Has Madeira Wine Gone Out of Fashion?

Have some pineapple?  Pair it with a full bodied, perfumed glass of Madeira wine – absolute perfection. Seriously, you should really try this combination!

Some may say Madeira wine has gone out of fashion, but I would disagree.  I think we have just forgotten how exquisite it can be when paired with the right foods. Madeira is like no other wine in the world. And I promise you, I’m not at all biased 😀

Madeira wine has a rich and interesting history as well.  You could call it the ‘accidental wine’, due to how it was originally produced. Its success was largely due to the primitive shipping conditions of the seventeenth century, when it was made all the more valuable and desirable the longer it stayed at sea.

If you’d like to learn more, check out  www.intowine.com’s blog on Madeira wine history.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff…

How to Pair Madeira Wine with Food

Madeira Sercial or Dry

Light in colour, full bodied and perfumed – perfect as an apéritif.

• Goes well with olives, toasted almonds, caviar or salmon canapés and food with mayonnaise.
• It is equally subtle and marries well with smoked fish, sword fish, tuna, black scabbard, shellfish, sushi or fish mousses, and delicate fresh goat or sheep cheeses.
• Or you can use it as a long drink – a dry Madeira Wine with tonic water, slice of lemon and ice – is very refreshing.

Madeira Verdelho or Médium Dry

Golden in colour, it is also excellent as an apéritif.

• It combines perfectly with olives, toasted almonds and dry fruits and is pleasant with consommé soup, fresh cream soups and onion soup with gratinated cheese.
• It is equally exuberant with Serrano ham or smoked game, soup bowls of game, curd cheese, mushrooms with garlic or stuffed mushrooms, and tasty with duck or goose pâté de foie gras.

Madeira Boal or Medium Rich

Full bodied and fruity.

• It is harmonious with fresh tropical fruits, dry fruits, cakes and fruit tarts.
• Young Boal is a perfect accompaniment for soft cheeses and older Boal goes very well with matured cheese.
• Delicate with wild fruits and butter soufflés, this Madeira Wine is exotic with milk chocolate, pralines, petits fours, fresh cream cakes and traditional bolo de mel.

Madeira Malvasia or Rich

Dark colour, full bodied and aromatic.

• It can be appreciated with tropical fruits, dry fruits and nuts such as walnuts and hazelnuts.
• It is gracious with dry fruit cakes and fruit tarts, bolo de mel, butter biscuits, dark or milk chocolate, pralines and petits fours.
• It is equally elegant and combines very well with Portuguese cheeses and likewise with blue cheeses like Danish Blue, Roquefort, Stilton or Gorgonzola.

 

 

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