We’re so drawn to the aromatics of this - dried fruit, florals, honey, walnut and smoke. It’s medium in both sweetness and body and has a fresh tang to finish. The grape variety is Boal, and once harvested it’s fermented, fortified and aged for 5 years. Served chilled with cheese or a fat slice of cake in the afternoon, it’s a delight. We’ve also taken to having it on ice with tonic for a low-alc, refreshing drink.

Barbeito is a family owned producer established by Mário Barbeito de Vasconcelos in 1946. In the 1990s the family made the decision to stop exporting bulk Madeira, and focus on the production and export of high quality, estate bottled wines. That focus is very evident today.

What is Madeira?

This fortified wine is produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira, in the tropical warmth of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco. It was originally fortified with grape spirit to preserve it in barrel over long sea voyages. These journeys through hot tropical climates caused the wine to develop nutty, dried fruit flavour complexities, and this proved to be a hit. As a result, Madeira is aged over years at warmer temperatures in the cellar to develop these desired characters.