SUB-ZERO WINE BLOG

Madeira is one of the world’s greatest and most long-lived fortified wines. It’s as well known to connoisseurs and collectors as it is misunderstood and underappreciated by most everyday wine drinkers. Like the island landscape itself, Madeira’s reputation has followed a series of peaks and valleys. Although its wines were originally made for local consumption, the island’s strategic position on both east-west and north-south trade routes gave it an advantage, and the Madeira wine industry was well established by the end of the sixteenth century. Demand soared. Two hundred years later, Madeira was used to toast the signing of the American Declaration of Independence. Lavish Madeira parties were an important part of social life in nineteenth-century American cities such as Savannah and Baltimore, and the wine was well known in both Africa and India.

But setbacks in the form of vine disease and, later, Prohibition contributed to Madeira’s decline. A few years ago, many people considered Madeira as antiquated as hoop skirts or muttonchop whiskers. Fortunately, there’s been a recent resurgence of interest in these fascinating wines. With their persistent acidity, Madeiras make wonderfully refreshing aperitifs, with walnuts as a classic accompaniment. They can also be served with desserts. Ask your wine merchant about Madeira, and inquire whether any bottles from the ninetenth century may still be available—they’re still around and drinking beautifully!