Madeira Madness

1962 Madeira in vintage port glass

While many sports fans have their hands wrapped around a cold beer and a remote cheering on their favorite college basketball team, I am opting for a more laid back evening with a very special glass of wine.

Nothing says comfort on a cold night than curling up by the fire with special someone and a great glass of Madeira.

Madeira is a fortified wine made on the island of Madeira, an archipelago of Portugal. Madeira has an incredibly long shelf life and is known to be the longest living wine in the world.

Madeira dates back to the Age of Exploration and was a favorite of several U.S. Presidents including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In fact, it was the wine served to toast the Declaration of Independence!

I bought my husband a1962 Barbeito Malvasia Madeira for his birthday last year and although it was a splurge, it certainly did not disappoint.  It’s like drinking sweet nectar from the Gods.  

We opened the bottle on Thanksgiving and we are going to toast the end of winter with the rest of the bottle. 

The color is a beautiful golden brown and the liquid gold just clings to the side of the glass, slowly coating its vessel.  On the nose, there are lovely notes of ginger snaps, baking spices, caramel, coffee and toasted walnuts.  The wine is rich and expressive with nice acidity. Drink on its own or pair with a cheese plate of Roquefort, honey, dates and walnuts. This also goes great with nutty desserts like pecan pie and pumpkin spice cheesecake. 

If you have never had a Madeira and don't want to splurge on a bottle, many fine dining restaurants offer Madeira by the glass!

To learn more about Madeira, visit http://www.madeirawine.com/.