Basically the title. While in the past I've enjoyed wine, I never really engaged with it in any way. I'll have it with meals but I know next to nothing other than when to have red vs. white. I'll often just let the friends and family I'm with who know more than me pick what we should drink.
Recently, I was at a friends place for dinner and afterwards she asked if anyone wanted any Madeira. I only knew of it because I had just read the Aubrey-Maturin series of books where wine is often being drank and discussed, and Madeira was one of the character's favorite types. I had some, loved it, and immediately got some for myself the next day. Now I'm wondering what else I should branch out to.
I do not remember what Madeira my friend had, it was in the traditional looking bottle with the white lettering, something like this. For myself, I've been getting the Sandeman Fine Rich Madeira and enjoyed it equally. I've seen that Port is similar to Madeira, but I was wondering which kinds of Port I should go with, or if there are other non-fortified wines that you think I might like based on my taste for Madeira.
Thanks!
EDIT: Just want to say I appreciate all the responses; I've got plenty of options to explore. Thanks again everyone!
by TormundIceBreaker
5 Comments
Madeira is made from many different grapes and in different styles, so maybe start by exploring Madeira more?
Marsala and some styles of Sherry are more similar to Madeira than Port is, IMO, so try those too.
As someone else who also enjoys Madeira, I also enjoy: Port (I find tawny or older vintage Port most similar but try various styles), Sherry (look for Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel, or Cream Sherry; there are also dry Sherries but these are not really going to be reminiscent of Madeira), Sauternes and Tokaji (these are made very differently than Madeira and the other above wines and have a fairly different flavor profile but are also sweet wines and worth exploring if you like sweet/dessert wines), Ice wine or Eiswein (again, not that similar to Madeira but in the broad category of sweet wine so maybe worth checking out) or sweet/late harvest Riesling (Trockenbeerenauslese), Vin Santo… I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch but that’s off the top of my head lol
Madeira wines are truly special!
Here is some information that might help.
The main grapes used to make it are Verdelho and Sercial (which are drier) and Boal and Malvasia (Sweeter). Finally, Terrantez, which is also more sweet and is very difficult to find. Unlike Porto, the vast majority of Madeira and the best examples are varietals.
I personally think Malvasia and Terrantez are the best experiences. If possible, opt for bottles that are at least 15 or 20 years old.
Barbeito and Henriques & Henriques are producers that I really like!
Tawny Port 20 years or more may please you too.
Like another poster said, start with exploring some of the different styles of Madeira. Rare Wine Co is a great resource, either for their “city” versions or for their importations of other producers. There are lots of different sweetness levels, some of which are made from specific grapes- Verdelho, Bual or others blended to a specific sweetness like your Fine Rich example.
Banyuls, Angelica, Port are some other fortified wines you might enjoy also. If you were to look for unfortified I think an Amarone or a late harvest California Zin might be your closest bets but Madeira isn’t hard to find once you get track down a couple sources. It will also last pretty indefinitely after being opened.
Happy to advise.
Madeira is made from 1+4+2+some grapes:
* 1 is Tinta Negra, a black grape but made as a white wine, representing >85% of the production. It is made in every style (a.k.a. sweetness level, age before release) and almost every price-point bar the highest of highs (>$500 bottle).
* 4 are Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malvasia (a.k.a. Malmsey … and in fact more than one variety). These are white grapes made in increasing levels of sweetness left-to-right. You often see these names on bottles. These are not made at the lower price-points, rarely aged for <10 years (let’s put some of the MWC products aside the time), and can be 100+ years old before release.
* 2 are Bastardo and Terrantez, very rare, incredibly hard to grow, usually made into high-end wine
* some are … well, they don’t matter here
All Madeira is made in an oxidative environment, but also exposed to extreme heat in the process. The combination gives it its particular set of aromas that are hard to find elsewhere in the world of wine. Madeira wines are also pretty high in acid, some Sercials are incredibly high in acid — that makes it stand out, also from among fortified wines, and makes it particularly refreshing as well as age-able. Also, price really does reflect quality to a great degree in Madeira. These wines also live forever, but unlike most wines they don’t really change after bottling: because they’ve been to hell and back during production there’s not much time and oxygen at room temperature will do to harm them.
Old Madeiras (let’s say ≥15yo) are a whole different world to young (≤5yo) Madeiras like the Fine Rich. With the latter there’s some fruity notes, with the former it’s all wood varnish, coffee, walnuts etc. I greatly enjoy all of them, there’s usually a 3 or 5yo Tinta Negra in dry or off-dry (still pretty sweet) style open in my fridge. But the older stuff, and then again once you get into the great Frasqueiras, is a whole different level and kind of enjoyment.
The wine you had at your friends’ is likely far higher quality than the Fine Rich – that style of white lettering straight onto bottles was traditionally used for many Fortified wines and is still commonly found on upper-middle all the way to the most premium madeiras by most producers.
What’s really a shame is that you can’t find a greater variety of Madeira available to you. Depending on where you are have a look at a variety of retailers – Wine Searcher is a great tool for this. The best thing to do is to try many, and to try to understand them systematically on the variety (sweetness) vs. age graph.
==================
Now, other wines. As noted above, there’s nothing that can match Madeira. There are some Marsalas – fortified Marsala only exists because a British merchant wanted “another source of Madeira” – that can match very good Madeira, for example De Bartoli Oro Riserva Superiore from the 1980s. Inexpensive Marsala is nowhere near as good as inexpensive Madeira. And if you can’t find great Madeira, you’ll probably struggle to find great Marsala.
Ports are fine, but it’s a different kind of enjoyment to Madeira. Old tawny port (≥30yo) is similar to Malmsey in a sense. Inexpensive Madeiras find a good match in inexpensive white port, especially drier styles of white port. Wonderful drink chilled year round, and 50:50 with tonic water in the summer.
Like noted above a key thing about Madeira is the oxidative+HOT ageing. There’s another place that does something vaguely similar — Roussillon and Catalonia, the two regions straddling the French-Spanish border on the Mediterranean. Some fortified wines there (Maury, Banyuls, Rivesaltes in France, Emporda in Spain) undergo ageing in demi-johns under the hot mediterranean sun. That can give similar “rancio” aromas to the varnish, coffee and walnut notes in older Madeira. They can be surprisingly inexpensive. Alcohol levels are lower at around 16% as well.
You might also enjoy more complex Sherries that were aged (in part) biologically like Manzanilla Pasada or Amontillado (especially “Medium Amontillado” with some sweetness).
But you will struggle to find the same combination of acidity and verve anywhere else but the Atlantic gem that is Madeira.