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Madeira wine

Madeira is a fortified wine from the Atlantic island of Madeira. It is heated and slowly oxidised as it ages, which gives notes of walnut, dried fruit and caramel, a sharp acidity, and an open bottle that lasts for months. Here you will find dry to sweet Madeira, mostly from Barbeito.

Most people have only met Madeira in a sauce. Ask for a taste at our bar in Graça.

The four grapes, from dry to sweet

When a Madeira names a grape on the label, it tells you how sweet it is. A single grape Madeira must be at least 85% that variety.

Grape	Style	Try it with	Our bottle
Sercial	Dry, lemony, sharp	Olives, salted almonds, as an aperitif	Barbeito 10 Year Old Sercial
Verdelho	Medium dry	Mushrooms, pâté, hard cheese	Barbeito 10 Year Old Verdelho
Boal	Medium sweet	Cheese, fruit cake, bolo de mel	Barbeito 10 Year Old Boal
Malvasia	Sweet	Dark chocolate, crème brûlée	Portugal in Tube 10 Year Old Malvasia (Tasting Tube)

Bottles labelled only by sweetness, like the Barbeito Dry Madeira, are usually made from Tinta Negra, the island's main grape. The Barbeito Rainwater Reserva Madeira is a lighter, medium dry blend of Tinta Negra and Verdelho, and an easy first Madeira.

How to serve Madeira

Serve it slightly cool, around 12 to 14°C, in a small white wine glass. Store the bottle standing up. Because Madeira has already been heated and oxidised in the cellar, air does very little to it once open, so you can drink a bottle slowly over several months.

Want more on how it is made? Read our Madeira wine guide. Prefer something from the mainland? Look at our Port wine.

Questions we get asked

What is the difference between Madeira and Port?

Both are fortified with grape spirit, but Port comes from the Douro valley and Madeira from the island of Madeira. Madeira is heated during ageing, which gives it higher acidity, a cooked, nutty flavour and a much longer life once opened.

How long does Madeira keep after opening?

An open bottle of Madeira keeps for several months, often longer, if you store it upright with the cork in, away from heat. It is the most forgiving wine to have open at home.

Which Madeira is dry and which is sweet?

Sercial is the driest, then Verdelho, then Boal, and Malvasia (also called Malmsey) is the sweetest. Bottles without a grape name are labelled Dry, Medium Dry, Medium Sweet or Sweet.