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MADEIRA
This fine dessert wine comes from the Portuguese island
of that name lying in the Atlantic Ocean. The island was
discovered in 1419 by some Portuguese navigators, and at
one time was occupied by a British colony who evidently
laid down the foundation for the exporting of the Madeira
wine to this country after it was handed back to the
Portuguese.
The wine is chiefly known under the name of the grapes
from which the wine is made. All are white grapes, but
these names are by no means to indicate that they are
actually from those grapes.
The main types are :
Sercial.—Dry to Very Dry, Light or Dark.
Verdelho.—Medium Sweet.
Bual.—Medium Rich and Luscious, best known in this
country.
Malmsey.—Sweet and Rich, sometimes known as
Malvasia or Malvoisie.
The safest guarantee of the wine is the Shipper's name on
the bottle.
The vines are trained overhead, enabling the plants to be
picked from underneath.
The juice when obtained is transported as quickly as
possible to Funchal the capital of the island and centre of
manufacture.
This wine is then fermented and is then known as"Vinho
Claro"or "New Wine ". This wine is then treated by
heat in hot chambers called"Estufas"mainly to reduce
the water content, and the resultant wine is called"Vinho
Estufado ".
This heated wine is then racked and given a long
rest after which it is known as"Vinho Transfugado ". A
10% addition of spirit made from a local grown sugar cane
converts this to a new wine called"Vinho Generoso ".
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