By Mannie Berk on August 10th, 2010
IF TIME TRAVEL were possible, and we could deposit ourselves at the dinner table of one of the Founding Fathers, we’d surely be drinking Madeira. Madeira was the King of Wines, enjoyed not only before and after dinner, but throughout the meal.
The custom of drinking Madeira with food died out by the beginning of the twentieth century. By then, Madeira was a relic, consigned to your grandparents’ sideboard along with the sherry. And the idea of an ethereal rainwater Madeira alongside terrapin soup or a rich Bual with the roasted Canvasback duck was forgotten.
Madeira’s revival in America over the past decade has brought with it a renewed appreciation of Madeira as a food wine. I, for one, began to experiment with this in the late 1990s, inspired by research I’d done on Madeira consumption in 18th and early 19th century America. But my first serious foray into the topic was in 1999, when, over a six-month period, I organized a series of eight major Madeira events across the country.
 Booklet cover from the 1999 Madeira Party at The Herbfarm At four of these–Patroon and Judson Grill in New York; the Stonehedge Inn outside Boston, and The Herbfarm in Woodinville, Washington–Madeira was served with virtually every course. And the next spring, I collaborated with David Emil on his “Celebration of Madeira in America” dinner at the ill-fated Windows on the World on April 11, 2000.
All the dinners boasted mind-boggling lineups, each numbering 10 to 14 ancient Madeiras. The Judson Grill and Patroon dinners were both capped by one of the greatest Madeiras ever, 1802 Acciaioli Terrantez; the marquee wines at Windows and Stonehedge included 1862 d’Oliveira Sercial and 1834 Barbeito Malvasia; and among the stars at the Herbfarm were 1832 Acciaioly Terrantez and 1827 Quinta do Serrado Bual.
But these were not merely tastings of fabulous old Madeiras. The real test of each evening’s success was not just the wine, but how the pairings worked. Each chef took his job seriously, and some spent days experimenting with various combinations to find the most magical pairing. At least two chefs, at the Herbfarm and Windows on the World, paid homage to tradition, featuring a terrapin soup, while Windows chef Michael Lomonaco went even further, classically pairing a roasted Muscovy Duck with 1880 d’Oliveira Terrantez. But throughout the menus were elements that were both seasonally appropriate and sure to bring out the best in these very rich, opulent wines: chestnut, oxtail, foie gras, sweetbreads, pigeon and partridge, and for dessert, caramel, souffles, hazelnuts, chocolate and honey.
These evenings combined adventure with classicism, the obvious with the daring, but in all cases the menus were designed to showcase each style of wine from powerful, yet dry, ancient Sercials to luscious, yet profound, Malmseys and Moscatels.
TODAY
These 1999/2000 dinners were pioneers of their kind, and were followed by a growing appreciation of Madeira as a food wine. Some of the best work over the past decade has been done by my friend Ricardo Freitas of Barbeito. If you visit Barbeito’s website you’ll find Ricardo’s ingenious “food grid,” where he rates the experience you’re likely to get by pairing a number of his firm’s Madeiras (including RWC’s Historic Series wines) with various dishes.
Closer to home, a number of American chefs have been intrigued by how Madeira complements certain dishes. Cindy Wolf at Charleston in Baltimore pairs RWC’s New York Malmsey with her Malmsey-laced mushroom soup. Several years ago, one noted chef paired his smoked torchon of foie gras with Barbeito’s 1978 Sercial, and the results were spectacular. And when Max McCalman was the fromagier at Piccholine in New York, he championed sheep’s milk cheeses with dry Madeiras like Terrantez and Sercial.
But our vote for the most fascinating work goes to Grant Achatz at Alinea in Chicago, whose avant-garde cuisine regularly features Madeira pairings, usually from the RWC Historic Series. Among Grant’s explorations have been Boston Bual with spiced roast goose; New York Malmsey with a chocolate dessert featuring pomelo, egg yolk and smoke; and Charleston Sercial with a peanut butter and jelly amuse bouche (a combination worthy of mention in The Chicago Tribune).
Among chefs, Grant isn’t alone in discovering the virtues of Charleston Sercial with food. Last October, Chef Mario Batali won over 1000+ guests at the 2009 New York Wine Experience by boldly pairing Charleston Sercial with a wild boar dish of Wolfgang Puck’s creation.
Journalists have also been writing increasingly about Madeira as a companion to food. On December 3rd, Alice Feiring told Wall Street Journal readers that Charleston Sercial is her wine of choice for chestnut soup, noting that it “is like a salted caramel without its sugar.” (By the way, Sercial is not the only Madeira to go wonderfully with chestnut soup; at Patroon in 1999, the chestnut and truffle soup with 1905 d’Oliveira Verdelho was ambrosial.)
 Eric Asimov's "The Pour" column in the Times on Madeira and food And on December 16th, Eric Asimov devoted his entire “The Pour” column in The New York Times to the topic of Madeira with food. He had paired two of our Historic Series Madeiras, Boston Bual and Charleston Sercial, with “a simple main course of skirt steak, charred in a heavy iron skillet and topped with pickled Vidalia onions.” He wrote that “both were sensational with the steak. I give the edge to the sercial, which was sweet in the mouth but dry and tangy after swallowing. But the bual was delicious as well; sweeter, yes, but so well balanced that it complemented the steak and sweet-and-sour onions perfectly.”
In the blogosphere, Deana Sidney has incorporated Madeira with her passion for food history. Since last December, she has written twice about dishes with which Madeira features prominently as both a pairing and a final component, added just before serving: Beef Wellington and Scottish Grouse. The wines Deana used were 1912 and 1850 d’Oliveira Verdelho, respectively.
AFFINITIES
Madeira with food is very much a work in progress, with few guideposts from the past. American cuisine was far more limited 100 to 200 years ago, and the Madeiras were different, too. Because they were bottled after only a short time in cask, these “glass-aged” Madeiras were paler in color, without the concentrated richness and powerful scents of caramel and fresh roasted coffee beans that a long stay in wood imparts. The latter style really only became common after Phylloxera, when Madeira was much more likely to be left in barrel for decades.
But though we really only have decade’s worth of experience to go on, a few affinities are already coming into focus. One of the most important is that Madeira’s powerful acidity cuts through fat, making it a noble companion to fatty meats, creamy soups, custards, souffles and rich cheeses. This acidity also helps Madeira work with citrus in some sauces and compotes. Foie gras seems to go well with Madeiras of widely varying sweetness, so long as the wines carry the richness of wood-aging. The nuttiness of youngish Terrantezes and Sercials can pick up the nuttiness in hard and crumbly cheeses, while a richer nut like hazelnut wants a Madeira whose richness has been heightened by time in barrel. The cinnamon-clove spiciness and moderate sweetness of well-crafted Buals can give a lift to curries, while the allspice, cola and sassafras component of many Malmseys makes it a champion with spiced cakes and other desserts and, of course, chocolate.
THE FUTURE
These ideas only scratch the surface of Madeira’s potential as a companion to food. It’s only by trying and doing, and by sharing our experiences, that we’ll begin to understand which Madeira pairings are truly magical and which aren’t, and most importantly why.
Tom Murnan is one Madeira lover who would like to see a lot more discourse on the subject. I’ve known Tom for years; he attended our epic Chicago Madeira tasting in October 1999, as well as one of our two Leacock Madeira tastings in San Francisco last June. In fact, his report on the Leacock tasting appears in the summer 2010 issue of the International Wine & Food Society newsletter.
Tom also attended our Homage to Mario Barbeito dinner at Quince in San Francisco in April, and when he wrote about it (for Roy Hersh’s For The Love of Port newsletter), he went beyond the usual Madeira tasting notes, giving his frank assessment of the success or failure of each pairing. Our thanks to Roy Hersh for giving access to non-subscribers here.
There are many signs that interest in Madeira with food will continue to grow, but it’s important to understand two simple facts. The first is that, up to this point, even few wine professionals know much about how and why Madeiras work with certain dishes and not with others. What are the critical aspects? Is it the flavor, texture or sweetness, and how important is Madeira’s acidity and relatively high alcohol?
The second fact is that Madeira is so different from other wines that even the most talented and experienced chef may miss the mark unless the dish is developed with the same or similar Madeira available for tasting. With time, and much experience, chefs may be able to wing it, just as they do with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Super Tuscans, but for now, there is simply no substitute for having a glass of the Madeira at the chef’s elbow.
By Mannie Berk on May 7th, 2010
 This wonderful 1940s caricature of Mario Barbeito was submerged for hours during the recent Madeira floods. But, miraculously, it survived with only some soiling. It took great courage for Mario Barbeito to start a new Madeira house in 1946. These were desperate times for the Madeira trade, with sales having hit rock bottom during World War II.
The U.S. market, just beginning to recover from Prohibition, dwindled to virtually nothing as our government banned the poorly made wartime glass bottles coming out of Portugal. And the all-important British market was devastated by years of Nazi treachery. Because of marauding U-Boats, Madeira merchants found themselves unable to ship wine to England, and a number lost irreplaceable wine when their London cellars were bombed during Luftwafte air raids.
The situation was so bad that the last two British houses to remain independent, Miles and Cossart, would soon throw in the towel, consolidating with all the other British houses in the Madeira Wine Association.
Yet, Mario Barbeito had a vision that he could make it in that difficult time. Like H.M. Borges in 1877–who founded his own company into the teeth of Phylloxera– Read more…
By Mannie Berk on April 9th, 2010
This winter saw its share of horrific natural disasters, from the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, to the devastating floods in Madeira. Tens of thousands of Americans (and American companies) offered aid, and The Rare Wine Co. wanted to do its part. And we did it in a way that we felt was right for us: we co-hosted charity wine dinners in New York and San Francisco to aid victims of the Haiti earthquake and the Madeira floods.
We were happy to donate the wine, and Roberto Conterno was pleased to join us as our wine collaborator for the Haiti dinner in New York. But we needed to partner with great restaurants willing to absorb the entire cost of an unforgettable dining experience for 18 to 25 guests. Apart from the obvious expense of creating transcendent cuisine, they would have to devote not only their best private dining rooms for an evening but a substantial part of their staff. In other words, remarkable generosity was needed.
In deciding which restaurants to approach, two criteria were at the top of our list: great cuisine and great character. And it just so happened that the two restaurants we chose were as excited about the idea of doing something meaningful as we were.
For the Haiti benefit on March 15th, New York’s Eleven Madison Park was a magnificent partner. General Manager Will Guidara, Chef Daniel Humm and Wine Director John Ragan pulled out the stops for a simply amazing evening. The cuisine was matched by the wine, a vertical comparison of Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Monfortino from 1958 to 1999, with 1937 Barolo Riserva to conclude. The dinner, which raised $21,000 for CHF International for rebuilding efforts in Haiti, was the subject of Eric Asimov’s The Pour in The New York Times on April 7th, as well as his own blog on April 6th.
Coast to Coast
We held our benefit to aid victims of the Madeira floods just three nights later in San Francisco at one of our favorite restaurants anywhere: Giancarlo Paterlini’s and Suzette Gresham-Tognetti’s Acquerello. This wonderfully intimate restaurant, beloved by San Franciscans for Suzette’s superb Northern Italian cuisine, crafted an inspired menu, and the staff provided incredible service. Our wines were exciting as well, pitting Raveneau against Dauvissat in 1996, Lopez de Heredia against Cune in 1976 and the greats of traditional Brunello in 1982.
On behalf of those who lost family and homes in Madeira in February, we are deeply grateful for Giancarlo’s and Suzette’s astonishing generosity to make this magical evening possible. The $9000 raised went to support Caritas, the local equivalent to the Red Cross in Madeira, which has led efforts to give aid to the flood victims.
There are other meaningful contributions we would like to acknowledge: Reidel provided the massive amount of stemware needed for the Haiti Benefit; and Marco DeFreitas, Premium Port Wines, Pereira d’Oliveira and Vinhos Barbeito donated rare Madeiras for the Acquerello Dinner. And in addition to all those who made generous donations to attend the two dinners, a few friends and customers made special “above and beyond” donations, for which we are very grateful.
For the menu and wine pairings at the Haiti Benefit at Eleven Madison Park, click here.
For the menu and wine pairings at the Madeira Benefit at Acquerello, click here.
By Mannie Berk on February 22nd, 2010
Since Sunday, we’ve spoken to three past or present wine producers, and are learning more about the extent of the damage and what caused it.
As we mentioned in the previous post, the weekend’s heavy rain was a continuation of unsettled weather. In fact, according to one producer, it has rained daily throughout the winter, so that the ground was saturated with water. Saturday morning’s rains fell heaviest along the south coast and in the mountains, and there was nowhere for it to go but down the rivers, three of which travel through Funchal. It was here (and in the town of Ribeira Brava) that the physical damage was most concentrated.
The rain began early Saturday morning and by that afternoon, the rivers in Funchal had exceeded their capacity and the water and debris began to overspread the surrounding streets and push through buildings. Cellars quickly filled with water, and there is great concern about potential loss of life in underground parking garages. There may also be a substantial amount of old wine stored both at ground level, and particularly in cellars, that was lost.
As of today, Monday, the official death toll is 42, but it’s sure to rise. Recovery efforts are being hampered by the vast amount of debris in some streets. Streets a quarter mile from the sea have been described to us as looking like a beach, thickly covered with sand and stones. And in the streets along Funchal’s rivers, large rocks have been deposited four to five feet deep.
As we have further information on this tragedy, we will provide it.
By Mannie Berk on February 21st, 2010
I write this at 2 am Sunday morning on the American east coast, a few hours after receiving an email from Ricardo Freitas of Vinhos Barbeito. He informed me that heavy rains early Saturday had turned into torrential floods, rushing down Madeira’s mountainsides and leaving devastation in their wake. As of this morning, 32 people are reported dead and scores injured.
Ricardo wrote:
“A very strong storm started at 3.00am in Madeira. The biggest the island ever faced in its history. I have never seen nothing like this all my life. All the water from the rivers come out and pushed everything to the sea. 32 people have died until now.”
Though the intensity of the storm seems to have been unexpected, violent weather has been ongoing in recent days. Earlier this week, he told me by phone that the island was being buffeted by 60mph winds.
 A man is rescued trying to cross a downtown Funchal street. The downtown area of Funchal, the capital city, has been particularly hard hit, with torrents of water rushing through the streets, and exploding through buildings, seeking a path to the sea.
A number of graphic videos of the storm’s effect have appeared on the internet, such as at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrL96TlcDbQ&feature=related
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=45871700
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/weather/2010/02/20/vassileva.portugal.mudslide.cnn
While Madeira is often described as an island paradise, floods are sadly not at all unknown. The most famous occurred in October of 1803, when more than 500 people were described as being “swept out to sea” by floods that also destroyed most of the year’s wine crop and ripped houses from their foundations.
Ricardo wrote that, because of the high waters and downed trees, mud and debris, it is impossible to travel and that he and others have been left helpless to watch what is happening on television. As a result, it is likely to be some time before the true extent of the loss of life and property is understood.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our good friends on this wonderful island.
By Mannie Berk on October 2nd, 2009
 Cama do Lobos' Caldeira subzone on Tuesday, under sunny skies, just before the rains arrived. The pounding of the rain in the new Barbeito winery, with its metal roof, was deafening. I’ve been visiting Madeira for more than twenty years and have never seen, or heard, anything like it. A few clouds in the afternoon, and often some sprinkles, are normal in my experience, but nothing like this. I couldn’t help but think about the October 9, 1803, flood that ravaged the island, tearing houses from their foundations and sweeping countless victims out to sea.
Last Wednesday’s heavy rains apparently caused no loss of property or life, but it did bring this year’s grape harvest to an early close. In many vineyards, a sizable part of the crop will be left to rot, while what is still harvested will have less concentrated sugar than had it been picked just before the rain. Ironically, the island’s South Coast vineyards, which normally enjoy the sunniest weather, were hardest hit. As of this morning, the sun still hadn’t come out along the South Coast, while the North Coast was basking in sun.
Given the structure of the wine trade in Madeira, it’s not the producers who take the loss, but the small grape farmers, most of whom own much less than an acre of vines. The farmers suffer financially two ways: they get no income from the unharvested grapes and their income is reduced for the grapes they bring in after the rain. (Today, the shippers encourage the island’s farmers to produce better, riper fruit by paying for higher sugar levels.)
Madeira drinkers also have a lot to lose. Ever since the 1850s, when the vineyards were devastated by an Oidium epidemic, they have had a love-hate relationship with viticulture. The growing of grapes may be in their blood, and when everything goes well, it can be profitable. But even in Madeira’s generous climate, Mother Nature can step in at any time, robbing them of much-needed income.
The trend over the past century for the South Coast’s farmers has been to rip up their vineyards and replace them with, among other plants, banana trees—and the effects of Wednesday’s rain can’t help but hasten the process. Bananas are a more reliable crop, and they’re also more profitable, as farmers can get two crops of bananas a year. Today, one finds more banana trees than vines in famous areas—like Cama do Lobos and San Martinho—once blanketed by vineyards. A generation from now, who knows what we’ll find?
By Greg Dolgushkin on August 4th, 2009
On June 10th, I posted my report on our historic Leacock Family Madeira tastings, held in San Francisco the previous weekend. And two of the weekend’s participants posted their thorough tasting notes: Richard Jennings (from the Saturday tasting) at http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=7840 and Roy Hersh (who was there on Sunday) for his subscribers at www.fortheloveofport.com. For those who are not subscribers, Roy has graciously allowed us to distribute the notes in .pdf form.
But a key member of our Sonoma staff, Greg Dolgushkin, had a perspective on the wines that no one else had: he opened and decanted all the bottles five to six days before. He did it so early because Madeiras that have been in bottle for a very long time often show off-aromas on opening. They can take several days in a decanter to fully express themselves.
The longer a Madeira has been in bottle, the more time it needs to recover. And the Leacock wines had all been in bottle for 60+ years. So we asked Greg not only to open and decant the Madeiras days ahead of time, but to record his impressions, giving us a unique insight into these historic wines.
Like a vinous Howard Carter—the archaeologist who first entered King Tut’s tomb—Greg was there when these wines were awakened after decades of slumber. We’re privileged to have his report.
—Mannie Berk
* * *
 Greg Dolgushkin decanting the Leacock bottles in our Sonoma office. Having been given the honor of opening the 28 bottles (two bottles of each wine), it would be an understatement to say that I understood the importance of my task. The wines were all very rare and irreplaceable, and a few were of great historical significance as well. And I was charged not only with cleanly removing 28 ancient, and possibly crumbling, corks, I had to calibrate the amount of air that the wines were given, so that six days after opening they would show at or near their best.
The wines had been in bottle a very long time—from 60 to 100 years—and every bottle, even when of the same wine, was a new experience. Unusually, most of these bottles had been binned on their sides, a risky practice as Madeira’s high acidity can destroy the cork, but in this case, it worked.
The cork in the first bottle, the anonymously stenciled “A” (which we now believe to be an aguardente) came out intact, compacted, short, deeply stained and unbranded. The contents were expressive and fresh on both nose and palate, high-toned, nutty and very dry. The second bottle of “A” had a similar cork and much the same flavor/aromatic profile, but deeper on the nose and fuller and more viscous on the palate.
 Corks from the anonymously stenciled "A" bottles. The equally mysterious 1825 Leacock Seco, again not varietally identified, also had a sound cork and great freshness, sweeter than the “A” and also more pungent with a note of quinine. And again the second bottle was rounder and sweeter than the first.
The next two wines, the 1890 Leacock Sercial and 1928 Leacock Verdelho, while also possessing sound corks couldn’t have been more different from the first pair. Read more…
By Mannie Berk on July 2nd, 2009
 A bill of lading for two pipes of Madeira shipped to Revolutionary War hero Major General Henry Knox, who later was the first U.S. Secretary of War. With the Fourth of July just two days away, most of us have already figured out what we’ll be drinking or are deep in thought on the subject. I suspect that for most of us, it will be business as usual, drinking the wines that we most love to drink, while others may be thinking more thematically. But for all of us, I hope that there’s room for an important addition, Madeira.
Apart from the fact that Madeira is living history, it has a unique connection to July 4, 1776: Read more…
By Mannie Berk on June 18th, 2009
 Leacock Bottles at Sunday's Tasting. (Photo courtesy of Roy Hersh) Two guests at the June 6th and 7th Leacock Madeira tastings have now posted their notes, adding to the information now available on-line for this important event. (You can read my previous post on the Leacock tastings here.)
- Richard Jennings attended the June 6th (Saturday) tasting and has shared his thoughtful notes, observations and photos here.
- Roy Hersh, publisher of “For The Love of Port,” attended the June 7th (Sunday) tasting and is featuring the tasting in his June FTLOP newsletter. His complete article, including extensive tasting notes, can be downloaded in PDF here . Or for full access to Roy’s monthly newsletters, you can subscribe here.
By Mannie Berk on June 10th, 2009
A report on this past weekend’s epochal tastings in San Francisco.
 From left to right: A.G. Pacheco (bottled 1927), "EBH" 1868 Very Old Boal, Lomelino 1845 Quinta da Paz, Lomelino 1836 Bastardo. There are tastings … and then there are tastings. Having participated in dozens of tastings of old Madeiras over the past two decades, it’s hard to imagine tastings that stand apart from all others. But these did, both for the quality of the wines, and the history they represented.
The bottles came from a single cellar Read more…
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