High Life

HIGH LIFE #15 Dec 2017 83 M adeira is the name of a volcanic archipelago as well as a vinous miracle. Purportedly known since Greco-Roman times, Madeira was claimed byPrinceHenry theNavigator’s lieutenants in 1419, becoming Portugal’s earliest territorial gain in the Age of Discovery. Viticulture and winemaking were introduced to Madeira after 1420 by Portuguese settlers, who developed the archipelago into a key supply station for ships sailing to and from the NewWorld. To survive long voyages, Madeiran wines were fortified with grape spirit ( aguradente vínica ), then shipped to the New World. Initially, due to their modest quality, casks of Madeiran wines were often unsold and returned to the shippers in Funchal. Having endured subtropical conditions onboard for months, the “round trip wine” ( vinho do roda ) became “madeirised,” serendipitously gaining complexity. To replicate the beneficial effects of what would otherwise be a wine fault, producers invented a unique heating process ( estufagem ), whereby wine casks were heated and cooled in turn, whether by energy or sunshine ( canteiro ), and stored for months, years or decades.