Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine from the Madeira Islands. It is produced in a variety of different styles, ranging from dry wines which are served alone as an aperitif, or as a sweeter dessert wine.
The Madeira Islands have a long wine making history, which dates back to the Age of Exploration when the islands were the middle ground for all ships heading to and from the exotic lands of the New World and East Indies.
Madeira involved a very unique winemaking process, and the wine is heated to temperatures as high as 60°C to oxidise it. This makes it not only a delicious wine, but robust, and it can survive for a long time on its own, even if it has been opened. This dates back to its history when it had to endure long shipping journeys from the ports of Madeira, all the way to the New World.
Today there are a variety and styles of Madeira wine on offer, and if anything it only gets better with age.