The Hottest Wine Around - Portugal's Madeira

by Lindsay Alston

Madeira wine is in fact a family of wines that derive in the Madeira Islands of Portugal. The many wines that are produced using the methods that have been in general use for centuries can be made use of in a number of different ways. Some types of Madeira wine are ideal for cooking, while others are more suitable for use with desserts or as an aperitif. Madeira wine may be prepared to be a sweet wine or a dry wine. In all cases, the wines are equipped by a process that helps the complete product to enjoy a long life without reducing the flavor or the aroma of the wine. In each case, the fortified wine goes through a process of vinification that is relatively unique to the fermenting process used in other parts of the world. The end result is that Madeira wine tends to have a unique flavor and bouquet that make it popular in many places around the world.

Madeira wine is prepared with brandy during fermentation to raise its alcoholic content to 18-20 percent. Madeiras, varying from dry to sweet, originate their individual, rich character from the volcanic soil of the island's vineyards and from a distinctive process of aging in baking rooms for many months after fermentation. This accelerated aging process was undertaken after the discovery that the wines gained from the prolonged heat of storage that they underwent during tropical voyages. Madeira is also aged in oak casks, and wines of different ages may be blended before bottling.

The temperate marine climate and warm winters are perfect for grape and all kinds of growing. Madeira has some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world and farmers must scratch out their agriculture on manmade terraces. Much like in the port manufacturing Douro Valley, these steep heights no doubt play a role to the strength and concentration of the ripened grape, revealing the plants to powerful sunlight but always having the cooling sea breeze to temper the effects of extended radiation.

In general, Madeira can be divided into four separate and very different drinks, named after the four varieties of grape from which they come. These range from the dry, nutty Sercial to the rich raisiny Malmsey, or Malvasia as it is otherwise known. In between you have the medium-dry Verdelho and the medium-rich Boal. Like many wines, Madeira can be drunk with specific foods and at different stages of a meal. Sercial is considered an aperitif, while Verdelho is a perfect assistant to Soup, especially Turtle soup. Boal and Malmsey are both believed to be dessert wines but Boal is exceptional with fruit, nuts or chocolate, where Malmsey is generally considered a digestif.

---

Lindsay Alston is an expert author for ClassicWines.com specializing in Madeira.

---

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty

Book Review

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, by Julia Flynn Siler. The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback: a scandal-plagued story of the immigrant family that built—and then lost—a global wine empire Set in California’s lush Napa Valley and spanning four generations of a talented and visionary family, The House of Mondavi is a tale of genius, sibling rivalry, and betrayal. From 1906, when Italian immigrant Cesare Mondavi passed through Ellis Island, to the Robert Mondavi Corp.’s twenty-first-century battle over a billion-dollar fortune, award-winning journalist Julia Flynn Siler brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama. A meticulously reported narrative based on more than five hundred hours of interviews, The House of Mondavi is a modern classic. Julia Flynn Siler writes for The Wall Street Journal from San Francisco. She is a former London-based staff writer for the Journal and BusinessWeek, and has written for The New York Times. She is a graduate of Brown University, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Order from Amazon.com.

Understanding Basics to the Best Red Wine

by Stuart Jay

Wine's color is the direct result of the grape skins in contact with the grape's juice during the fermentation process, creating red wine's distinct color spectrum. A particular red hue depends on which of approximately 50 key red grape varietals are used and the length of time the skin's pigmentation is in contact with juice.

Descriptions of red wine aroma vary as much as the number of different varietals. The varied descriptions of red wine include blackberry, boysenberry, cherry, coffee, cinnamon, clove, cocoa, currant, fig, leather, licorice, mocha, pepper (white/black), plum, strawberry, raisin, raspberry, smoke, toast, tobacco, violet.

The Importance of the Glass

Red wines are best appreciated and enjoyed when sipped out of a wine glass able to accommodate 10-20 ounces, allowing adequate room to swirl the wine and area for the wine to breathe. A glass that is wider at the bottom with a narrower opening at the top is preferred; a tulip shaped glass that is wider at the top is the least preferable.

Best Temperatures

Wines are at their best when served at proper temperatures. Serve them too warm and the taste of alcohol is overly evident; serve them too cold and they will quickly veer towards bitter and more astringent on the palate.

Beaujolais is one of the youngest wines and should be served chilled at 50-54F so the fruity, refreshing flavor will come through. Lighter-bodied reds like Chianti and some Pinot Noirs are best when slightly chilled at 55F-60F. The full-bodied wines, such as Syrah and Cabernets, are best enjoyed a touch warmer than a wine cellar at 59F-64F. Sweet Madeira and vintage Port are best at 64-68F.

Red Wines Are Often Classified by Body-Type

A red wine referred to as light-bodied is making a reference to the mouth-feel and tannin structure, having fewer tannins present and less presence on the palate. These wines are often less demanding in terms of the intensity of the food flavors they are paired with. The Gamay grape varietal which produces Beaujolais wine is typically light-bodied and fruity and meant for immediate consumption, having tropical flavors and aromas - reminiscent of bananas. There are wines made from Gamay produced in the designated Cru areas of northern Beaujolais with more body and tannin meant to be consumed after some modest aging; these wines typically have the flavor of sour cherries, black pepper, dried berry and blackcurrant. Gamay Beaujolais is considered to be an early ripening Californian clone of Pinot Noir. Gamay has also been introduced recently into Oregon's Willamette Valley wine region, known for its wines made from Pinot Noir, another Burgundian grape.

A medium-bodied red wine will contain more tannins than the Beaujolais but will not have the puckery mouth feel of an intense California Cabernet Sauvignon or an Italian Super Tuscan. Typical examples of medium-bodied red wines are Merlot, Shiraz and some Chianti.

Full-bodied red wines have the highest amount of tannin and often alcohol content. Examples of full-bodied reds are France's Bordeaux wines. California's Cabernet Sauvignon ranges from medium-bodied to full-bodied with rich, ripe berry, tobacco and sometimes green pepper flavor. Italy's Super Tuscans can not be easily pinned to one style, comprised mostly of Sangiovese, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot or Syrah.

---

We created www.YourLoveOfWine.com because we passionately want to share with those with an interest the art, science, and physical and psychological aspects of the wine tasting experience. An experience without pretension which both the novice and seasoned wine lover can enjoy and appreciate. 8 DIFFERENT WINE CLUBS (one for every taste and budget), the best of the elite red and white wines, gift baskets, wine racks, and glassware.

---

A Concise History of Australian Wine

by Ian Love

In 1788 Governor Arthur Phillips brought grape cuttings with him to New South Wales, a newly formed British penal colony. The journey from Portsmouth to Australia was long and arduous, and when the First Fleet, led by Governor Phillips, stopped in Cape of Good Hope in Africa for the final provisions they needed to settle in Australia, Phillips procured vine cuttings from some of the best vines in Africa to plant in Australia.

Governor Phillips' first attempts at producing grapes in Australia were unsuccessful, largely due to strange climate conditions. With the arrivals of the Second and Third Fleets and then the arrival of free colonists, more and more people tried their hand at viticulture in Australia.

Spreading out from the coast of New South Wales, people found that if they worked with the weather in Australia instead of trying to grow grapes just as they had in Europe, that they could produce very fine wines. In 1833, James Bushby arrived in Australia with quite a few Spanish and French grape cuttings from which he was able to produce fine wines.

He also brought with him a good selection of vines that were perfect for making fortified wines. These cuttings proved to be very useful later in history.

By 1873, Australian wine makers were winning international awards for their wines. Wine makers had discovered by then that the perfect grapes for their climate are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Riesling. Between 1873 and 1889, the Australian wine making industry steadily increased in quality. Several wines per year earned gold medals at various international wine competitions and people from around the world enjoyed the wine that Australia had to offer them.

Unfortunately, a great phylloxera epidemic shattered the production of wine in Australia from the 1890s through the early 20th century. Phylloxera, a pest similar to aphids, laid waste to Australia's wine industry and the only wines that Australia produced from 1890 through the late 20th century were sweet wine and fortified wine.

In the late 1970s, Australia rose from the ashes of wine making and began once again to produce the wines for which it had once been famous. Utilizing hybridization and resistant rootstock, Australians were able again to produce the Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Riesling for which they had once gained notoriety.

While Australia still produces a fine selection of sweet and fortified wines, they export over forty million liters of dry and unfortified wines each year and they sell over forty million liters to locals each year. Even old wine producing countries such as France and Italy import Australian wines.

Australia's most famous wine, Shiraz, was formerly known as Syrah in France and other wine growing regions, but Australia has made it such a famous grape under the name Shiraz, that most wine makers have followed their lead and begun calling their Syrah grapes Shiraz.

Today, Australia is the fourth largest wine exporting country in the world. Australia's wine production is a major factor in Australia's economy because of employment, export and tourism.

---

Ian Love is the boss of Australian wine store - Liquor Merchants, and has been a leader in the Perth restaurant industry for over 30 years and writes a blog on the wine business in Australia.

---