Price: $21

Producer: Blandy's

Origin: Madeira Island, Portugal

Type of wine: Semi-sweet fortified wine made from Sercial grapes

Try it with: A complex, interesting wine. Best drunk alone as an aperitif

Date Reviewed: March 2004

Madeira is one of the most unique wines around. It is a fortified wine (alcohol added to halt fermentation), which is slowly, and very much intentionally, cooked. The result is a family of wines that are perfect for slow sipping – in the spirit of cognac or brandy. Blandy’s 5 year Sercial is lighter than most Madeira wines. It’s amber gold with hints of brown. The first sniff brings coffee cake to mind – brown sugar, almonds and caramel. The flavors however, are quite different; orange is followed by caramelized walnut. A sweet wine with fine balancing crispness. Try it as an aperitif; before or after dinner