Madeira Wine, Explain Madeira wine, What is Madeira wine, How is Madeira made

Madeira wine speaks to explain Madeira wine, what is Madeira wine and how is Madeira made and the taste of such.

The wine is in fact a fortified wine which is produced in the Portuguese Madeira Islands.

It may be consumed as an aperitif or as a sweet dessert wine and the more economical Madeira are often used when cooking as it mixes well with herbs and spices.

The islands of Madeira have a long winemaking history dating back to the Age of Exploration when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or East Indies. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirits were added.

On the long sea voyages, the wines would be exposed to excessive heat and movement which transformed the flavor of the wine as the wine producers of Madeira found out when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip.

Madeira has a unique production process as the wine is heated up to 140 F for an extended period of time and is exposed to some oxidization which produces a very robust wine that will last a long time after being opened.

Madeira was an important wine in the history of the United States of America. No wine quality grapes could be grown among the thirteen colonies so imports were needed with a great focus on Madeira.

There are four major types of Madeira, named according to the grape variety used. Ranging from the sweetest to the driest style they are: Malvasia (also known as Malmsey or Malvazia), Bual (or Boal), Verdelho, and Sercial.

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