Madeira

Madeira is a fortified wine with a protected designation of origin. Only wine from the island of Madeira may carry that name. Supervision lies with the Instituto do Vinho, do Bordado e do Artesanato da Madeira (IVBAM) in Funchal.

The winemaker stops the fermentation by adding wine spirit of 96 percent. The timing determines how much sugar remains, and therefore whether the wine becomes dry, medium dry, medium sweet or sweet.

Then follows the maturation that sets madeira apart. With estufagem the wine goes for at least three months into tanks at 45 to 50 degrees, followed by at least 90 days of rest. With canteiro the wine matures for at least two years in casks, usually on the upper floors of the wine lodges.

Both are Portuguese fortified wines, but they come from different regions and mature differently. Port comes from the demarcated Douro region on the mainland. Madeira comes from the island of the same name in the Atlantic Ocean.

In both, fermentation is stopped with grape-based alcohol. The difference lies mainly in the ageing. Madeira is deliberately heated, via estufagem or through years in warm attics. With port, part of it ages in wooden casks, another part in a way that preserves colour and fruit. According to the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, port has between 18 and 22 percent alcohol. Anyone searching for madeira port is therefore actually looking for two different wines.

The label often shows a grape, and it says a lot about the sweetness. According to IVBAM, Sercial gives dry wine. Verdelho gives medium-dry wine, slightly fuller and less acidic than Sercial. Boal, Bual on English labels, gives medium-sweet wine. Malvasia, Malmsey in English, gives sweet wine.

The most planted grape is Tinta Negra, accounting for 80 to 85 percent of production. Madeira in all four sweetness levels is made from it. On labels you then see terms such as Dry, Medium Dry, Medium Rich or (Full) Rich. Terrantez is also one of the six main grapes of the island.

An age on the label stands for a blend of different years. IVBAM recognises 5 years (also Reserva), 10 years (Reserva Velha), 15 years (Reserva Extra) and also 20, 30, 40 and more than 50 years.

A year on the bottle is something different. A colheita comes from a single harvest and matures for at least five years. A frasqueira, also called garrafeira, matures for at least twenty years in wooden casks. For both, at least 85 percent must come from the stated year and the label must state both the harvest year and the bottling date. On English-language labels, the word vintage sometimes appears next to a year.

Madeira is a classic in the kitchen. A splash traditionally goes into clear oxtail soup, and madeira is also used in brown sauces, gravies and stews.

For the pan a simple bottle will do. There are special cooking bottles, and a young madeira without an age statement is also suitable. A bottle with 10 years or a vintage year suits the glass better, for example after dinner or with cheese.

All the madeira bottles in the shop come from Portugal. The largest part is from Cossart Gordon, according to the house itself the oldest company in the madeira trade since 1745. Of those, the 5 Years Old Sercial, the 5 Years Old Verdelho, the 10 Years Old Verdelho and the 10 Years Old Malmsey are among those on the shelf.

From Welsh Brothers there is a Medium Dry, also as a half bottle. There is also a Madeira Vat 22 Full Rich, a Kopke Madeira Sercial Vintage 1940 and, for the kitchen, the Cuisine Keukenflesje Kook-Madeira. Unsure which bottle suits the soup or an occasion? Call the shop or drop by at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.