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Madeira Wine Company
Dessert Island
Madeira Island, Portugal
Everything about Madeira wine is exotic.
To begin with, it originates on a shimmer-
ing tropical island 643km (400 miles) off
the coast of Africa, often called the “pearl
of the Atlantic.” This tiny Portuguese col-
ony seems overrun with green vegetation,
covered in multicolored flowers and fruit
gardens. Beautiful terraced vineyards are
carved out of steep slopes, surrounded by
a bright blue sea. The island's capital, pic-
turesque Funchal, sits on a hillside over-
looking a wide bay, with high sea cliffs
looming in the distance. It is a sleepy, laid-
back paradise for wine lovers.
Grapes don't normally take hold on a
tropical island—the humidity and rich soil
usually mean poor quality and disease. Yet
Madeira is blessed with certain unique fac-
tors. Its volcanic soil is perfect for hardy,
exotic, strangely named grapes like Bas-
tardo and Strangled Dog. Over the years,
the island's inventive winemakers discov-
ered that if they fortified their local wine
with alcohol they could produce a rich,
sweet or dry port that would last for liter-
ally centuries. Geographic location also
blessed Madeira, for it could handily sup-
ply the New World with wine; the heat it
endured on such journeys only improved
its taste. (That heat is now simulated in
ovenlike lofts on the island.)
And Madeira became the most famous
wine in the world. In 1478, when the Duke
of Clarence faced execution for treason in
the Tower of London, he chose to drown
himself in a tub of Madeira rather than
face the axe. Shakespeare referred to it in
his plays (in Henry II, the Prince of Wales is
accused of selling his soul for a glass of
Madeira and a chicken leg), and Madeira
was the wine used to toast the American
Declaration of Independence (George
Washington reputedly could not get by
without a pint a day).
Madeira wine is currently going through
a renaissance, led by the island's main
winery, the Madeira Wine Company. Bet-
ter quality control and labeling means that
wine lovers are rediscovering this long-
lasting wine, exploring its complex tastes
of dried fruits, nut, and caramel, depend-
ing on the varietal. The island itself has
become a much-visited holiday spot, with
the Madeira Wine Company's headquar-
ters a popular stop-off (call it a “port” of
call).
The winery's quaint white townhouse,
surrounding a tropical cobbled courtyard,
features creaky aging lofts piled high with
oak, mahogany, and satinwood casks, as
well as an atmospheric wood-raftered
tasting room where dark wooden shelves
hold ancient bottles of port. Here you'll
find 100-year-old wine—captured sunlight
from Victorian times.
Madeira Wine Company, Av. Arriaga
28, Funchal ( & 351/291/740-110; www.
madeirawinecompany.com).
( Funchal Airport (15km/9 miles).
L $$$ Quinta Casa Branca, Rua da
Casa Branca 7, Funchal ( & 351/291/
700-770; www.quintacasabranca.pt). $$
Albergaria Dias, Funchal ( & 351/291/
206-680; www.albergariadias.com).
 
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