Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Wine Shop
^
Wine Museum
Therustic-styledshop
hasshelvesfashioned
fromoldwinecasks.On
salehereisalargeselec-
tionofwinesbyallthe
producersintheMadeira
WineCompanyunderthe
labelsBlandy's,Cossart
Gordan,Leacock'sand
Miles.SpiritsandMadei-
racakesarealsosold.
Framedlettersof
appreciationfromkings
andqueens,emperors,
presidentsandprime
ministers-allofthem
loversofgoodMadeira
wine-linethewallsof
themuseumattheheart
ofthelodge.Alsoondis-
playhereareleather-
boundledgersrecording
everysalegoingasfar
backasthe18thcentury.
&
Max Romer
Tasting Bar
Thedelightfullysunny
muralsofgrape-growing
andharvestingthatcover
thewallsofthetasting
baronthegroundloor
werepaintedin1922by
theGermanartistMax
Romer(1878-1960).
Madeira Wine
Madeirawinehastwo
deiningcharacteristics.
First,likesherryand
port,itis“fortiied”by
theadditionofbrandyat
theendofthefermen-
tationprocess.Second,
itisheatedduringpro-
duction.Thebeneitsof
heatingwerediscov-
eredwhenwineslefton
boardshipafteraround
triptotheequatorwere
foundtohavedevel-
opedanewdepthand
complexityoflavour.In
time,winemakers
workedouthowto
recreatetheeffectby
maturingthewinein
loftsheatedbythesun,
withouttheneedfora
seajourney.
(See also
p59 on
estufagem.)
*
Vintage Room
)
The “Oldest
Street”
Thestreetthatrunsup
theeasternsideofthe
winelodgedatesfrom
the1400s,intheearly
daysofMadeira'ssettle-
ment.Winebarrelswere
oncedraggedacrossthe
cobblesonasledgegoing
toandfromtheharbour.
WithintheVintage
Room,preciouswinesare
storedbydateandkept
lockedbehindbars.
Madeirawinesdating
backto1908(andcosting
€698abottle)canbe
sampledhere.Thosewho
cannotaffordtheabove
cantrymoderatelypriced,
butneverthelessappeal-
(
Shopping Arcade
Inasignofthe
times,theoldcooper's
yardwasrecentlycon-
vertedintoashopping
arcade.However,the
MadeiraWineCompany
stillemployscoopersto
patchandmend100-year-
oldbarrels.Thecoopers
usetraditionalmethods,
mixingnewandoldoak.
Madeira's wine industry was nearly wiped out when the vines were
attacked by mildew in 1851, and by phylloxera (vine louse) in 1872.
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