Madeira: America’s Wine

Alcohol is traditionally a part of many celebrations. Fourth of July is no exception. You may think the classic Independence Day drink is beer, or maybe a cocktail of some kind. We challenge you to consider something else as the true American beverage: Madeira.

What is Madeira? Fantastic question. Madeira, in short, is a fortified wine like port, so wine is spiked with liquor like grape brandy during fermentation to kill the yeast and stop fermentation early, leaving more sugar in the wine and making it sweet (and also more boozy). This is what port does. With Madeira, which comes from the Portuguese island of Madeira, the wine is also heated up over a period of time (maderized). This kind of cooks the wine, which in this case gives it some great new flavors like nuts and crème brûlée. This was first done accidentally, as fortified wines were taken on long ship voyages to the Caribbean, where the wine overheated in the ship’s storage. Now they do it intentionally, because it’s amazing!

But why are we calling a Portuguese wine AMERICA’S wine?

When King George III (boo) first started taxing us poor Americans without representation, he accidentally forgot to include Madeira in all his paperwork. Madeira wine became one of our first tax loopholes that our founding fathers were happy to take advantage of. And for good reason, because Madeira is delicious. When our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, they toasted with Madeira. They also toasted the writing of the Constitution with Madeira. George Washington reportedly drank a pint of Madeira every day with dinner. Thomas Jefferson drank 3,500 bottles of it during his presidency. It’s said that Betsy Ross sipped Madeira while sewing the first American flag, and Francis Scott Key did the same while writing our national anthem. To toast the Louisiana Purchase, there were three toasts: Champagne to represent France, Malaga (another fortified wine) to represent Spain, and Madeira to represent the United States (it’s America’s wine, after all).

Madeira comes in a few varieties. The cheapest is called Tinta negra. Don’t drink this. Rainwater Madeira is like a watered down Madeira.

The good kinds, from most to least sweet, are Malmsey, Bual (Boal), Verdelho, and Sercial. We personally love the Malmsey and Bual varieties.

To get ourselves in the spirit of the 4th of July, we tasted some Rare Wine Co. Boston Bual.

Look at it: it’s such a beautiful, warm brown color. This is sweet, smooth, rich in your mouth with the smells and flavors of crème brûlée, caramel, toasted nuts, and oatmeal raisin cookies. It’s like liquid dessert having a party in your mouth. It’s a sipping wine, and it isn’t really something you can drink a lot of, but you’ll enjoy every sip. It’s a great wine to have with dessert, as well, as you want your wine to be sweeter than the food you’re eating. It’s such a joy to sip on!

Madeira isn’t cheap, and this one sells at Jacob Liquor for $51. BUT, this is a sipping wine that will last for a long time. Thanks to the maderization process, Madeira can stay fresh for 6 months after being opened!

So this 4th of July, grab yourself some Madeira and imagine toasting with our founding fathers as you tip back this delectable drink: America’s wine. God Bless America.