for pairing with foods of varying richness. Verdelho has notes of spice, smoke and light caramel. Boal or Bual (“Buwall”) is a sweet Madeira that shows incredible complexity and aromatic lift. Open a bottle of old Bual in your kitchen and you might smell it in your dining room a few minutes later. Boal is great with any desserts that incorporate nuts, figs, stewed fruit, caramel or chocolate. With aromatic, rich cheeses, Boal is an amazing pairing. Boal smells and tastes like roasted coffee, salted caramel, bitter cacao, dates and golden raisins. Malmsey (“Malm-see”) is the richest and sweetest style of Madeira. You can pair Malmsey with rich chocolate desserts, ice cream, and cheese, or just sit with a glass by the fireside. Malmsey is dessert in and of itself. It’s common for Malmsey to show the most fruity, roasted nut and chocolate notes of all the styles of Madeira. Just like Boal, Malmsey can live for decades and even centuries in some cases.

On that note, I will head to my nearest quality wine shop, and buy a bottle. I am certain it will be nothing like the Madeira I tasted many years ago on the Algarve. That is the best part. It feels like a new discovery in the world of wine.

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