Origin of Madeira and its history. "Madera Massandra": reviews, description Depending on the aging period, Madera may be

Madeira is also a fortified red wine. Its homeland is the island of the same name in the Atlantic Ocean, the main grape variety for this wine is Tinta Negra Mole, a rather average variety in terms of quality, which began to be cultivated only after the catastrophic defeat of the vineyards by phylloxera. Unlike Port Madeira, after adding alcohol to it, it also undergoes a special heat treatment. In closed concrete vats, in steel tanks, in glass bottles or wooden barrels, wine is heated for many months to 40-50 ° C using an immersion heater or in thermal chambers. As a result of heating, the wine ripens faster, and the sugar caramelizes. Madeira needs fast maturation. It provides the wine with a lot of tannins and a high content of acids, including volatile acid, which confirms the bouquet of Madeira. The taste of wine can be different: from chocolate-sweet to musty dry.

About a hundred different grape varieties grow on the Douro River. Almost all of them are suitable for the production of port wine.

Some high-value varieties of Madeira

Most of the Madeira produced is good for culinary use, but there are also high-class representatives of this wine.

The best grapes for Madeira grow in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 1800 m. On the terraced slopes, mostly old white grape varieties are grown - Sersial, Boal, Malvasia and Verdelho (the heat treatment gives the dark color of Madeira from these grape varieties). These traditional wines mature slowly, without artificial heating. Wine in six hundred liter barrels is placed on the roof of a company building or a trading house and aged for at least twenty years. It is cold on the roof in winter and very hot in summer. These wines are called Vinhos de canteiro. They smell of malt and caramel, vanilla, almonds, raisins and candied fruit. There is hardly a wine in the world that lives as long as Madeira.

The main varieties of Madeira

Standard Madeira is a single-year blended wine that has a residual sweetness, even if the label says "litter". Extra Dry. But in general, Madeira is a wine with a more or less high sugar content. The best varieties of Madeira are made from white grapes and bear their names.

Additional designations:
Finest(3 years) reserve(5 years) Special Reserve(10 years) Extra Reserve(15 years) Vintage(at least 20 years old)
Sercial(Sersial)
Mostly a moderately dry wine with a sharp acidity. Soft but needs maturity. Excellent aperitif. It gets drier with age.
Verdelho(Verdelho)
Spicy, strong taste. This wine is produced in the northern part of the island. Possesses the ability of long aging.
boat(Boal)
The wine has a dark burnt sugar color, a rich and fragrant bouquet, a distinct sweetness, often with a "burnt" aftertaste.
Malmsey(Malvasia)
This is the rarest, sweetest and darkest Madeira variety. The fullness of taste is provided by the strength, which is softened by fresh lemon sourness.

The following year, 1419, Enrique the Navigator sent two ships with colonists to Porto Santo. In June 1420, João Gonçalves Zarco set out again for Porto Santo, and upon arrival noticed a dark streak on the western horizon. She looked like a cloud, but she didn't move. After resting for 8 days in Porto Santo, Zarco headed west and discovered an island covered with forests and shrouded in mist, which looked like a cloud from afar. The island was named Madeira ( Madeira- "wood, tree, forest" in Portuguese). Upon his return to Portugal, João Gonçalves Zarco was appointed ruler of the island for life (later, the management of the island began to be inherited in his family). Tristan Vaz Teixeira received control of the northern part of the island. In May 1421, Zarku arrived on the island with his wife, children, and other colonists. The economic potential and strategic importance of the island were noticed, and in 1425, on the initiative of King João I the Great, its state colonization began. Beginning in 1440, a military commandant's office was introduced on the island with a center in Machico, and 10 years later in Funchal.

The first colonists who arrived on the island were accompanied by their families, as well as small groups of nobility, which consisted of a close circle of captains and former prisoners of the Portuguese Empire. At first, agriculture was complicated by dense tropical forests called laurisilva (port. laurissilva), which fully justifies the name of the island, which in Russian means “forest, wood”. To create minimal conditions and land (?), part of the forests had to be cut down. Some sources indicate that the rainforest was destroyed by fire. In addition, since the island's water resources are unevenly distributed, it was necessary to build a primitive water supply system, the so-called "levadas" (port. levadas) - narrow terraces with ditches through which water flowed from the mountains to the plantations. The total length of the network today exceeds 1400 km. Initially, fish and vegetables formed the basis of the diet of the local population, since the cultivation of cereals was not successful.

Already in 1453, the first vines brought from Crete took root in Madeira.

Birth of a drink

According to legend, there were barrels of wine in the holds and on the deck of one of the Portuguese ships during the voyage to India. Due to the calm, the ship was stuck in the equatorial latitudes for a long time, and unsold wine had to be transported back to Europe, so it was exposed to high air temperature and heaving for a long time. At the end of the journey, it significantly changed its initial taste and aroma, acquiring shades of roasted nuts and caramel in the bouquet, thanks to which it became popular all over the world. According to another version, which does not exclude the first one, the stony, wet volcanic soil of Madeira Island did not allow the construction of dry, cool cellars, which is why barrels were stored in attics, which is still happening.

Madera in Europe

Madeira in the USA

In the XVIII century, in the North American colonies of Britain, grapes suitable for winemaking were not grown, so wine was imported to America. A special place in the import of wine was Madeira, which well tolerated long-term transportation by sea. The North American colonists consumed up to a quarter of all the wine produced in Madeira. Imports of Madeira were mainly through Savannah in Georgia.

The next catastrophe was the revolution in Russia and the adoption of Prohibition in the United States. These events led to the disappearance of the two largest markets for Madeira and stopped the production of high-quality wine for a long time. Simultaneously with a number of disasters that undermined the production of Madeira, its high popularity led to the appearance on the market of a large number of fakes and imitations - at the end of the 19th century, no wine was faked as often as Madeira. In the 19th century, the manufacture of fake Madeira was concentrated mainly in Spain, France (Sett) and Germany (Hamburg).

Current position

These days, some producers in Crimea, California, and Texas also call their wines "Madeira" or Madeira(for example, Madera Massandra), although this use of the name does not comply with the protection rules geographical indications of the European Union. According to these rules, the use of the term Madeira or Madere only those wines that are produced on the island of Madeira are allowed.

grape varieties

Of all the grape varieties grown in Madeira, four classic, "noble" varieties stand out, from which Madeira was traditionally made before the phylloxera invasion. These are Malvasia (port. Malvasia, eng. Malmsey), Boal (port. Bual), Verdelho (port. Verdelho) and Sersial (port. Sercial). The most common grape variety in Madeira used to make Madeira is Tinta Negra (port. Tinta Negra, Tinta Negra Mole).

The presence on the label of the inscriptions Malvasia (or Malmsey), Bual, Verdelho, Sercial means that the proportion of grapes of the corresponding variety in the blend is at least 85% - these are the rules of the European Union, which Portugal joined in 1986. Until then, it was common practice to use the names of "noble" varieties for Madeira made by mixing (blending) with a large amount of Tinta Negra (or its variety Complex), as well as American hybrids. In 1990, the use of hybrids for the manufacture of Madeira was banned, and in 1993 a law was passed, according to which Madeira from “ignoble” varieties can only be labeled in general terms: dry (port seco, English dry), semi-dry (port. meio seco, eng. medium dry), semi-sweet (port. meio doce, eng. medium sweet), sweet (port. doce, eng. sweet). In addition, descriptive terms are allowed: light, dark, full, saturated. For Madeira from Tinta Negra (the most common variety in Madeira), the indication of the grape variety on the label is prohibited.

Tinta Negra

Today Tinta Negra is the most widespread grape variety in Madeira. Its share in the gross volume of grapes grown on the island is 90%. The variety is considered "ignoble" and mostly simple, less seasoned types of Madeira are made from it. Many experts and winemakers consider Tinta Negra an evil that spoils the reputation of Madeira. For example, Blandy's specifically indicate that their "noble" Madeiras do not even contain the 15% Tinta Negra permitted by law.

At the same time, Barbeito not only uses the permitted 15% Tinta Negra for blending, but also produces Tinta Negra Madeiras aged by the classic canteiro method (i.e., maderized and aged in an oak barrel). According to the chief winemaker of Barbeito, Ricardo Vasconcelos, his Tinta Negra, obtained from vines aged 60 years, with the appropriate approach, is no less "noble" than white varieties. This opinion is supported by Niklas Jorgensen (Swedish expert, specialist in Madeira), who highly appreciated the 1999 and 2000 coleites.

Malvasia

Madeira from grapes of this variety is the sweetest of all (residual sugar content - 96-135 g / l). It is a fast maturing wine, dark brown, very aromatic and rich, with a soft structure, very oily and with a noticeable hint of caramel characteristic of Madeira. It has a smoky bitterness and high acidity that makes this fortified wine almost refreshing. When aged, it acquires a smooth, coffee-caramel flavor that remains in the mouth for a long time.

boal

Boal grapes make wine lighter and less sweet than Malvasia (residual sugar content 78-96 g/l). A piquant feature of Madeira from this grape variety is a slight bitter taste of smoke, which gives the wine a special piquancy. Sometimes it gives off a faint smell of rubber.

Boal Madeira is darker than Verdelho and Sercial and is often recognized by the khaki meniscus that forms in the glass.

Verdelho

The wine from this grape is softer, fruity and less sweet than from the Boal variety (residual sugar content - 49-78 g/l). A characteristic feature of the bouquet of Madeira from Verdelho is a pronounced bitter taste of smoke and weak honey tones. Compared to dry Madeira from Sercial, Madeira from Verdelho seems to be softer and riper, and retains astringency in the aftertaste.

The color of some samples of Madeira from Verdelho is almost as light as sersial, but according to tradition, mostly golden Madeira is produced from Verdelho. When exposed, its color becomes brighter.

Sersial

Madeira from Sersial grapes is the lightest, lightest and driest (according to the rules, the residual sugar content should be 18-65 g / l). This Madeira matures slower than the rest, and being young it can be too sharp, and “having come of age” it becomes pleasant and appetizing, acquiring a rich, but invigorating and spicy taste with a hint of spices and citrus fruits. Madeira from Sersial is a spicy, energetic, spicy wine with a steely, piercing acidity.

Terrantesh

Bashtardu

Features of production technology

Vineyards, climate and soil

Madeira is an island of volcanic origin. The soil is rich in potassium and is ideal for growing grapes.

Vintage

Fermentation and fastening

Depending on the grape variety, fermentation can take different times. So, Sersial (from which dry Madeira is obtained) can ferment for a month, and Malvasia wanders no longer than a day - then the fermentation process is interrupted by fortification, which makes it possible to obtain dessert wine. Tinta Negra is usually allowed to ferment to the end and fortified already finished dry wine.

Depending on the grape variety (and on what sugar content is to be obtained in the wine), fortification is carried out at different stages of fermentation, when the wine reaches a different density:

• Malvasia - fastens when the density reaches 3.5-6.5 degrees on the Baumé scale (sweet Madeira);
• Boal - fastens when the density reaches 2.5-3.5 degrees on the Baumé scale (sweet and semi-sweet Madeira);
• Verdelho - fastens when the density reaches 1.5-2.5 degrees on the Baumé scale (semi-dry and dry Madeira);
• Sersial - fastens when the density reaches 0.5-1.5 degrees on the Baumé scale (dry Madeira).

Fortification is made with 96% neutral grape alcohol, which must be certified by the Madeira Wine Institute. Madera is attached to at least 17%.

Maderization

Winemakers have learned to reproduce the process that occurs during the formation of Madeira, which is called Madeira. Upon reaching a strength of approximately 8%, dry wine is fortified with 96% grape alcohol to 18-22% by volume and poured into American oak barrels. The classic aging process is called canteiro ( port. canteiro) and is used for only about 10% of the product, due to its relative high cost. The barrels are placed in specially constructed rooms, often located under a roof, where the heat from the sun heats them up. Initial heating of wine can reach 45-50 °C. After a certain period (from several months to several years), the wine is poured into barrels on the lower floors, where the temperature is lower. Then the process is repeated, lowering it even lower. The total aging period is practically unlimited and can be tens of years. The expert periodically evaluates the quality of the wine, depending on what further actions are taken. Madeira with an exposure of 10, 15 or 20 years is a mixture (blend) component, the average age of which is so many years. More successful samples are credited with the status of "harvest", and they are produced under the names colheita or single harvest; their maturity ranges from 5 to 18 years. The most successful wines are "vintage" (vintage); their minimum barrel aging period is 20 years.

For Tinta Negra, in most cases, a larger and cheaper stucco process is used (port. estufagem), i.e. heating in steel vats with hot water tubes, lasting at least 3 months. Then the wine is poured into oak barrels and aged for 2, 3 or 5 years, after which it is bottled.

Excerpt

Madeira is aged in heated warehouses; to speed up the aging process, she used to go on a trip to tropical countries (to India, Java, etc.). The longer the Madeira, called Vinho de roda, travels, the more it is valued. The best Madeira, obtained in the canton of Fago de Pereira, used to go usually (and malvasia - exclusively) to the Portuguese royal court.

Madeira styles and aging

3 year old madeira

Reserva - 5 year old Madeira

Reserva Velha - 10 year old Madeira

Exceptional Reserva - 15 year old Madeira

Fresqueira Vintage - 20 years old and older

Stored for 30-40 years in bottles, Madeira produces a smelly sediment that settles on the walls in the form of a crust.

Madeira functionality

Due to the unique features of production, an uncorked bottle of Madeira can be stored in the air for up to 18 months.

It should be noted that Madeiras with a minimum sugar content are extremely dry at 12% ABV and even with a sugar content of 40 g/l seem too dry.

Gastronomic combinations

Madera suggests the presence of some rules of use in order to fully reveal its features. A prerequisite for serving is cooling to 16 -18 degrees. Wine is an excellent aperitif. It is famous for its harmonious combination with first and second courses. It is suitable for meat appetizers from ham, veal tongue, liver, as well as poultry and animal meat dishes, where, in combination with them, it reveals its bouquet well.

If slightly heated, Madeira goes well with coffee and desserts.

White Madeira, aged from Sersial grapes, goes well with duck and goose pate, French onion soup, octopus and steak salad, chilled to 16 degrees, served as an aperitif.

White Madeira, aged from Malvasia grapes, is perfect as a digestif, as well as in combination with desserts, foie gras, candied berries and fruits, chocolate and cheeses, served chilled to 13 degrees.

Madeira cocktails

In the preparation of mixed drinks, Madeira is used as a component of aperitif cocktails, some punches, crunches, grogs.

Records

A unique collection of Madeira, consisting of more than a thousand exhibits of this wine, was sold on December 8, 2007 in New York for $ 2.3 million. Madeira was put up for auction, which was produced in the XVIII-XIX centuries, the oldest bottle is dated 1749. The name of the seller is not disclosed. The Christie's trading house only reports that this is a very "choosy and sophisticated person", regretfully parting with the collection, which he collected for almost a quarter of a century and kept in ideal conditions.

see also

Notes

1. Beasley Ch. R. Henry the Navigator, 1394-1460 = Prince Henry the Navigator, 1895 / Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Institute of Oriental Studies. - M.: Nauka, 1979. - S. 127-128. - 239 p. - (Stories about the countries of the East). - 15,000 copies.
2. Wine: The most complete encyclopedia = LAROUSSE / VUEFF 2002 / Per. from fr. E. Golovina. - M. : AST-PRESS BOOK, 2007. - S. 228-229. - 672 p. - (World collection). - ISBN 978-5-462-00713-2.
3. The Oxford Companion to Wine / by Jancis Robinson (Editor). - 3rd edition. - 2006. - S. 416-419. - 840 p. - ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
4. Wine: Atlas of the World. = THE WORLD ATLAS OF WINE. 1971 / H. Johnson, J. Robinson. - M.: Zhigulsky Publishing House, 2003. - S. 107. - 352 p. - ISBN 5-93679-053-3.
5. Alexis Bespaloff. MADEIRA,  M "DEAR (English) // New York Magazine: magazine. - 1986. - No. 8. - P. 74.
6. //

Madera is the name of a wine that resembles the name of a beautiful woman. The taste of the wine is even more pleasant than the name. This name combines a group of wines that have a caramel taste with a light smoky aroma - the drink acquires these taste qualities during the preparation process.

This drink absorbed the warmth of autumn, smoldering fires. Drinking Madeira, indulging in nostalgia, is a real pleasure.

The birthplace of this drink is Portugal, but despite this, in Russia they learned how to make no less tasty Madeira wine with a characteristic taste. One of the processes for the production of a drink is called "maderization" - this is heating it to a certain temperature under the sun.

The peculiarity of Madera wine, its types, history, the process of preparation and use, as well as recipes with its use are described in this article.

Description

Madeira is a fortified wine that is traditionally produced on the island of Madeira. This wooded island has entered the history of alcoholic beverages as the birthplace of fortified wines.

Such drinks can be dry or dessert. An important role is played by the exposure of wine materials at a temperature of 30-45 degrees Celsius. As a result of this exposure, an amber-colored wine is obtained (see photo above).

The name "Madeira" can only be used for wines that are produced on the island of Madeira.

The history of Madeira begins in 1418, at which time the Portuguese discovered the island of Porto Santo. The next year, Portuguese colonists were sent to it. In 1420, one of the captains, whose name was João Gonçalves Zarco, noticed an unknown dark strip on the horizon. She looked like a cloud. The captain decided to swim up and look at the mysterious "cloud". It turned out to be an island, named Maidera, as it was completely covered with forests (translated from the Portuguese language "Madeira" means "forest").

Since the wine and the island are related to each other, the name of the wine would be correctly pronounced "Madeira". By the way, the brave captain was appointed lifelong ruler of the island.

When the colonists began to explore Madeira, they encountered some problems, because the island was covered with a rainforest called "laurisilva". In order to make the area suitable for settlement and agriculture, the colonists had to cut down part of the forest.

In 1453 they planted the first vines that they brought from Crete. As it turned out later, the climate of Madeira was ideal for the development of winemaking.

The legend of the origin of the drink

• As for the legend of the origin of the drink, it is believed that this happened during a flight to India.
• Since the ship was in trouble, the wine had to be taken home.
• During the journey, it was subjected to pitching, and was also exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, since there was little space on the ship, the wine was stored directly on the deck, and not in the hold.
• In order for it not to spoil so much, sailors added a certain amount of grape spirit to the wine.
• So, as a result of the journey, as well as exposure to high temperatures, the drink changed its taste and aromatic characteristics, in its bouquet, shades of red-hot wood and caramel were felt.

Great people preferred to drink Madeira, for example, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington. Duke George of Clarens himself, sentenced to death, wished to be drowned in a bathtub filled with Madeira.

Today, this wine is called women's or ladies' cognac, since it is still most popular among the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity.

The production of the drink was sharply reduced in 1852-1857, due to a fungus that affected the vines. At the beginning of the 19th century, they began to disappear again, but this time because of phylloxera. In order to save the vineyards, it was decided to bring in an American vine. Soon they began to grow predominantly hybrids, while local varieties were much less common.

Later, the Tinta Negra Mole variety spread, today it makes up 90% of the raw materials for the production of Madeira.

Varieties of the drink

Types of wines:

1. Dry and semi-dry wines are produced from Sersial and Verdelho grapes.
2. For the preparation of sweet and semi-sweet, Bual, Malvasia are used.
3. Tinta Negra goes for semi-dry and semi-sweet wines.

Marking:

• The word Finest in the name of Madeira means that the wine has been aged for at least 18 months.
• On the label of Madeira, made using canteiro technology, with a minimum exposure of five years, there is the word Reserve.
• Blended wines older than 10 years have the words Special Reserve on the label.
• More than 15 years - Extra Reserve.
• Also on the label is the year of harvest.
• The Vintages designation marks a wine that has been aged for at least 20 years in oak barrels and 2-3 years in bottle.

General properties of Madeira:

1. high acidity;
2. pronounced walnut and almond tones;
3. cognac shade of the drink.

The acidity gives the wine a bitter taste. The color of Madeira varies from exposure: young - light matte, with increasing age, the color darkens
The taste changes from sharp to velvety.

Long shelf life does not threaten Madeira by turning into vinegar.

The presence of alcohol in the composition of the drink makes storage almost unlimited, now copies are being sold that have an exposure of 100-150 years.

• One of the types of Madeira is the liqueur dessert wine Malvasia. It has a higher sugar content - 41 g / liter.
• Another type of Madeira Rainwater. The name betrays the secret of making this wine.

Barrels that happened to be caught in the rain stood for a long time and soaked up rainwater in small quantities.

This gave the drink a new, softer and spicier taste, and the presence of water lowered the percentage of alcohol.

winecork.ru

Production features

Madeira is produced from the following grape varieties:

1. Malvasia is an Italian variety, its advantage is resistance to fungal diseases. Madeira made from this grape is considered the sweetest.
2. Bual is a rare variety that grows on the southern shores of Madeira. Suitable for the production of Madeira and Port. The wine from this grape has a spicy acidity.
3. Verdelho is a technical variety, suitable for making white wine. This drink has a pleasant caramel taste.
4. Service - technical grade, suitable for the production of Madeira and sherries. Young wines made from Servisial have a somewhat sharp taste, but after 7 years of aging, such drinks become very soft.

The best vines grow in the mountains, on the terraced slopes Sersial, Boal, Malvasia varieties are grown.

However, the most common variety is Tinta Negra Mole, or "soft black". It is this grape that is most often used for the production of Madeira. It contains a lot of sugar, tannins and pigments, which allows you to get wines of a pleasant color. Tinta Negra is considered a non-noble variety, it is used for the production of Madeira without aging.

The relief of the island does not allow the use of special equipment, so all work is done manually.

• To begin with, grapes of a certain variety are harvested, pressed, left to ferment.
• Then the dry wine is brought to a strength of 8%, fortified to 18% -22%.
• Next, the wine is poured into barrels and stored at a temperature of 45-50 degrees Celsius.
• After six months, the temperature is reduced. This technology is also called "canteiro".

Canteiro technology is considered very costly. So get no more than 10% Madeira. This is the most expensive wine of this type.

Mass-produced wines are obtained using the "estufa" technology. The wine, obtained from the variety predominantly Tinto Negra, is poured into a vat, which is heated using a special system.

The manufacturer maintains a constant temperature of 45-50 degrees Celsius.

1. The wine is heated for 3 months.
2. Then it is aged in oak barrels for 3-5 years.
3. With such storage, the tannins contained in the wood dissolve in the drink, giving it amazing taste and aroma.

Madeira production in Russia

Now let's move on to the expanses of our Motherland, where wines with the name Madeira are also produced.

The most famous plant for the production of Madeira (Madeira) and other varieties is located in the south of Crimea. It's called Massandra. This is one of the famous and large companies in the world for the production of quality ports, Madeira Massandra, etc. for more than 150 years. The company owns a vineyard growing in the south of Crimea on the territory of 400 hectares.

The production of Madeira (Madeira) Massandra especially began to develop in 1826, when the company was acquired by Count Vorontsov and tried to do everything to make Massandra's wines recognizable all over the world. In many respects, it is his merit that cellars for storage were built, and plantations of grapes grew.

The most successful year was 1900, when the company took part in an exhibition in Paris. The plant's collection contains more than 1 million bottles of different types of drinks, which is a Guinness record. The plant owns numerous awards and cups. The most famous and beloved is Madera (Madeira) Massandra.

Unlike Madeira (Madeira) in Portugal, in the production of Madera Massandra, mainly special grape varieties are taken: Albillo, Verdelho and Sersial.

Massandra is a strong and expensive, produced in glass bottles. The beginning of the production of this wine can be attributed to 1936. When you open the bottle, you immediately feel the finest bouquet of aromas with a hint of caramel. In color, it can be amber, light or golden, depending on the year of issue.

1. The production technology of Madera Massandra is slightly different from the production in Portugal.
2. The grapes are harvested during the period of maturity, then the drink is kept under the sun for several weeks and only then lowered into the cellars where it is kept for more than 5 years.
3. Madera Massandra has repeatedly become the winner in international competitions.

vse-vino.ru

Native, Crimean, beloved

The historical homeland of the drink is immortalized in its name. Although an ordinary Russian has a different association when he hears about the wine "Madera Massandra" - Crimea. The village, located near Yalta, in the southern part of the sunny peninsula, is an excellent place to grow Shabash, Albillo, Sersial, Verdelho grapes. It is from them that Madeira is made.

This wine was produced in the Crimea in the 19th century. And in other places, besides Massandra, Madeira wine was produced. Koktebel was no exception.

• At the winery of the same name, one of the largest European sites for the production of this drink was arranged.
• It is also made in the Kuban, in the Krasnodar Territory, in Armenia and Moldova. But vintage Crimean wines have always been a real standard of quality.

Wine "Krymskaya Madera" ceased to be produced only once in a century of history - during the Great Patriotic War. At the same time, the collectible Massandra drinks, which are no less valuable than works of art, were evacuated to Tbilisi. In 1945 they returned back.

And at the present moment, the cool cellars of Massandra contain true treasures in the form of such an amazing drink as Madeira. Crimean wine harvests of all years (from 1900 to the present time) can be found here.

syl.ru

Maderization

Madeiran wines are made from rosé, white and red grapes. Only white ones are made in Crimea.

1. Madeira wine of Portuguese origin is interesting because the grapes used for production grow on centuries-old vines.
2. After the invasion of Europe in the 19th century by the relentless phylloxera, the vineyards were destroyed, after which they were re-grafted only on the American vine.
3. This trouble did not affect Madeira. It has its own vine, Madeiran, which has stood the test of time.

In the Crimean wineries, the technology used for making wine from the traditional Portuguese practically does not differ. The only significant difference is that in the Crimea, purified grain alcohol is added to the drink, while only grape alcohol is used in Portuguese and Spanish Madeira. Consequently, the taste of European wine is softer.

Vintage

To make Madeira wine, grapes are harvested with a sugar content of at least 23%. Upon receipt, the necessary wine materials must be aged in oak barrels, the total capacity of which is about 300 liters.

For the manufacture of barrels in the Crimea, a tree from the Krasnodar Territory or Moldova is used.

• Madera is bottled mainly in old barrels.
• Too strong saturation with oak tannins is contraindicated for this drink.
• Before pouring young wine into the container, it is updated every time.
• To do this, a person climbs inside and scrapes 5-7 mm of wood.

Excerpt

Madeira wine "dries out" during aging - evaporation is approximately 30%. At the same time, according to the technology used in the Crimea, after that the barrels are topped up so that the total volume of the contents is 60-70% of the entire capacity. The created layer of air is needed to make this drink.

Wine materials are blended if necessary. Madera is almost always a blended wine.

1. Basically, at least 3 grape varieties are used for its manufacture.
2. Madera in the Crimea is often made from grape varieties traditional for this wine - these are Verdelho, Albillo, Sersial, Shabash.
3. This wine is created from grapes of the 1st year of harvest. The finished drink contains 20% alcohol and 4% sugar.

The best Madeira is vintage. This wine is made according to traditional technology. Ordinary wines are produced according to a simplified scheme. Their maderization takes place in artificially heated sealed containers. The aging period of this drink is only 1 year.

Difference from port and sherry

Madera differs from port and sherry in many ways that are worth understanding.

For the manufacture of sherry, special yeast is used for fermentation, and when creating port and Madeira, the fermentation process is interrupted by adding alcohol to the wine.

Also, Madeira wine is the most difficult and longest to manufacture. It is first aged for about twelve months in special oak barrels at a temperature of at least fifty degrees. Then the wine in barrels is kept in the open air for more than three years.

• Port wine is aged in barrels for about three years, and sherry matures for four years.
• In terms of strength, sherry ranks first (about twenty degrees), then comes Madeira (nineteen degrees), and after - port wine (eighteen degrees).
• Dry Madeira wine is best drunk before meals, while sweet wine should be served with sweet desserts. Port wine, like Madeira, can be drunk before meals or served with dessert after lunch and dinner.
• But sherry is best combined with cheese, mushrooms, vegetable and meat appetizers, seafood, olives.

Taste and visual aesthetics

The life time of Madeira is much longer than that of the same dry wines. The drink is beautiful even after 150 years. Bottled Madeira is stored horizontally in cellars. From long storage, the bouquet only ennobles.

1. A young wine, which is only 1-1.5 years old, matt in the light (the year of manufacture of young Madeira is not indicated on the labels).
2. After aging for 25 years, this drink acquires an interesting matte sheen, like that of olive oil. The taste softens, becomes velvety.
3. And wine aged 50 years or more gives the tongue a silky feel. Experts say this. At the same time, the aroma of pear, fig, quince is added to the characteristic taste of roasted nuts, and date tones are revealed.

The drink is good during the afternoon rest. A very successful combination of wine with a cigar, in the taste of which nutty tones are clearly expressed. Although it is worth experimenting and trying to find your own options. Most likely, they will differ from the classic ones. Although, in any case, the Madeira lover and cigar connoisseur will be right.

Varieties of Madera

1. Madera belongs to a highly oxidized type of wine and has a bright, well-pronounced complex aroma with light spicy-resinous nuances and taste, in which an almond tone with a sherry rum-cognac tinge, a roasted hazelnut tone, a rye crust of freshly baked bread stands out.
2. The taste of Madeira is characterized by a combination of increased alcohol content with full and high extractivity, it is distinguished by sufficient freshness, even pungency, with weak caramelization and pleasant bitterness, light boiledness, but good coherence and harmony.
3. The color of the wine is thick, rich, ranging from the color of brewed tea to dark amber. Madeira is also called "ladies' cognac".

For the production of Madeira (Madeira) grape varieties Sersial, Verdelho, Boile, Malvasia are used. These are the best grape varieties, so Tinta Negra Mol, considered a "simple" variety, is somewhat out of this range of "noble" varieties. However, it is he who occupies most of the vineyard area involved in the creation of Madeira.

Traditionally, different "noble" varieties have been associated with the idea of ​​different styles of wine and used their names for all wines, regardless of their true varietal composition. Under European law, a wine can be labeled with a grape variety if it is 85% made from that grape variety.

Sersial

Sercial (Sercial) - grows in the coolest areas, located at a considerable height relative to sea level, and ripens slowly. They make the driest Madeira from it.

• Young wines are light, very sharp, sharp, with piercing citric acidity, they are almost impossible to drink.
• After 7-8 years of aging, the sharpness softens and a very fine and refined bouquet is formed.

Verdelho

Verdelho (Verdelho) - gives wines from semi-dry to semi-sweet, with a touch of caramel in color, very acidic, but softer than Sercial.

The bouquet has an inherent tone of nuts, and the sweet taste is barely noticeable.

Bual

Bual (Red Madeira) is a very rare variety growing in the south of the island.

1. It produces a wine of medium fullness, in which the sweetness balances the sharp acidity.
2. The delicate taste of butter and nuts is set off by spicy bitterness.

Malmsy

Malmsey (Malvasia) - (liqueur-like Madeira, from raisin berries) grows in the hot valleys of the island and gives the most complete, rich and sweet wines, although acidity is also felt in them, it has a rich amber color and a light almond aroma. Many people prefer this type. The sweetest wine of all Madeira varieties.

Tinta Negra Mole

Tinta Negra Mole is the workhorse of modern Madeira. This soft red variety is believed to be derived from Pinot Noir and Grenache.

• All young wines made from it have a light pinkish hue, turning into amber over time.
• Relatively neutral in aroma produces wines in one of the above styles (depending on where and how it is grown).

Rainwater

There is another special type of Madeira - Rainwoter, which owes its appearance to chance.

When a large batch of wine in barrels lay for a long time on the shore and the rains that were going at that time soaked the wood of the barrels with water, the level of alcohol in the wine dropped. The result was a relatively light wine, which received recognition from consumers, and such wines began to be made specifically.

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The history of the creation of wine

Madeira wine (correctly, Madeira) has almost five centuries of history. The drink got its name from the island of Madeira (Portugal), located in the Atlantic Ocean.

• In the XV-XVI centuries, Madeira was an important transit point on the way from Europe to America and India.
• The local port of Funchal was the only non-British port that had the right to trade wine with the British colonies, which contributed to the development of winemaking and the wine trade.
• It turned out that the transportation of wines on the decks of ships crossing the equator has a positive effect on their quality. Light and sour wines acquired softness and a more expressive bouquet, less often turned sour. Especially good were the wines that made their way to India and back.
• As a result, barrels of wine were specially loaded as ballast on ships on which they made long journeys. At that time, Madeira was not yet a fortified wine.

Only after Napoleon Bonaparte established the Continental Blockade did Madeiran wine merchants add alcohol to wine to keep it from spoiling. As a result of fastening, a new interesting taste was obtained, which gradually became the Madeira standard. Until the 19th century, Madeira was aged by prolonged exposure to the sun in wine barrels.

In the second half of the 19th century, a more practical and controlled aging technology appeared - the ashtuf system. Immediately after the fortification, the wines began to be placed in storage - ashtufas (estufa - hot house), where they are heated. IN

As a result, Madeira acquires a subtle caramel flavor and resistance to oxidation in an open bottle. A month spent in ashtuf changes the wine in much the same way as two years of normal aging.

dic.academic.ru

How to drink Madera

Such a sunny and noble drink as Madeira deserves to be told about it by everyone - how to drink, with what and when. These rules will allow you to fully unlock the potential inherent in it.

First of all, it is worth noting that Madeira is a great aperitif. It just so happened. We didn't invent it. Most likely, the resourceful Portuguese (and, as you know, the birthplace of this drink is Portugal, or rather, the island of Madeira) came to such an idea.

What is combined with

1. If Madeira wine is cooled to a temperature of 16 - 18 ° C, it will be ideally combined with traditional first and second courses.
2. This sunny drink can be washed down with cold snacks made from veal tongue, ham, liver, or poultry meat dishes.
3. In general, in combination with meat delights, Madeira opens up unusually, unexpected notes appear that you may not initially catch (or simply miss out of ignorance).
4. And if you drink a glass of unchilled Madeira wine with some gourmet dessert (vanilla pie, tiramisu, classic creme brulee, apple pie with vanilla ice cream and, in general, all desserts, in the recipe of which one of the main ingredients is caramel) or coffee, then You are guaranteed to get extraordinary pleasure from the meal.
5. And the combination of a sunny drink and a cigar, according to experts, will give you an indescribable feeling! That is, whatever one may say, Madeira is a unique drink that goes well with almost any pickles, the main thing is not to overdo it with the quantity.
6. And Madeira wine has excellent tonic properties.

Wine glasses

How to drink Madeira is actually an important question. The main thing here is not to miss, otherwise it will turn out like in that joke: “To our attempts to talk about cider, the bartender throws:“ I don’t understand anything about cider ”and pours the drink into champagne tulip glasses.”

So, so that there is no such embarrassment, write it down, and we will dictate slowly so that you have time ...

• Connoisseurs advise taking tulip-shaped glasses for Madeira wine (they are also glasses for fortified wine), thanks to which the bouquet of the drink can be more fully revealed.
• At the same time, the leg of the container with a height of 4-5 cm does not allow Madeira to heat up in the palm of your hand.
• It is best to fill the tulip glass 2/3 so that you can shake the drink a little and catch the whole palette of taste and aroma before a sip.
• Our compatriots even invented their own version of a glass, the volume of which is 75 ml (a little more than vodka. Who would doubt it ...). In order not to be wiser, they called this container - Madeira glass.

When to drink

Madera wine is also ideal as a digestif, and without any accompaniment. Just savor a drink after a hearty dinner in a pleasant company. According to the Portuguese, this is the best meditation. However, it is not a sin to drink Madeira after dinner and in combination with a biscuit, nut desserts, and coffee. The chefs of elite restaurants are happy to add the drink to a variety of sauces.

Rumor has it that the birth of such an unusual sauce was not without the participation of Grigory Rasputin himself, who consumed Madeira in large quantities at lunch, dinner and breakfast, washed it down with fish, meat, vegetables, and even added it to tea. After the doctor forbade him to drink Madeira wine (no body could withstand such a load), Rasputin ordered the cook to add the drink to all dishes. Needless to say, such a trick was kept in the strictest confidence from the doctors.

1. Madeira tasting is a whole ritual.
2. Having opened a bottle, do not rush to immediately drink a drink, no matter how chic it may be.
3. To begin with, admire its rich amber color, fully enjoy the aroma that Madeira wine has absorbed, because not in every drink you will find the purest sea air, the scorching Portuguese sun and a luxurious palette of tastes of selected grapes.
4. Let yourself feel the whole play of shades and the harmony of the aftertaste.
5. And only then proceed to the most important thing - getting incredible pleasure from the drink.

Cooking at home

Of course, real Madeira can only be made in Portugal. But its analogue can be prepared at home.

Not too sweet grapes are suitable for this purpose (in Portugal, white varieties with sourness are used). It is also necessary to pay attention to barrels for storing Madeira.

1. The grapes are pressed and left to ferment.
2. Then the pulp is separated from the liquid and fixed with 95% alcohol.
3. The strength of the drink should eventually be no more than 19 degrees.
4. Then the fortified wine is poured into a container made of stainless steel.
5. In order to get exactly Madeira, the wine will need to be heated periodically.
6. During the first 3 months the temperature should be 45 degrees Celsius, then the wine is kept at room temperature.
7. It is also impossible to overheat the product, as this will spoil its taste. Of course, making homemade Madeira is a troublesome task, but the taste of this drink is worth it.

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Interesting Facts

A unique collection of Madeira, consisting of more than a thousand exhibits of this wine, was sold on December 8, 2007 in New York for

• During the time of Peter I, the expression "royal madeira" appeared. So jokingly called poor quality vodka, which was issued free of charge from the royal name (a cup a day to all St. Petersburg workers).
• On the label of Madeira, produced in Massandra, a sailboat with wine barrels on deck is depicted, in memory of the legend about the origin of this type of wine. In Massandra itself, Madeira barrels are aged in the sun on the slopes of the southern coast of Crimea.

• You should not think that the inhabitants of the island of Madeira from all wines use exclusively (or at least predominantly) Madeira. They prefer lighter wines, as do the inhabitants of mainland Portugal (who, by the way, do not drink at all only port wine, produced mainly for export).
• If in Portugal (including Madeira) you simply ask for “madera” in a restaurant or wine shop, you will most likely not be understood; you need to say "vinho da madeira"(vinho da madeira).

dic.academic.ru

Beneficial features

1. An interesting fact: the inhabitants of the island of Madeira practically do not drink, basically this drink has become very popular outside of Portugal. So, Jefferson with a glass of Madeira proclaimed the independence of America, and in Russia Pavel1 granted the title of baron to a wine supplier. In the time of Catherine, it was poured from a bottle into small glasses and used as a medicine to raise the tone and speed up recovery.
2. For older people, doctors recommended drinking this drink in small doses daily. Rumor has it that Madera saved the life of Grishka Rasputin, who drank 3-4 bottles of this drink a day. Allegedly, cyanide was poured into his glass of wine, but under the influence of this sweet drink, the effect of the poison weakened, which saved him. By the 19th century, the popularity of this wine had reached such popularity that this drink was falsified almost everywhere. It became possible to get a bottle of quality wine from Portugal only from abroad, although this drink was counterfeited both in Europe and America.
3. Wine producers around the world have attempted to "maderize" ports and other beverages, with pseudo-winemakers in Spain, France, Germany, and Poland being especially successful. In the old days in Russia, madera was produced from potato alcohol and juice in the city of Kashin, labels from Spain were pasted on the bottles. And also in the past history of Russia, the expression “royal Madeira” was practiced, and so this has nothing to do with this noble drink. So, it was called cheap vodka, which was given out for free during the construction of St. Petersburg.
4. After the Second World War, the excitement around Madeira wine in Europe subsided, but the production of fake wine completely migrated to America. In our time, one must be careful about drinks with the Madera brand (Madeira), since basically it is a crude fake from a surrogate with a high proportion of sugar. Such swill is not only not beneficial, but can also harm the body.

vse-vino.ru

Harm and contraindications

A drink can harm the body with individual intolerance, as well as excessive consumption.

• Despite the beneficial properties, it is not recommended to use Madeira for pregnant and lactating women and children.
• Also, wine can cause harm to people with gastrointestinal diseases, as it has a high acidity, and, accordingly, it is contraindicated for them.

xcook.info

Use in cooking

Ingredients:

• about 1200 g of beef meat;
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
• 3/4 cup Madeira;
• tomato sauce;
• 1 1/2 cups pearl onions;
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic;
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots;
• salt and pepper.

Cooking:

1. Pour olive oil into a large skillet. Heat up a skillet over medium heat.
2. Salt and pepper the piece of meat and place it in the pan. Cook the meat for 5 minutes, turn over and wait the same amount. In general, both sides of the piece should turn brown.
3. To prepare a special sauce for this dish, you will have to mix a simple tomato sauce and chopped garlic, then add Madeira. Mix everything well and set aside until the meat is cooked.
4. Remove the meat from the pan, put the pearl onions and carrots in the pan and fry them lightly. When they soften a little, pour sauce over them and simmer the contents of the pan for another 5 minutes. Then add the meat and heat it up a little. The dish is now ready to be served!

grandkulinar.ru

Madeira sauce

Ingredients

• sauce ju-lie 200 milliliters
• Madeira 40 milliliters
• butter 20 grams
• salt

Cooking method

1. Pour the julie sauce into a saucepan.
2. We put on a slow fire. We evaporate a little.
3. We add Madeira. We continue to evaporate to the previous volume.
4. Move the saucepan off the fire. Add butter.
5. We beat with a whisk. Pour into a gravy boat.

Madeira sauce is combined with meat, steaks and fried vegetables. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

• beef 700 gr
• Madeira ½ cup
• shallot 1 pc
• fresh mushrooms 100 gr
• water ¾ cup
• corn starch 1 teaspoon
• olive oil 2 tablespoons
• salt taste
• ground black pepper taste

Cooking

1. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan and, when it sizzles, send the meat there. Fry over medium heat for 5-9 minutes, turning once.
3. Put the finished steaks on plates and, covered with foil, leave for a few minutes.
4. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the same pan and saute finely chopped shallots in it for 3-4 minutes. Add the Madeira, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper to the onion and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring quickly. Pour in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and chopped mushrooms and, continuing to mix actively, wait until the sauce thickens. This will take approximately 1 minute.
5. Serve steaks with sauce.

eda.ru

Ingredients

• salmon fillets 800 g
• Champignon 400 g
• shallot 2 heads
• lemon 1 piece
• chicken egg½ piece
• bread crumbs 50 g
• almond 20 g
• beef broth 500 ml
• Madeira 100 ml
• olive oil 20 ml
• butter 50 g
• melted butter 50 g
• parsley 20 g
• cilantro 20 g
• salt taste
• fresh pepper taste

Cooking

1. Send almonds, bread crumbs, parsley leaves and cilantro to a blender, turn it all into a green mass. Add room temperature butter, a pinch of salt, half a lightly beaten egg and mix again until smooth.

2. Roll out the resulting pasta with a rolling pin between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of about 2-3 mm, send to the freezer.

3. Fry finely chopped shallots in olive oil until soft, then add two thirds of the mushrooms. When the mushrooms give juice, pour in the Madeira and slowly boil it down to a syrup state.

4. Pour beef broth over mushrooms and onions and simmer for half an hour over low heat. Season the broth with salt and pepper and strain through a sieve.

5. Cut the fillet into four servings. Heat the melted butter in a frying pan and fry the salmon fillets in it for about a minute on each side.

6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Remove the frozen green pasta from the refrigerator, cut it into salmon-sized rectangles. Cover each piece of fish with a green layer: remove a strip of paper from one side of the rectangle, put it on a piece of fish, carefully remove the paper from the second side. Send the salmon fillet to the oven - three to four minutes will be enough.

7. On the melted butter remaining after frying the fish, fry the mushrooms - you can cut them as you like, for example, quarters. Drizzle mushrooms with lemon juice.

8. Pour a little sauce into each plate, put a piece of fish under a green shell, add fried champignons, sprinkle with fresh herbs if desired.

eda.ru

Madeira cocktail recipes

Cocktail "Morning"

• 1/3 liquor;
• 1/3 cognac;
• 1/3 Madeira;
• chopped nutmeg.

Mix the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass and pour the resulting cocktail into a glass. Sprinkle the finished drink with nutmeg.

Butterfly wings cocktail

• 70 ml cranberry juice;
• 70 ml dry Madeira;
• 50 ml whiskey;
• orange slice for decoration;

Cooking

1. Pour Madeira, whiskey and cranberry juice into an old fashion glass with ice - mix the contents of the glass with a bar spoon.
2. Dip an orange slice into the finished cocktail.

Cocktail "Island of Flowers"

• 50 ml of sweet red Madeira;
• 20 ml brandy (ordinary);
• 10 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• 10 ml freshly squeezed orange juice;
• 10 ml freshly squeezed pineapple juice;
• a piece of pineapple for decoration;
• 1/2 orange slice for garnish
• 1/2 lemon wedge for garnish

Mix Madeira, brandy and fresh juices in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass 1/3 filled with crushed ice. Dip pieces of fruit into the resulting cocktail.

younapitki.ru

Cocktail "Rocket"

• Madeira - 60 ml
• cognac - 40 ml
• sweet berry liquor - 20 ml
• dry red wine - 10 ml

Mix all ingredients in a shaker. Put ice in a cocktail glass. Strain the resulting mixture and pour into a cocktail glass.

Cocktail "Light"

To prepare it you will need:

• Madeira - 30 ml
• cognac - 20 ml
• white dry vermouth - 20 ml
• lemon zest - to taste

Cooking

1. We mix Madeira, cognac and vermouth.
2. Pour the resulting mixture into a cocktail glass.
3. Add lemon zest to taste.
4. You can put a green olive without a stone in a cocktail.

Cocktail "Egg"

To prepare it you will need:

• Madeira - 40 ml
• egg - 1 pc.
• mint liqueur - 30 ml
• grated nutmeg - 1 pinch

In a blender, mix Madeira, raw egg, liquor. The resulting mixture is filtered. Pour into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle grated nutmeg on top.

Madeira is a Portuguese fortified wine named after its birthplace, the island of Madeira. Drinks of this group can be anything: white, red, pink, dry, sweet. But what unites all styles of Madeira (not counting the strength of 18-23 degrees) is a unique manufacturing technology that forms a recognizable caramel taste with smoky notes.

Story. The word "Madeira (Madeira)" is translated from Portuguese as "forest", and it is not surprising: the entire island is covered with dense thickets. The history of winemaking in the region began in the 15th century, during the Portuguese colonization. The first samples of local wine were made by the traditional method, without fastening, but they did not endure the long journey “to the mainland” and deteriorated. Over time, island wines began to be distilled into strong alcohol. However, it was not yet a real Madeira.

The legend says that once a ship carrying a batch of wine from Portugal to India fell into a deep calm and was forced to turn back without reaching its destination (however, it is possible that the ship did manage to reach the coast of India, it’s just that no one was interested in the goods) . The drink rolled back and forth, experiencing the effects of the equatorial climate, sea air and heaving. So, quite by accident, Madeira wine turned out, and fortified wines aged in the sea, following the example of that very first batch, still receive the status of Vinho da Roda and are valued above other varieties.

The unique wine was obtained due to the great distance to the mainland

In addition, the Portuguese island has a unique volcanic soil, potassium contained in the soil affects the taste of local grapes, and due to the inability to dig a deep cellar, the peasants stored wines in attics under the roof, providing drinks with a permanent natural "sauna".

The XVIII century was the high point of Madeira, from which the Old and New Worlds were crazy. This wine was drunk in Africa, Europe, Russia. With a glass of Madeira, they even made a toast in honor of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence. The feast of taste ended with an epidemic of powdery mildew that hit the vineyards of the island. It took more than 4 years for the vines to recover, and when things seemed to be going smoothly, phylloxera came to Europe. Because of these diseases, most of the autochthonous varieties died in Madeira, which were subsequently replaced by European counterparts, but the taste was no longer the same.

The next surge in the popularity of Madeira happened at the beginning of the 20th century: in the 1900s, producers specialized in simple and affordable styles of wine, often using Tinto Negro grapes as raw materials. Recently, the reverse trend has been observed: winemakers are ready to bring quantity to the detriment of quality. The government issues laws regulating the content of "non-noble" grape varieties in Madeira, American hybrids are completely prohibited.

Despite the fact that only the dessert Madeira from the Malvasia grape variety has the DOC status (wine of controlled geographical origin), connoisseurs believe that a real Portuguese fortified wine should be made exclusively on the island of the same name in compliance with all the nuances prescribed by the technology. Drinks from other regions and even countries can also be called Madeira, but they differ significantly in taste and smell.

Madeira is easy to identify by its characteristic amber hue, which befits even red varieties.

Madeira production technology

Grape. There are four "noble" grape varieties for Madeira, in order of decreasing sugar content:

• Malvasia. It turns out a sweet wine with the taste of coffee and caramel.
• Boal - used to produce semi-sweet full-bodied Madeira. The taste has a smoky bitterness.
• Verdelho is a white grape that is used to make a semi-dry wine with a pronounced fruity taste and tones of honey.
• Sersial is a distant relative of Riesling, a raw material for white dry varieties. The bouquet notes notes of sea salt, spices, citrus, almonds.

If any of these varieties is indicated on the label, its content cannot be lower than 85%, the remaining 15% falls on the varieties "Tinto Negro" or "Complex".

At auctions, there are still bottles of Madeira from the half-extinct and half-forgotten varieties Terrantesch, Bashtardu, Moscatel. This wine belongs to the category of "luxury": not only is it made from rare grapes, but also aging is at least several decades.

Stages. At the initial stage, the production of Madeira is no different from the production of any other wine. The crushed pulp is left to ferment, but the process is rarely allowed to complete. As soon as the future wine reaches a certain strength (which one depends on the grape variety and the winemaker’s intention), grape spirit (necessarily certified by the relevant authority) is added to the composition and sent for aging at elevated temperatures - “maderization”.

High temperature triggers the Maillard reaction, during which amino acids interact with sugar, and the drink acquires a characteristic amber color and caramel tones in the bouquet.

There are three standard ways to get Madeira:

• Cuba de calor. The cheapest and fastest method. The wine is poured into steel or concrete tanks and kept at a temperature of 55 degrees Celsius for at least 90 days. The tanks are heated by a pipe system.
• Armazem de calor. Alcoholic raw materials are poured into oak barrels and placed in special well-heated rooms in which the wine is aged for 6-12 months.
• Canteiro. The most expensive way (not including travel to India and back). Madeira barrels are placed in the attic so that direct sunlight falls on them. In this natural “steam room”, the drink can mature for 20-100 years and, due to its high strength, does not deteriorate.

Types of Madeira

Depending on the shutter speed, Madeira happens:

• Normal (finest) - 3 years.
• Reserva (reserve) - 5 years.
• Reserva Velha (special reserve) - 10 years.
• Exceptional reserve (extra reserve) - 15 years.
• Frasqueira Vintage - 20 years and older.

Four main styles are distinguished by taste, coinciding with the names of "noble" grape varieties. Plus, you can meet Madeira:

• Solera (a blend of several vintages with different aging periods in barrels, similar to sherry brandy in terms of production method);
• Rainwater (weaker variation, usually entirely from Tinto Negra).

In addition, culinary Madeira is a little different - this is a low-quality variety that housewives add to pastries or sauces. Often, producers pour culinary Madeira immediately with pepper and salt - so that resellers cannot then repackage the drink in beautiful bottles and sell it under the guise of "real" Portuguese wine.

How to drink Madeira

Due to the variety of tastes, Madeira can act both as an aperitif and a digestif for appetizers, main course or dessert.

Madeira goes well with seafood

Chilled to 15 degrees, Madeira is served in tulip glasses on a high stem. The cup is filled only 2/3 so that the wine "opens". In fact, you can choose your own Madeira variety for any dish: dry wine goes well with meat, sweet wine goes well with cakes and coffee. Thanks to tannins and acidity, the drink makes successful gastronomic pairs even with citruses or balsamic vinegar.

The right glass

The Portuguese themselves believe that there is no need to interrupt such a wonderful taste, and they drink Madeira without eating anything, before or after a meal.

An interesting fact: Madeira is, in fact, an “eternal” wine. Thanks to the addition of alcohol, the drink does not sour, and over time it only becomes more refined and more expensive. In addition, an open bottle can be stored for more than a year: the contents will not run out of steam and will not lose their taste.

Madeira is a famous fortified wine, the production of which is inextricably linked with the Portuguese island of Madeira. The wine has a peculiar intense taste and aroma. For its preparation, grape varieties such as Sersi al, Verdelho, Boual (Boal), Malvasia and Tinta Negra Mol are used.

Madeira Island is unique in many ways: both for its relief, most of which are high mountains and deep gorges, and for its mild climate with an average annual temperature of 20-23°C. Small vineyards are crowded between rocky cliffs, so it is natural that the processing of vineyards and grape harvesting is done only by hand. Madeira production technology has been developed since the 15th century. In those days, wine was fortified with alcohol so that it could be taken to the distant shores of India and Java. It has been observed that the wine is tasty even after long shaking in the holds of ships and after large temperature fluctuations.

Today, Madeira is practically the only wine in the production process of which heat treatment (“maderization”) is used. Its essence is that huge containers with wine are slowly heated to a temperature of 40-50 ° C, then the wine is cooled and aged for a certain time in oak barrels. In the process of maturation, wine must be aerated (oxygenated). Thus, the production of Madeira stands on three pillars: elevated temperature, aeration, aging in oak barrels.

Ready Madeira has a color from straw yellow to dark amber, a peculiar powerful taste with obligatory nutty and caramel shades, a rich bouquet of aromas with notes of smoke and toasted bread crust. "Young", three-year-old Madeira, cannot be compared with excellent examples of ten- and fifteen-year exposure.

Depending on the main grape variety, the following varieties of this wine can be found on sale:
Madera Boal - golden, sweet wine with a pronounced fruity aroma;
Madera Malvasia- this is the sweetest Madeira, which has the most specific taste and aroma, as well as the most intense color.

Madera - price in WineStyle

Wines from the island of Madeira in WineStyle stores can be bought at prices ranging from 1,357 to 42,840 rubles. The cost depends on the manufacturer and the degree of aging of the wine. The most expensive are vintage wines aged in the bottle for 40-50 years or more.