Vinho da Madeira
Photo: Mark Woodbury · CC BY 2.0

History

The Malvasia vine was planted on Madeira in the 15th century on Prince Henry's orders, to break the Venetian and Genoese hold on the wine trade. Barrels loaded as ballast crossed the tropics twice, and shippers found the heat and motion improved rather than ruined the wine. Producers reproduced the effect on land through the canteiro method, ageing casks in warm lofts for years or decades. Blandy's and H.M. Borges still do it in central Funchal, and the wine goes from bone dry Sercial through to sweet Malvasia.

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Common allergens: Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 10 minTotal 10 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 100ml dry Sercial or Verdelho Madeira
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 150ml double cream
  • Grated nutmeg

Method

  1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a heatproof bowl until pale and thick.
  2. Warm the Madeira in a small pan until it steams but does not boil.
  3. Pour the warm Madeira onto the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
  4. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk for 6 to 8 minutes until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  5. Take off the heat, fold in the cream and divide between two glasses.
  6. Chill for an hour and grate nutmeg over the top before serving.

Tip from the editors. Use a dry Madeira here. A sweet Malvasia turns the cream cloying and is better drunk on its own after dinner.

Where to eat vinho da madeira

Vinho da Madeira in Funchal

Blandy's Wine Lodge ★ 4.6

€€ Wine barSé

Blandy's Wine Lodge ages Madeira by the canteiro method on Avenida Arriaga, where over 650 barrels and vats rest above the street in the family lodge.

PourA tasting flight through the lodge cellars

WineCanteiro-aged Madeira across Sercial, Verdelho, Boal and Malvasia

FoodThe lodge's own 1811 Bistro & Wine Bar on Avenida Arriaga

TipGuided tours run seven days a week in five languages. English has the most departures, so check the timetable before fixing a time for the others.

Directions

H.M. Borges ★ 4.4

€€ Wine barSé

H.M. Borges has bottled Madeira since 1877 and worked from its Rua 31 de Janeiro building since 1924, running guided cellar tours and tastings from the adega.

OrderA Colheita or Frasqueira poured in the guided cellar tasting, booked in advance.

Why locals goA fourth-generation 1924 adega in the middle of Funchal that still ages in cask, and that most visitors walk past on the way to the bigger lodges.

TipThe house publishes no fixed tasting-room schedule. Visits are customised, so email or call ahead rather than turning up.

Directions

UVA Restaurant & Wine Bar ★ 4.5

€€€€ Wine barSé

UVA is the rooftop restaurant and wine bar at The Vine in Funchal, where chef Thomas Faudry runs a farm-to-table Madeiran line above the harbour.

PourA glass of Madeira with the daily plate

WineMadeira and mainland Portuguese lists, poured on the rooftop

FoodFull kitchen

TipDinner Tuesday to Saturday, and the rooftop is worth arriving early for at sunset.

Directions

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