Madeira Wine

To start with a little introduction on Madeira wine, it is known to be a fortified wine that is prepared in the Madeira Islands. It is a wine that is available in various types such as dry, sweet, etc., and is usually used as a dessert wine depending on its sweetness. Madeira produces both red and white wines, and uses a number of high quality grape varieties for this purpose. A few other types of flavored Madeira wines are prepared by adding salt and pepper so that they are used for cooking purposes. Like other patented types of wines, this Portuguese fortified wine is known for its unique procedure of making. This process is discussed in the coming up paragraphs. Apart from being used as a dessert and culinary wine, this wine is also known to be used during tastings because of its unique long-lasting flavors. Read all about this elegant and traditional Madeira wine from the paragraphs mentioned below. Take a look.

What is Madeira Wine

As mentioned above, Madeira wine is a Portuguese wine which is produced on the Madeira Islands and is exported all over the world for various purposes. It is very popular for the procedure in which it is made, as the protocol is used exclusively for making this wine. The Madeira wine is prepared from 4 major types or Madeira grapes, such as Malvasia (Malmsey or Malvazia), Bual (or Boal), Verdelho, and Sercial, that range from sweet to dry flavors. After preparing the wine, it is exposed to high temperatures (60 degrees C) for long time durations, followed by exposure to various oxidation levels. In order to increase the alcohol content of the wine, there is a grape spirit that is added, which is called the fortification process.

The finished product is what is sold in the market as Madeira wine and is popular for being long-lasting after the bottles are opened. There are grades in which these wines are found, depending on the duration in which they are preserved. These are; reserve - 5 years old, special reserve - 10 years old, and extra reserve - 15 years old. These reserves have a major role to play in the tastes and shelf life of the wines. Even though Madeira wines don't need aging, they are aged for the simple reason that they have the ability to last longer. Therefore, Madeira can be used as a dessert wine or used while cooking. In the following paragraphs you will read about using the wine in delicious recipes. Take a look!

Cooking with Madeira Wine

Madeira wine is one such wine which can be used for cooking in any form. There are cooking wines that are produced especially by adding salt and pepper to them, or you could use dessert wines for cooking as well. There are a number of food recipes which use both white and red Madeira wine for their unique fortified flavors. We have a recipe put together just for you in the coming up paragraphs. Take a look and try it at home!

Roast with Madeira Sauce
Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef roast
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup Madeira wine
• Garlic and tomato sauce
• 1½ cups pearl onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup carrot slices
• Salt and pepper

Directions
In a large skillet or frying pan, add some extra-virgin olive oil and heat on medium heat. Meanwhile, season the roast beef with pepper and salt and place the roast in the skillet. Let it heat for about 10 minutes till you see it browning at the sides. To prepare the garlic tomato sauce, you will need to combine plain tomato sauce and garlic in a mixing bowl and add the Madeira wine to it.

Mix well and keep it aside till the roast is ready. Remove the roast from the skillet and add the onions and carrots to it and saute them. After they are softened, pour the sauce to the mixture and let it cook for 5 minutes. Then add the roast to this mixture or you can pour the sauce over the roast served separately in a serving dish. Enjoy it with your family and friends!

With this information about Madeira wine and its use, hope you have learned new facts and a recipe! Well, Madeira wine is known to be one of the tastiest types of wines, so try it out the next time you feel like celebrating with wine.