Continuing the theme of fortified wines, one cannot help but recall perhaps the most exquisite drink in taste, difficult to make and unusual in its effects - “women’s cognac”, Madeira.

Madera is the name of a wine that resembles the name of a beautiful woman. The wine tastes even more pleasant than its name. This name combines a group of wines that have a caramel taste with a light smoky aroma - the drink acquires these taste qualities during the preparation process.

This drink absorbed the warmth of autumn and smoldering fires. Drinking Madeira while indulging in nostalgia is true pleasure.

The birthplace of this drink is Portugal, but despite this, Russia has learned to make equally tasty Madeira wine with a characteristic taste. One of the processes of producing a drink is called “maderization” - this is heating it to a certain temperature under the sun.

The peculiarities of Madeira wine, its types, history, process of preparation and consumption, as well as recipes using it are described in this article.

Description

Madeira is a fortified wine traditionally produced on the island of Madeira. This wooded island has gone down in the history of alcoholic beverages as the birthplace of fortified wines.

Such drinks can be dry or dessert. An important role is played by aging wine materials at a temperature of 30-45 degrees Celsius. This aging results in an amber-colored wine (see photo above).

The name "Madeira" can only be used for wines that are produced on the island of Madeira.

The history of Madeira begins in 1418, at which time the Portuguese discovered the island of Porto Santo. The following year, Portuguese colonists were sent to it. In 1420, one of the captains, whose name was João Gonçalves Zarco, noticed an unknown dark stripe on the horizon. She resembled a cloud. The captain decided to swim up and look at the mysterious “cloud”. It turned out to be an island called Maidera, since it was entirely covered with forests (translated from Portuguese, “Madeira” means “forest”).

Since the wine and the island are related to each other, the name of the wine would be correctly pronounced "Madeira". By the way, the brave captain was appointed ruler of the island for life.

When the colonists began to explore Madeira, they encountered some problems, because the island was covered with a tropical forest called laurisilva. In order to make the territory suitable for settlement and agriculture, the colonists had to cut down part of the forest.

In 1453, they planted the first grapevines, which they brought from the island of Crete. As it turned out later, Madeira's climate was ideal for the development of winemaking.

The legend of the drink

• As for the legend of the origin of the drink, it is believed that it happened during a voyage to India.
• Since there was trouble with the ship, the wine had to be taken home.
• During the trip, it was subjected to pitching and was also exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, since there was little space on the ship, the wine was stored directly on the deck and not in the hold.
• To prevent it from spoiling so much, sailors added a certain amount of grape alcohol to the wine.
• So, as a result of travel, as well as exposure to high temperatures, the drink changed its taste and aroma characteristics; shades of hardened wood and caramel were felt in its bouquet.

Great people preferred to drink Madera, for example, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington. Duke George of Claren himself, sentenced to death, wished to be drowned in a bathtub filled with Madeira.

Today this wine is called women's or ladies' cognac, since it is still most popular among the fair half of humanity.

Production of the drink declined sharply in 1852-1857, due to a fungus that affected the vines. At the beginning of the 19th century, they began to disappear again, but this time due to phylloxera. In order to save the vineyards, it was decided to import American vines. Soon they began to grow predominantly hybrids, while local varieties were much less common.

Later, the Tinta Negra Mole variety spread and today it makes up 90% of the raw materials for the production of Madeira.

Types of drink

Types of wines:

1. Dry and semi-dry wines are produced from Sercial and Verdelho grape varieties.
2. To prepare sweet and semi-sweet ones, Bual and Malvasia are used.
3. Tinta Negra is used for semi-dry and semi-sweet wines.

Marking:

• The word Finest in the name of Madeira means that the wine has been aged for at least 18 months.
• The label of Madeira, made using Canteiro technology, with a minimum aging of five years, contains the word Reserve.
• Blended wines over 10 years old have the words Special Reserve on the label.
• More than 15 years - Extra Reserve.
• The year of harvest is also indicated on the label.
• The Vintages designation marks wine that has been aged for at least 20 years in an oak barrel and 2-3 years in bottle.

General properties of Madeira:

1. high acidity;
2. pronounced nutty and almond tones;
3. cognac shade of the drink.

Acidity gives wine a bitter taste. The color of Madeira changes depending on aging: young – light matte, with increasing age the color darkens
The taste changes from sharp to velvety.

Long shelf life does not threaten Madeira turning into vinegar.

The presence of alcohol in the drink makes storage almost unlimited; specimens that are aged for 100-150 years are now sold.

• One type of Madeira is the liqueur dessert wine Malvasia. It has a higher sugar content - 41 g/liter.
• Another type of Madeira Rainwater. The name gives away the secret of making this wine.

The barrels that accidentally found themselves in the rain stood for a long time and absorbed rainwater in small quantities.

This gave the drink a new, softer and spicy taste, and the presence of water reduced the percentage of alcohol.

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Production Features

Madeira is produced from the following grape varieties:

1. Malvasia is an Italian variety; its advantage is its resistance to fungal diseases. Madeira made from this grape is considered the sweetest.
2. Bual is a rare variety that grows on the southern shores of Madeira. Suitable for the production of Madeira and Port wine. The wine from this grape has a piquant sourness.
3. Verdelho is a technical variety, suitable for making white wine. This drink has a pleasant caramel taste.
4. Serviceal is a technical grade, suitable for the production of Madeira and sherry. Young wines made from Servisial have a somewhat harsh taste, but after 7 years of aging such drinks become very soft.

The best vines grow in the mountains; the varieties Sercial, Boal, and Malvasia are grown on the terraced slopes.

However, the most common variety is Tinta Negra Mole, or “soft black”. It is these grapes that are most often used to produce Madeira. It contains a lot of sugar, tannins and pigments, which makes it possible to obtain wines with a pleasant color. Tinta Negra is considered an inferior variety and is used to produce Madeira without aging.

The island's topography does not allow the use of special equipment, so all work is done by hand.

• To begin with, grapes of a certain variety are collected, pressed, and left to ferment.
• Then the dry wine is brought to a strength of 8%, fortified to 18%-22%.
• Next, the wine is poured into barrels and stored at a temperature of 45-50 degrees Celsius.
• After six months, the temperature is reduced. This technology is also called “canteiro”.

Canteiro technology is considered very expensive. This is how no more than 10% of Madeira is obtained. This is the most expensive wine of this type.

Mass-produced wines are produced using estoufa technology. The wine, obtained from the predominantly Tinto Negra variety, is poured into a vat, which is heated using a special system.

The manufacturer maintains a constant temperature of 45-50 degrees Celsius.

1. The wine is heated for 3 months.
2. Then it is aged in oak barrels for 3-5 years.
3. During this storage, the tannins contained in the wood dissolve in the drink, giving it amazing taste and aromatic qualities.

Madeira production in Russia

Now let's move to the expanses of our Motherland, where wines called Madeira are also produced.

The most famous plant for the production of Madeira (Madeira) and other varieties is located in the south of Crimea. It's called "Massandra". This is one of the famous and large companies in the world producing quality port wines, Madeira Massandra, etc. for more than 150 years. The company owns vineyards growing in the south of Crimea on an area of ​​400 hectares.

The production of Madeira (Madeira) Massandra especially began to develop in 1826, when the company was acquired by Count Vorontsov and tried to do everything to make Massandra wines recognizable throughout the world. It is largely to his credit that storage cellars were built and grape plantations grew.

The most successful year was 1900, when the company took part in an exhibition in Paris. The plant's collection contains more than 1 million bottles of different types of drinks, which is a Guinness record. The plant has received numerous awards and cups. The most famous and beloved is Madeira (Madeira) Massandra.

Unlike Madeira (Madeira) in Portugal, the production of Madeira Massandra mainly uses special grape varieties: Albillo, Verdelho and Sercial.

Massandra is a strong and expensive drink, available in glass bottles. The beginning of production of this wine can be dated back to 1936. When you open the bottle, you immediately feel a subtle bouquet of aromas with a hint of caramel. It can be amber, light or golden in color, depending on the year of manufacture.

1. The production technology of Madera Massandra is slightly different from production in Portugal.
2. The grapes are harvested at their most ripe, then the drink is kept in the sun for several weeks and only then put into cellars where it is aged for more than 5 years.
3. Madera Massandra has repeatedly won international competitions.

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Native, Crimean, beloved

The historical homeland of the drink is immortalized in its name. Although the average Russian has a different association when he hears about Madera Massandra wine - Crimea. The village, located near Yalta, in the southern part of the sunny peninsula, is an excellent place to grow Shabash, Albillo, Sercial, and Verdelho grape varieties. Madeira is made from them.

This wine began to be produced in Crimea in the 19th century. And in other places, besides Massandra, Madeira wine was produced. Koktebel was no exception.

• At the winery of the same name, one of the largest sites in Europe for the production of this drink was set up.
• It is also made in Kuban, Krasnodar Territory, Armenia and Moldova. But vintage Crimean wines have always been a real standard of quality.

Crimean Madera wine ceased to be produced only once in its centuries-long history - during the Great Patriotic War. At the same time, collectible Massandra drinks, which are no less valuable than works of art, were evacuated to Tbilisi. In 1945 they returned.

And at the present moment, the cool cellars of Massandra contain true treasures in the form of such an amazing drink as Madeira. Crimean wine from all vintages (from 1900 to the present day) can be found here.

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Maderization

Madeiran wines are made from pink, white and red grape varieties. In Crimea, only white ones are made.

1. Madeira wine of Portuguese origin is interesting because the grapes used for production grow on centuries-old vines.
2. After the invasion of Europe by the inexorable phylloxera in the 19th century, the vineyards were destroyed, after which they were re-grafted only on American vines.
3. This misfortune did not affect Madeira. It has its own vine, Madeiran, which has stood the test of time.

In Crimean wineries, the technology used for making wine is practically no different from the traditional Portuguese one. The only significant difference is that in Crimea, purified grain alcohol is added to the drink, while in Portuguese and Spanish Madeira it is exclusively grape alcohol. Consequently, the taste of European wine is softer.

Vintage

To make Madeira wine, the grapes are harvested when their sugar content is at least 23%. After receiving the necessary wine materials, they must be kept in oak barrels, the total capacity of which is about 300 liters.

Wood from the Krasnodar Territory or Moldova is used to make barrels in Crimea.

• Madeira is bottled mainly in old barrels.
• This drink is contraindicated if it is too heavily saturated with oak tannins.
• Before pouring new wine into the container, it is renewed each time.
• To do this, a person climbs inside and scrapes off 5-7 mm of wood.

Excerpt

Madeira wine “dries out” during aging – evaporation is approximately 30%. At the same time, according to the technology used in Crimea, the barrels are then topped up so that the total volume of contents is 60-70% of the entire capacity. The created layer of air is needed to make this drink.

Wine materials are blended if necessary. Madeira is almost always a blended wine.

1. Basically, at least 3 varieties of grapes are used for its production.
2. Madeira in Crimea is often made from traditional grape varieties for this wine - these are Verdelho, Albillo, Sercial, Shabash.
3. This wine is made from grapes from the 1st year of harvest. The finished drink contains 20% alcohol and 4% sugar.

The best Madeira is vintage. This wine is made according to traditional technology. Ordinary wines are produced according to a simplified scheme. They are processed in artificially heated sealed containers. The aging period for this drink is only 1 year.

Difference from port and sherry

Madeira differs from port and sherry in many ways that are worth understanding.

To make sherry, special yeast is used for fermentation, and when creating port and Madeira, the fermentation process is interrupted by adding alcohol to the wine.

Madeira wine is also the most difficult and time-consuming to make. It is first aged for about twelve months in special oak barrels at a temperature of at least fifty degrees. Then the wine is kept in barrels in the open air for more than three years.

• Port is aged in barrels for about three years, while sherry matures for four years.
• In terms of strength, sherry takes first place (about twenty degrees), followed by Madeira (nineteen degrees), and then port (eighteen degrees).
• Dry Madeira wine is best drunk before meals, and sweet wine should be served with sweet desserts. Port wine, like Madeira, can be drunk before meals or served with dessert after lunch and dinner.
• But sherry goes best with cheese, mushrooms, vegetable and meat appetizers, seafood, and olives.

Taste and visual aesthetics

The lifespan of Madeira is much longer than that of the same dry wines. The drink is still beautiful 150 years later. Madeira, bottled, is stored horizontally in cellars. Long storage only improves the bouquet.

1. Young wine, which is only 1-1.5 years old, appears matte (the year of production of young Madeira is not indicated on the labels).
2. After aging for 25 years, this drink acquires an interesting matte shine, like olive oil. The taste softens and becomes velvety.
3. And wine aged 50 years or more gives the tongue the feeling of silk. Experts say this. At the same time, the aroma of pear, fig, quince is added to the characteristic taste of roasted nuts, and date tones are revealed.

The drink is good during the afternoon rest. A very successful combination of wine with a cigar, the taste of which has clearly pronounced nutty tones. Although it is worth experimenting and trying to find your own options. Most likely, they will differ from the classic ones. Although in any case, the Madeira lover and cigar connoisseur will be right.

Madera varieties

1. Madeira belongs to a highly oxidized type of wine and has a bright, well-defined complex aroma with light spicy-resinous nuances and taste, in which an almond tone with a sherry rum-cognac tint, tones of roasted nuts - hazelnuts, and rye crust of freshly baked bread stand out.
2. The taste of Madeira is characterized by a combination of increased alcohol content with full and high extractivity; it is distinguished by sufficient freshness, even pungency, with weak caramelization and a pleasant bitterness, light boiling, but good coherence and harmony.
3. The color of the wine is thick, rich, varying from the color of brewed tea to dark amber. Madeira is also called “ladies' cognac”.

For the production of Madeira we use grape varieties Sercial, Verdelho, Boile, Malvasia. These are the best grape varieties, so the Tinta Negra Mol variety, considered a “simple” variety, stands out somewhat from this number of “noble” varieties. However, it is he who occupies most of the area of ​​vineyards involved in the creation of Madeira.

Traditionally, various “noble” varieties were associated with the idea of different styles wines and used their names for all wines, regardless of their true varietal composition. According to European law, a wine can be labeled with a grape variety if it is made from 85% of that variety.

Sercial

Sercial - grows in the coolest areas, located at a significant altitude above sea level, and ripens slowly. The driest Madeira is made from it.

• Young wines are light, very sharp, sharp, with piercing citric acidity, they are almost impossible to drink.
• After 7-8 years of aging, the harshness softens and a very subtle and refined bouquet is formed.

Verdelho

Verdelho - produces semi-dry to semi-sweet wines, with a hint of caramel in color, very acidic, but softer than Sercial.

The bouquet has a nutty tone, and the sweet taste is barely noticeable.

Bual

Bual (red Madeira) is a very rare variety growing in the south of the island.

1. It produces a medium-bodied wine in which the sweetness balances the sharp acidity.
2. The delicate taste of butter and nuts is complemented by a spicy bitterness.

Malmsey

Malmsey (Malvasia) - (a liqueur-like Madeira made from raisin berries) grows in the hot valleys of the island and produces the fullest, richest and sweetest wines, although they also have acidity, it has a rich amber color and a light almond aroma. This type is preferred by many people. The sweetest wine of all Madeira varieties.

Tinta Negra Mole

Tinta Negra Mole is the workhorse of modern Madeira. This soft red variety is believed to come from Pinot Noir and Grenache.

• All young wines made from it have a light pinkish tint, turning into amber over time.
• Relatively neutral in aroma produces wines in one of the styles described above (depending on where and how it is grown).

Rainwater

There is another special type of Madeira - Rainwater, which owes its appearance to chance.

When a large batch of wine in barrels lay on the shore for a long time and the rains that fell at that time soaked the wood of the barrels with water, the alcohol level in the wine decreased. The result was a relatively light wine that was recognized by consumers, and similar wines began to be made specially.

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History of wine creation

Madeira wine (that's right, Madeira) has a history of almost five centuries. The drink got its name from the island of Madeira (Portugal), located in the Atlantic Ocean.

• In the 15th-16th centuries, Madeira was an important transit point on the way from Europe to America and India.
• The local port of Funchal was the only non-British port that had the right to trade wine with the British colonies, which contributed to the development of winemaking and wine trading.
• It turned out that transporting wines on the decks of ships crossing the equator had a beneficial effect on their quality. Light and sour wines acquired softness and a more expressive bouquet, and were less likely to sour. The wines that traveled to India and back were especially good.
• As a result, barrels of wine began to be specially loaded as ballast onto ships on which they made long journeys. At that time, Madeira was not yet a fortified wine.

Only after Napoleon Bonaparte imposed a continental blockade did Madeira wine merchants begin to add alcohol to their wines to prevent them from spoiling. As a result of the fastening, a new interesting taste was obtained, which gradually became the standard of Madeira. Until the 19th century, Madeira was aged by leaving wine barrels in the sun for a long time.

In the second half of the 19th century, a more practical and controlled aging technology appeared - the estufa system. Immediately after fixing, the wines began to be placed in storage facilities - estufa - hot house), where they are heated. IN

As a result, Madeira acquires a subtle caramel flavor and resistance to oxidation in an open bottle. A month spent in estuf changes the wine in much the same way as two years of regular aging.

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How to drink Madeira

Such a sunny and noble drink as Madeira deserves to be told everything about it - how to drink it, with what and when. These rules will allow you to fully unlock its potential.

First of all, it is worth noting that Madeira is an excellent aperitif. That's how it happened. We didn't invent this. Most likely, the inventive Portuguese (and, as you know, the birthplace of this drink is Portugal, or rather the island of Madeira) came up with this idea.

What goes with it?

1. If Madeira wine is cooled to a temperature of 16 - 18°C, it will be ideally combined with traditional first and second courses.
2. This sunny drink can easily be washed down with cold appetizers made from veal tongue, ham, liver, or poultry dishes.
3. In general, in combination with meat delights, Madeira unusually opens up, unexpected notes appear that you may not initially catch (or simply miss out of ignorance).
4. And if you drink a glass of unchilled Madeira wine with some delicious dessert (vanilla pie, tiramisu, classic creme brulee, apple pie with vanilla ice cream and, in general, all desserts in the recipe of which one of the main ingredients is caramel) or coffee, then you are guaranteed to receive extraordinary pleasure from the meal.
5. And the combination of a sunny drink and a cigar, according to experts, will give you an indescribable feeling! That is, whatever one may say, Madeira is a unique drink that goes well with almost any pickles, the main thing is not to overdo it with the quantity.
6. Madeira wine also has excellent tonic properties.

Wine glasses

How to drink Madeira is actually an important question. The main thing here is not to miss, otherwise it will turn out like in that joke: “In response to our attempts to talk about cider, the bartender says: “I don’t understand anything about cider,” and pours the drink into tulip champagne flutes.”

So, to avoid such embarrassment, write it down, and we will dictate slowly so that you have time...

• Experts advise taking “tulip” shaped glasses for Madeira wine (they are also glasses for fortified wine), thanks to which the bouquet of the drink can be more fully revealed.
• At the same time, the leg of the container, 4-5 cm high, does not allow the Madeira wine to heat up in the palm of your hand.
• It is best to fill a tulip glass 2/3 full so that you can “shake” the drink a little and catch the whole palette of taste and aroma before sipping.
• Our compatriots even invented their own version of a glass, the volume of which is 75 ml (a little more than a vodka glass. Who would doubt it...). To keep things simple, they called this container a Madeira glass.

When to drink

Madeira wine is ideal as a digestif, without any accompaniment. Just savor the drink after a hearty dinner in pleasant company. According to the Portuguese, this is the best meditation. However, it is not a sin to drink Madeira after dinner and in combination with biscuits, nut desserts, and coffee. Chefs of elite restaurants are happy to add the drink to a variety of sauces.

Rumor has it that the birth of such an unusual sauce was not without the participation of Grigory Rasputin himself, who consumed Madeira in huge quantities at lunch, dinner and breakfast, I washed it down with fish, meat, vegetables and even added it to tea. After the doctor forbade him to drink Madeira wine (no body could withstand such a load), Rasputin ordered the cook to add the drink to all dishes. It goes without saying that such a trick was kept in the strictest confidence from doctors.

1. Tasting Madeira is a whole ritual.
2. Once you open the bottle, don’t rush to drink the drink right away, no matter how luxurious it may be.
3. To begin with, admire its rich amber color, fully enjoy the aroma that Madeira wine has absorbed, because not every drink contains the purest sea air, the scorching Portuguese sun and a luxurious palette of flavors of selected grapes.
4. Allow yourself to feel the whole play of shades and the harmony of the aftertaste.
5. And only then proceed to the most important thing - getting incredible pleasure from the drink.

Cooking at home

Of course, real Madeira can only be made in Portugal. But its analogue can be prepared at home.

Grapes that are not too sweet are suitable for this purpose (in Portugal they use white varieties with sourness). It is also necessary to pay attention to the barrels for storing Madeira.

1. The grapes are pressed and left to ferment.
2. Then the pulp is separated from the liquid and fixed with 95% alcohol.
3. The strength of the drink should ultimately be no more than 19 degrees.
4. Then the fortified wine is poured into a container made of stainless steel.
5. In order to get exactly Madeira, the wine will need to be heated periodically.
6. During the first 3 months the temperature should be 45 degrees Celsius, then the wine is kept at room temperature.
7. You should also not overheat the product, as this will spoil its taste. Of course, making homemade Madeira is a troublesome task, but the taste of this drink is worth it.

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Interesting facts

A unique collection of Madeira, consisting of more than a thousand exhibits of this wine, was sold on December 8, 2007 in New York for

• During the time of Peter I, the expression “royal Madeira” appeared. This was the joking name given to poor quality vodka, which was issued free of charge on behalf of the Tsar (a glass a day to all St. Petersburg workers).
• The label of Madeira, produced in Massandra, depicts a sailboat with wine barrels on the deck, in memory of the legend about the origin of this type of wine. In Massandra itself, barrels of Madeira are aged in the sun on the slopes of the southern coast of Crimea.

• You should not think that the inhabitants of the island of Madeira drink exclusively (or at least mainly) Madeira. They prefer lighter wines, just like the inhabitants of mainland Portugal (who, by the way, do not drink only port wine, which is produced mainly for export).
• If in Portugal (including Madeira) you simply ask for “Madeira” in a restaurant or wine shop, you most likely will not be understood; you need to say “vinho da Madeira” (Vinho da Madeira).

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Useful properties

1. Interesting fact: the inhabitants of the island of Madeira practically do not drink; this drink has gained great popularity outside of Portugal. Thus, Jefferson, with a glass of Madeira, proclaimed the independence of America, and in Russia, Pavel1 granted the title of baron to the wine supplier. In the time of Catherine, they poured it from a bottle into small glasses and used it as a medicine to raise tone and speed up recovery.
2. Doctors recommended that older people drink this drink in small doses daily. There are rumors that Madera saved the life of Grishka Rasputin, who drank 3-4 bottles of this drink per day. Allegedly, cyanide was added to his glass of wine, but under the influence of this sweet drink the effect of the poison weakened, which saved him. By the 19th century, the fame of this wine had reached such popularity that this drink began to be adulterated almost everywhere. It became possible to get a bottle of quality wine from Portugal only from abroad, although this drink was counterfeited in both Europe and America.
3. Wine producers around the world tried to “madeerize” port wines and other types of drinks, and pseudo-winemakers in Spain, France, Germany and Poland were especially successful in this. In the old days in Russia, Madeira was produced from potato alcohol and juice in the city of Cascina, and labels from Spain were stuck on the bottles. And also in the past history of Russia, the expression “royal Madeira” was practiced, so this has nothing to do with this noble drink. This was the name of the cheap vodka that was given out free of charge during the construction of St. Petersburg.
4. After World War II, the hype around Madeira wine in Europe died down, but the production of counterfeit wine completely migrated to America. Nowadays, we must be careful about drinks with the Madeira (Madeira) brand, since they are basically a crude fake made from a surrogate with a large amount of sugar. Such a drink will not only not bring any benefit, but can also cause harm to the body.

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Harm and contraindications

The drink can cause harm to the body due to individual intolerance, as well as excessive consumption.

• Despite beneficial properties, it is not recommended to use Madeira for pregnant and lactating women and children.
• Wine can also cause harm to people with gastrointestinal diseases, as it has high acidity, and, accordingly, it is contraindicated for them.

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Use in cooking

Ingredients:

• about 1200 g of beef meat;
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
• 3/4 cup Madeira;
• tomato sauce;
• 1 1/2 cups pearl onions;
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic;
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots;
• salt and pepper.

Preparation:

1. Pour olive oil into a large frying pan. Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Salt and pepper the piece of meat and place it in the pan. Cook the meat for 5 minutes, turn over and wait the same amount. In general, both sides of the piece should turn brown.
3. To prepare a special sauce for this dish, you will have to mix simple tomato sauce and chopped garlic, then add Madeira. Mix everything well and set aside until the meat is cooked.
4. Remove the meat from the pan, add the pearl onions and carrots to the pan and lightly fry them. When they soften a little, pour the sauce over them and simmer the contents of the pan for another 5 minutes. Then add the meat and warm it up a little. Now the dish can be served!

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Madeira sauce

Ingredients

• Ju-lie sauce 200 milliliters
• Madeira 40 milliliters
• butter 20 grams
• salt

Cooking method

1. Pour ju-lie sauce into a saucepan.
2. Place on low heat. Let it evaporate a little.
3. Pour in Madeira. We continue to evaporate to the previous volume.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add butter.
5. Beat with a whisk. Pour into a gravy boat.

Madeira sauce goes well with meat, steaks and roasted vegetables. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

• beef 700 gr
• Madeira ½ cup
• shallot 1 piece
• fresh mushrooms 100 gr
• water ¾ cup
• cornstarch 1 teaspoon
• olive oil 2 tablespoons
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan and when it sizzles, add the meat. Fry over medium heat for 5-9 minutes, turning once.
3. Place the finished steaks on plates and cover with foil and leave for a few minutes.
4. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the same frying pan and sauté finely chopped shallots in it for 3-4 minutes. Add the Madeira wine, a quarter teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of black pepper to the onion and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring quickly. Add 1 spoon of cornstarch and chopped mushrooms and, continuing to stir vigorously, wait for the sauce to thicken. This will take approximately 1 minute.
5. Serve the steaks with the sauce.

eda.ru

Ingredients

• salmon fillet 800 g
• champignons 400 g
• shallots 2 heads
• lemon 1 piece
• chicken egg½ piece
• bread crumbs 50 g
• almond 20 g
• beef broth 500 ml
• Madeira 100 ml
• olive oil 20 ml
• butter 50 g
• melted butter 50 g
• parsley 20 g
• cilantro 20 g
• salt to taste
• fresh pepper to taste

Preparation

1.Put almonds, bread crumbs, parsley and cilantro leaves into a blender, turn it all into a green mass. Add butter at room temperature, a pinch of salt, half a lightly beaten egg and mix again until smooth.

2. Roll out the resulting paste with a rolling pin between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of approximately 2-3 mm, and place in the freezer.

3. Fry finely chopped shallots in olive oil until soft, then add two-thirds of the champignons. When the mushrooms give juice, pour in the Madeira and slowly boil it down to a syrup.

4. Pour mushrooms with onions beef broth and cook for half an hour over low heat. Season the broth with salt and pepper and strain through a sieve.

5. Cut the fillet into four portions. Heat melted butter in a frying pan and fry the salmon fillets for about a minute on each side.

6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Remove the frozen green pasta from the refrigerator and cut it into rectangles the size of salmon fillets. Cover each piece of fish with a green layer: remove a strip of paper from one side of the rectangle, place it on the piece of fish, carefully remove the paper from the other side. Place the salmon fillet in the oven - three to four minutes will be enough.

7. In the melted butter remaining after frying the fish, fry the champignons - you can cut them however you like, for example into quarters. Sprinkle mushrooms with lemon juice.

8. Pour a little sauce into each plate, place a piece of fish under the green shell, add fried champignons, and sprinkle with fresh herbs if desired.

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Cocktail recipes with Madeira

Cocktail “Morning”

• 1/3 liqueur;
• 1/3 cognac;
• 1/3 Madeira;
• chopped nutmeg.

Combine the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass and pour the resulting cocktail into a glass. Sprinkle the finished drink with nutmeg.

Cocktail “Butterfly Wings”

• 70 ml cranberry juice;
• 70 ml dry Madeira;
• 50 ml whiskey;
• orange slice for decoration;

Preparation

1. Pour Madeira, whiskey and cranberry juice into an Old Fashioned glass with ice and stir the contents of the glass with a bar spoon.
2. Dip an orange slice into the finished cocktail.

Cocktail “Island of Flowers”

• 50 ml sweet red Madeira;
• 20 ml brandy (regular);
• 10 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• 10 ml freshly squeezed orange juice;
• 10 ml freshly squeezed pineapple juice;
• a piece of pineapple for decoration;
• 1/2 orange slice for garnish;
• 1/2 lemon wedge for garnish;

Combine Madeira, brandy and fresh juices in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass 1/3 filled with crushed ice. Dip pieces of fruit into the resulting cocktail.

younapitki.ru

Cocktail “Rocket”

• Madeira – 60 ml
• cognac – 40 ml
• sweet berry liqueur – 20 ml
• dry red wine – 10 ml

Mix all ingredients in a shaker. Place ice in a cocktail glass. Strain the resulting mixture and pour it into a cocktail glass.

Cocktail “Light”

To prepare it you will need:

• Madeira – 30 ml
• cognac – 20 ml
• dry white vermouth – 20 ml
• lemon zest - to taste

Preparation

1. Mix Madeira, cognac and vermouth.
2. Pour the mixture into a cocktail glass.
3. Add lemon zest to taste.
4. You can add a pitted green olive to your cocktail.

Cocktail “Egg”

To prepare it you will need:

• Madeira – 40 ml
• egg – 1 pc.
• mint liqueur – 30 ml
• grated nutmeg – 1 pinch

Mix Madeira in a blender raw egg, liqueur. Strain the resulting mixture. Pour into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle grated nutmeg on top.

Which connoisseur of refined alcohol does not know about a wine called Madeira? This noble drink, which originates from the island of Madeira, has been highly valued since ancient times. Today we will tell you what is the reason for this.

A brief excursion into history

The wine that is so admired and collected today was born out of chance. A Portuguese ship bound for India carried several barrels of wine. But the journey was greatly delayed, since the calm forced the ship to stand for a long time in equatorial latitudes, and the drink was exposed to high temperatures for a long time. This determined its unique taste qualities, which were radically different from the original ones. Wine connoisseurs liked the new shades of noble aroma so much that experts set out to recreate in as much detail as possible the process of the so-called “maderization” of wine. Even if not at the first try, but over time, winemakers learned to create wine that has the same taste as the first Madeira.

Manufacturing technology

Of course, the highest quality wine is made from the best grapes. Therefore, several varieties of white grapes (Verdelho, Sercial, Bual, Malvasia, Albillo, Shabash, Kokur, Tashly, Bayan Shirey, Semillon, Pukhlyakovsky, Oporto, Voskehat and Rkatsiteli) are the basis exclusively for expensive collectible drinks. The wine, whose price is an order of magnitude lower, is made from the more common red variety Tinta Negra.

But Madeira from the Portuguese island of Madeira is of particular value: the grapes used to make it grow on vines that are already 100 years old, and are harvested by hand (this is due to the very small distance between the vines, which is often used for growing other crops ). Some manufacturers adhere to ancient traditions and they still prefer to crush grapes with their feet. The result is juice, which is called wort. It is carried by hand to the winery.

The wort ferments for some time. The juice of the Sercial and Verdelho varieties undergoes this process the longest - dry wines are obtained from it. The fermentation process is under constant control: as soon as the alcohol and sugar content becomes optimal, the drink is fortified with 95 percent alcohol, which stops the fermentation of the wort. Then the second stage begins, the essence of which is the warm processing (maderization) of the wine. Inexpensive wines are bottled in specific containers made of stainless steel - estuffs. Inside them there are coils through which hot steam is released. The wine is heated to 50 degrees, then left undisturbed for a while and heated again. This process lasts an average of three months, sometimes up to six months, after which the drink is poured into barrels (usually oak) and aged for two to five years. After this time, Madeira is bottled and goes on sale.

Photo: adventureda.blogspot.com

Fine wines are created through natural heating. They are poured into oak barrels or metal tanks, inside of which there are oak staves. The containers are taken to sunny areas and left there for several months or even years. After some time, they are moved to a room where the temperature is slightly lower. This can be repeated several times until the expert concludes that the wine has achieved ideal taste. The aging process can last several decades - the quality of the drink will only benefit from this. After such aging, an open bottle of Madeira can last for a year and a half without losing its unique taste.

Photo: vistadaserra.blogspot.com

Where is Madeira made?

Portuguese winemakers have been producing Madeira for several centuries, and were not going to share the secret. But in 1880, Crimean winemakers mastered the technology for producing this magnificent drink. They learned to make wine that is not inferior in quality to Portuguese wine. Since then, Madeira has been produced at the Massandra and Koktebel wineries. In Crimea, only white grapes of the Albillo, Sabash, Verdelho, and Sercial varieties are grown, while the Portuguese also produce red wine from the Tinta Negra variety. The only difference between Portuguese and Crimean Madeira is the alcohol that is added to it. The Portuguese prefer grape, and the residents of Crimea prefer grain. Therefore, the European drink is a little softer.

Moldova, Armenia, Kuban, Krasnodar Territory - Madeira is also produced in all these places, but Crimean winemakers are still much better versed in the technology for making this noble drink.

How to drink Madeira correctly

Madera is a wine that has a very unique flavor palette: a combination of nuts and caramel. Therefore, it is very important to know how you can most fully enjoy the entire range of shades of a fine wine. First, it is worth noting that Madeira is a completely unique drink that can be consumed in different ways. This wine is a wonderful aperitif. However, Madeira can also be consumed as an accompanying drink for a wide variety of dishes; for this it only needs to be cooled to 16 degrees. In order to fully experience the taste of wine, you should clearly know what it can be combined with. Madera goes well with products such as ham, veal liver and tongue, meat dishes (preferably wild animals) and poultry. Madeira can also be enjoyed during dessert, but in this case it should be drunk not chilled.

This noble drink must be drunk from a “tulip” shaped glass: it is this shape that contributes to the fullest development of the wine’s bouquet and does not allow it to warm up from the warmth of the hand.

Photo: madaboutmadeira.org

An important rule: fill the glass only two-thirds full. This will help you fully experience the aroma of Madeira before you take your first sip. You need to drink slowly in order to have time to feel the whole range of shades hidden in the wine, which has absorbed the bright sunlight and the cleanest sea air.

Madeira is a famous fortified wine, the production of which is inextricably linked with the Portuguese island of Madeira. The wine has a unique intense taste and aroma. For its preparation, grape varieties such as Sersi-al, Verdelho, Bual (Boal), Malvasia and Tinta Negra Mol are used.

History of the drink

We owe the appearance of this fortified drink with a euphonious name to a curious accident. According to legend, while transporting wine from Portugal to India, the ship was caught in a storm, which is why some of the barrels had to be brought back. A long stay in a closed hold with high temperature and pitching only benefited the drink - shades of nuts and caramel appeared in its taste. It was this improved version that gained popularity and took root in Europe.

There is another version, which has practical confirmation. She claims that on the island of Madeira, the birthplace of the famous drink, due to the high humidity and rocky terrain, it was not possible to build dry, cold cellars. Therefore, wine had to be stored in attics, which is still done there today.

Production Features

Traditionally, Madeira was made from four “noble” grape varieties: Malvasia, Boal, Verdelho and Sercial. But over time due to diseases grapevine, their numbers on the island have declined and today the wine may include other varieties, predominantly Tinta Negra.

The fruits are collected only by hand. This is due to the lack of large vineyards and the small distance between the vines. The island of Madeira is too small to use agricultural machinery for this purpose.

The popularity of the drink led to attempts to copy the technology and the emergence of large quantity analogues. Wine with the same name began to be produced in France, Germany, the USA, Crimea, Spain, etc. The Portuguese themselves are sensitive to traditional Madeira and consider all other options to be low-quality fakes.

Real Madeira is produced using a unique Madeira process. This happens as follows:

After fermentation is complete (its duration depends on the variety), grape alcohol is added to the wine and the drink is poured into oak barrels.

The containers are placed in special structures under the roof, where Madera is heated for several months or years. This aging process is called "Canteiro" in Portuguese.

The wine is poured into barrels on the tier below, where it is stored for some time (from a couple of years to several decades).

Tinta Negra grapes are processed in a different way, called "estufagem" in Portuguese. This is a cheaper option using a heating system made of tubes with hot water. The wine is heated in steel vats for several months, thereby reducing production time.

Types of Madeira drink

Depending on the degree of aging, Madera categories are distinguished:

Finest– young light wine, simple and uncomplicated. The aging period is up to three years.

Reserva– a more interesting five-year-old Madeira. The taste and shade of the drink becomes richer.

Reserva Velha– 10-year-old wine with intense aroma and taste.

Exceptional Reserva- bright Madeira excellent quality, which is highly rated by experts. The age of this drink is 15 years.

Fresqueira Vintage– an expensive, exquisite wine aged 20 years, strong, with a rich bouquet and a long aftertaste.

Of particular value are “vintage” varieties produced without mixing different types of grape raw materials. These can include both young and aged wines.

There is another classification of the drink. Each grape variety used to make Madeira is processed differently and produces a wine of varying strength and flavor. Depending on this, the following types are distinguished:

Malvasia– the sweetest Madeira is obtained from the white variety. The color of the drink is dark brown, the taste is soft, buttery, with a caramel tint. In the aftertaste you can catch the aroma of smoke and coffee.

Boal– this variety is not widespread on the island; today there are few of it left. It produces a lighter, brighter drink. Used for the production of sweet and semi-sweet Madeira.

Verdelho– the most common variety is used to make semi-dry and dry wine with a soft, delicate taste and golden color. In the aftertaste you can guess honey, smoky and fruity shades.

Sercial– suitable for producing dry Madeira. The drink made from this grape is the lightest, with spicy, citrus notes clearly visible in the aroma. Aged wine acquires an invigorating, piquant taste with a slight sourness.

Terrantesh– a rare variety from which sweet, spicy Madeira with a rich bouquet is produced.

Tinto Negra- the most common variety that serves as raw material for simple types wines without any special frills.

The manufacturer recommends cooling Madeira to 16–18°C before serving. It can be consumed both as an aperitif (before meals) and as a digestif (after meals).

Young wines go well with fish, meat snacks, fruits, and chocolate.

Aged and vintage - suitable for desserts and cheeses.

It is curious that an open bottle of the drink can be stored for up to six months without loss of taste characteristics. Madeira is also used to make cocktails. The wine is also suitable for preparing hot spicy drinks, such as punch, grog, mulled wine.

Undoubtedly, the story about our trip to Madeira would not be complete without mentioning another attraction, which, as I already wrote, called here “liquid gold”, is a local fortified wine. And although in the original its name has the same spelling as the island itself, I will call it “Madeira” (without the i-short).

As in the case of "sherry", the story about "Madeira" deserves a separate chapter of the story and is largely based on a visit to the Blandy`s winery, where we had the pleasure of visiting on a tour and tasting.

In addition, we tried different Madeira at dinners and got a more or less complete idea of ​​the taste of this alcoholic drink.

Madeira classification

The types of Madeira are directly related to the grape varieties from which it is produced. The main grape varieties grown on the island for the production of Madeira are divided into four types (all white):

• Sercial (Esgana Cao) - “sersial” or dry Madeira;
• Verdelho (Gouveio) - “verdelho” or semi-dry;
• Boal (Bual, Malvasia Fina) - “boal” or semi-sweet;
• Malmsey (Malvasia Candida) - "malvasia" or sweet.

In addition to those listed, Terrantez (Folgasao, white) and Bastardo (Trousseau, red) grapes are used much less frequently - rare varieties, like the wines produced from them. From "tirantes" - this is approximately how the first of them sounds in Portuguese - a semi-dry Madeira is obtained, from "bastardo" - a semi-sweet one.

Finally, the currently most widespread grape variety is Tinta Negra (“Tinta Negra”), which the Madeirans themselves shyly call “chameleon” - it produces all four types of Madeira: from dry to sweet. We'll talk about "tinta negro" a little later.

Grape harvest and fermentation

Depending on the grape variety, harvesting and fermentation (fermentation) vary greatly in time. So “boual” and “malvasia” are collected earlier and fermented with their skins, “verdella” and “sersial” are collected later and are cleaned before fermentation. The duration of fermentation for sweet varieties can be only a few hours, while for dry varieties it can last several months.

As for the vineyards themselves, different manufacturers There were different approaches to growing grapes. So Blandy`s, whose winery we visited on an excursion, had only a few hectares of its own vineyards, and bought the bulk of its grapes from farmers. The quality criterion was the amount of sugar in the vine, and whole legends arose about the delivery of grapes to the point of sale in Madeira.

Now that roads and transport have appeared on the island, it is impossible to deliver the harvest special labor, and a century ago, when the only available types of communication were levadas, grapes had to be delivered manually. These "deliverers" or "barreleiros", named after the large goatskin bag in which they carried the grapes, were used until the sixties of the 20th century. The work was hard not only physically, but also “mentally”, since during the delivery process, which often lasted several days or even a week, the grapes began to ferment and the “barreleiros” turned into “borrachos”, that is, “drunkard”, and to the wineries in best case scenario only half of the harvest arrived.

Madeirization

The process of vinification or the extraction of Madeira grape juice from fermented grape juice is often called “Maderization” - according to legend, it was discovered back in the 16th century, when unsold barrels of wine returned to the island and, upon opening them, the Madeirans were surprised at the new, rich taste that acquired the wine as a result of such “rides” in tropical latitudes. In fact, the “golden age” of Madeira began only in the 17th century, when they learned to fortify wine with brandy and transport it in holds to India and back. All this was done by the then powerful Dutch East India Company.

This whole process was called “Estufagem” - from the Portuguese word “estufa”, “warm house”. And it consisted in the fact that with the addition of alcohol, the fermentation of the wine stopped, it was poured into oak barrels and kept for several years in high-temperature rooms, which served as ship holds.

Over time, it became unprofitable to roll barrels across the sea and the “canteiro” process replaced the “istufage” process. The thing is that, thanks to the warm climate, it was possible to maintain the high temperature required for the “ripening” of Madeira under natural conditions on the island of Madeira. This process is still used today and consists of placing barrels of Madeira in high-temperature rooms: attics, under the roof, which are heated by the sun's rays throughout the year. However, wine cannot remain in such a state for very long. temperature conditions and over time it is poured into barrels located one floor below, then even lower, and so on.

Over time, this method also became too expensive for the production of Madeira in industrial scale. Therefore, for the production of the drink they are actively used heating systems based on hot water, in which barrels of wine are either heated in special rooms"armazens de calor" ("warm warehouses"), or direct heating of wine in steel tanks "estufas". This technology allows you to reduce the vinification time to three to four months.

Excerpt

After the wine is obtained, it is usually aged and, since the process of harvesting, fermentation, vinification is continuous and repeated from year to year, some nuances arise. This is where the concepts of “vintage” and “mixture” come into play.

The fact is that during the aging process of wine, which is carried out in the same American oak barrels, but in cooler rooms, its quality is constantly monitored, and the contents of different barrels corresponding to harvests of different years can be mixed with each other. Subsequently, the resulting mixtures are aged, controlled and mixed again with crops or the same mixtures. As a result of such manipulations, it is possible to obtain a “decent” result at the output, but the wine obtained in this way will still remain a mixture.

The following mixtures are distinguished:

• Seleccionado (Finest, Choice, Select) - from 3 to 5 years;
• Reserve (Reserva) - from 5 to 10 years;
• Special Reserve (Reserva Especial) - from 10 to 15 years;
• Extra Reserve - from 15 to 20 years of aging.

However, some vintages remain “good” even without mixing - this is how vintage Madeiras appear, that is, wines from the same vintage, never mixed with others during the aging process.

Vintages include:

• Colheita (Single Harvest) - from 5 to 20 years;
• Frasqueira or Garrafeira (Vintage Madeira) - from 20 years of aging plus 2 years in bottle before sale;
• Vinho da Roda or Vinho da Torno or Vinho da Volta is a rare Madeira that traveled across the ocean, crossing the equator.

Tinta Negra

It's time to fulfill the promise made at the very beginning of this story and return to the "chameleon grape", or rather its variety "Tinta Negra". Its appearance in Madeira is due to the phylloxera epidemic, which not only affected the vineyards of Europe at the end of the 19th century, but also reached the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, noble varieties suffered and wine began to be produced from these grapes.

Not only is Tinta Negra, unlike the Big Four, a red grape, but thanks to certain manipulations it produces both dry and sweet varieties of Madeira equally well. The Madeirans are lying when they call this variety a “chameleon” - in fact, it is the raw material for about 80% of the cheap fortified wine produced on the island. However, this is a large industry, it cannot be discounted and the entire technological process of obtaining Madeira, described above, must be viewed through the prism of Tinta Negra.

Let's start with the harvest - thanks to different cultivation heights and different harvest times, grapes with different sugar content are obtained. Fermentation - comparable to conventional dry wines. Strengthening - also with alcohol. Madeirization - heating wine to 45-50 degrees and aging at this temperature for 3-4 months in steel tanks. Aging - in steel tanks. As a result, the most common niche for the final wine: Seleccionado (Finest, Choice, Select), - aging for 3-5 years.

But how to distinguish the resulting drink from the “varietal types” of Madeira? It’s very simple - not the grape variety will be written on the bottle, but the “sweetness” of the drink: seco (dry, “dry”), meio seco (medium dry, “semi-dry”), meio doce (medium sweet, “semi-sweet”) and doce ( sweet, "sweet").

Storage and use

Unlike wine and some Porto varieties, after Madeira has been bottled, it does not become worse or better - the only thing is that if a lot of time passes, the bottle itself can become a rarity. Finally, unlike some varieties of sherry, after opening it does not need to be drunk very quickly or, on the contrary, left for thirty years in the pantry - an open bottle is stored for about six months.

Undoubtedly, dry Madeira, like most dry white wines, can be consumed as an aperitif, that is, before meals. The main purpose is a digestif, that is, after a meal, with desserts, coffee and chocolate.