It fueled the American Revolution. It fired up the drafters of the U.S. Constitution. And though it hails from Portugal, it was America’s first favorite wine.
Madeira, a fortified wine, is inexorably tied to the nation’s history and, say both wine experts and historians, a superior pour for folks looking to feel a little closer to the first American president, one that surpasses beer or bourbon.
“People from all over the world stopped in the Madeira Islands around that time,” says Andrew McNamara, Master Sommelier and president of the Lakeland-based Ace Wine & Spirits. There were many reasons why Madeira’s wine – made with white grapes and fortified with brandy – was a prime choice for agents of the shipping industry.
“It was very difficult to have a suitable supply of drinking water,” he says. “And of course, there’s not a lot to do on a ship.” Drinking was a popular pastime during long ocean voyages. Alcohol-imbued wine was more resilient in the hold than still wines – plus those barrels offered ballast as well as refreshment.
Eventually, the sailors began to note that the wine seemed even more complex by the journey’s end.
“The barrels would get hot,” explains Rob Chase, owner of Digress Wine in Orlando. “The caramelization of the sugars gave them new characteristics. And the spirit that’s added halts the fermentation, preserving the sugars which helped attain balances that were absolutely gorgeous.”
It’s something that makers of Madeira replicate today through the Canteiro process, which introduces heat into the aging process. But how did port’s white-grape cousin become America’s first wine?
“It was beloved by the colonists because it was one of the few things you could get out of Europe as it wasn’t taxed,” Chase explains.
Not at first. But once the Crown closed the unintentional loophole, what may be the first case of underreporting occurred. The culprit: John Hancock, whose ship “The Liberty” was seized by customs officials after bringing over a shipment of Madeira to Boston, prompting an angry mob to assemble, after which violence and property destruction ensued.
But like its flavor, the story of Madeira in the Colonies is mostly sweet. Fifty-four bottles were on George Washington’s tab at Philadelphia’s City Tavern – among other high-ABV items – and two days later, the Constitution was signed.
It’s also been suggested that George Washington, whose dental woes were legendary, self-medicated with the stuff. And that he held a glass in one hand while being sworn in as the first president with the other. (A fact which some historians dispute, though they relent that the toast that followed was undoubtedly Madeira, which was also the beverage of choice at the inaugural ball.)
“Thomas Jefferson was one of the first major wine connoisseurs of the United States,” says Lee Pancake, director of education at Orlando’s Slate Wine Academy, “…and after he moved the Capitol to Washington D.C. he toasted with a glass of Madeira. Francis Scott Key is said to have drank it while writing ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ It’s all over American history.”
And for those curious to sample, there’s more good news.
“It’s the least expensive way to taste an old wine,” says McNamara, noting that Madeira prices clock in at about one-tenth of still wines the same age. This, Pancake adds, makes it a great choice for those who collect birth-year wines.
“There isn’t a more fun and interesting category to add to that type of collection,” he says, “because they’re all relatively available… There are Madeiras in stock at Tim’s Wine Market (timswine.com/) right now that go back to the early 1900s.”
At Digress, you can sample Rare Wine Co.’s, which span the category, from the Baltimore Rainwater (a term purported to have come from its origin story, in which a barrel was left on a beach) to the rich, fruity-sweet New York Malmsey.
“They’re a great entry point to conversation with people about Madeira,” says Chase, “as these were styles based on those each port city preferred…. It’s a very geeky wine, though it did have a bit of a resurgence several years ago within the craft cocktail industry.”
And Madeira, the pros agree, isn’t just for dessert.
“You could drink a Madeira with every course of a meal,” says Chase.
Tim Veran, founder of Tim’s Wine Market, enjoyed four days on Madeira as a guest of the Blandy family, who have made wine on the island since 1811. And he did just that. The pairing of oysters with five-year Sercial was a highlight.
“It’s different from Champagne, different from sake or beer or any of the classic pairings in that the Madeira still has the saline, briny quality but then you pick up this richness that plays off that umami quality of oysters that’s just amazing. The two sides really complement each other well.”
And if you’re not much of a drinker, Madeira – which in the process of being made is exposed to things that would ruin a still wine – heating, oxidation, caramelization – is miraculously shelf-stable.
“The running joke is that the only reason they put a cork in the bottle is to keep the flies out,” says Veran. Our experts agreed that an open bottle can easily last for months. Some pros say years.
It would have lasted an even longer time in Abraham Lincoln’s White House, where alcohol was rarely served. The 16th president, according to the history books, drank mostly water – though he did enjoy a coffee buzz.
The Founders would likely have approved. As the revolution brewed, coffee grew in popularity – in particular following the Boston Tea Party, when a java jones became a mark of patriotism and perhaps set us on the path towards welcoming our Starbucks overlords.
At the very least, it would have been welcome after a night of too much Madeira.
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