Enter Madeira.
Made on the island of Madeira since the 1600s, this wine has a long and fascinating history. Like Port, Madeira was fortified to withstand long voyages to Europe and the Americas. But the warm island climate – combined with the heat the ships’ cargo holds during those voyages – transformed the wine into something entirely unique: deliciously tangy, smoky, and complex.
Madeira is available in varying levels of sweetness (seco, meio seco, meio doce, doce). Because Madeira is oxidized during the winemaking process, you can store an open bottle in your refrigerator for months without it spoiling. Tawny Ports also have a long life once opened (as they too are oxidized before bottling), but Ruby and LBV Ports spoil much more quickly by comparison.
Barbeito Rainwater Reserva Meio Seco is made from Tinta Negra grapes grown in steep, sloped vineyards in volcanic soil on the island of Madeira. Like other traditional Madeira produced using the canteiro method, the wine is aged in old French oak casks for five years, stacked in warm warehouses where the heat gently caramelizes the grape’s natural sugars.
The result is a complex profile of orange peel, fig, vanilla, roasted walnuts, brown sugar, and toffee. While still sweet, the meio seco style is balanced and never cloying. It is best served chilled in a traditional Port glass – either on its own, with salted nuts or cheese, or alongside desserts with a fruity or nutty profile, such as baked apples or orange almond cake.
Delicious, and authentically Portuguese.
Find the Barbeito Rainwater Reserva Meio Seco Madeira at Intermarché for €19.99.
Read more from Adrienne Salerno about wine: Past meets the present – Fresh Alentejo wines with history or Wine Talk – Have you ever had a salty wine?
