Madeira: A Favorite of the Founding Fathers

For the past couple of years, I’ve gone to the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford, MA. Also known as Madeira Feast, it’s the largest Portuguese feast in the world [1]. It doesn’t take long after arriving that you’re confronted with a tiny, pungent cup of madeira. (Thankfully, there are also ample food opportunities available, including a cook your own meat on a skewer barbecue pit [2]). Supposedly, this event has the highest consumption of madeira outside of Portugal!

For those that are less familiar, Madeira is a fortified wine, in addition to being an autonomous region of Portugal. It’s strong, a little spicy, and sweet. Due to the quirks of geography and trade, madeira has enjoyed worldwide popularity -- much more than what you would expect for a specialty wine from a small island off the coast of Morocco. Historically, ships would stop at Madeira (the island) as the final stop before their transatlantic voyages, which were exempt from Britain’s Navigation Act (which limited what wines and spirits could be brought to the colonies) [3]. Almost like an eighteenth century Duty Free, ships would stock up on alcohol, primarily madeira. Apparently the lessons of Inniskillin and how Duty Free can increase the popularity (and margins!) on alcoholic beverages stems from a little earlier than the 1960s. This is also the reason that madeira is celebrated in New Bedford, MA, since it was a former Atlantic whaling hub.

Initially, madeira was the “luxury” alcohol available in the US, beyond the beer and rum. Wines from France and Italy were not imported because of the challenges of the journey, which made madeira the best choice available given it is very stable, not temperature sensitive, and benefitted from extended aging. It was apparently the favorite wine of the founding fathers! [3].
However, madeira suffered from some of the challenges we’ve seen other wineries and varietals face -- like changing consumer preferences (reduced share of throat) and increased regulation (Prohibition).

There are some folks arguing that it should have a greater place on the table in modern times, including the New York Times [4]. I don’t know if a hot summer day was the best place to drink it, but I could see it having an excellent place when paired with richer holiday foods or during a crisp fall or winter day. I’d encourage you to try it and toast to the founding fathers!

[1] https://www.newbedfordguide.com/2019-feast-survival-guide/2019/07/23 
[2] http://destinationnewbedford.org/event/feast-of-the-blessed-sacrament/
[3] https://www.thedailybeast.com/americas-love-affair-with-madeira-wine
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/dining/wine-school-madeira.html