Fortified wines

[Dave2002]

I became interested in the history of fortified wines. Apparently brandy was added to help wine keep better. Madeira style wine was discovered by accident, when one barrel did a round trip and became overheated. Rather than pour it away, it was consumed, and some became accustomed to the flavour. After that there was a market for it in America.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortified_wine

I recenly bought a bottle of Madeira from Lidl (9.99) - the dark sweet variety, and compared it with the end of a bottle of Wine Society Madeira (£12.99). Both pleasant, the WS slightly better, but note the £3 differential. There are more types of Madeira which are relatively unusual here, and we sampled a few recently on a trip to the island, though I have to say that I did not like them all. An interesting discovery was poncha.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_wine

[umslopogaas]

I am very fond of Madeira and prefer it to port. Standard Blandy's issue from the supermarket is fine for every day consumption (so to speak) but the Wine Society lists some much more expensive items, which I havent yet sampled. Note that all the WS Madeiras, apart from their 'own brand' version, come in 50 cl bottles rather than the usual 75 cl - does anyone know why?

By the way, if you paid £12.99 for the Wine Soc. bottle, you have donated 4p to the Society, its £12.95 in my latest catalogue.

[Barbirollians]

Annoying that Waitrose has stopped selling the Sercial from Blandys - a drier style which is a delicious aperitif .

[umslopogaas]

I cant resist ...

"Have some Madeira m'dear,
you'll find its an excellent year.
Now if it were gin you'd be wrong to say yes,
The evil gin does would be hard to assess.
Besides, its inclined to affect me prowess ...
... so have some Madeira m'dear!

Then there crept through her mind what her mother had said, with her ante-penunltimate breath
Oh my child shoulds't though look on the wine when 'tis red, be prepared for a fate worse than death.
She let go her glass with a shrill little cry, crash tinkle it fell to the floor
When he said "What in heaven!", she made no reply up her mind and a dash for the door.
... something ... she paused to take breath in the cool midnight air.
until the next morning she woke up in bed,
with a smile on her lips and an ache in her head.
AND A BEARD IN HER EARHOLE which tickled and said
"Have some Madeira m'dear!"

Michael Flanders.

[french frank]

Note that all the WS Madeiras, apart from their 'own brand' version, come in 50 cl bottles rather than the usual 75 cl - does anyone know why?

I don't know why, but dessert wines, which are often stronger than table wines at 15% abv or so are often in 50 cl bottles too.

[umslopogaas]

Perhaps they sell by alcohol content, so as the content keeps going up, the bottle size keeps going down?

[jean]

Presumably. The glasses are smaller, too.

[subcontrabass]

Presumably. The glasses are smaller, too.

Not when I drink it at home.

[Ferretfancy]

I cant resist ...

"Have some Madeira m'dear,
you'll find its an excellent year.
Now if it were gin you'd be wrong to say yes,
The evil gin does would be hard to assess.
Besides, its inclined to affect me prowess ...
... so have some Madeira m'dear!

Then there crept through her mind what her mother had said, with her ante-penunltimate breath
Oh my child shoulds't though look on the wine when 'tis red, be prepared for a fate worse than death.
She let go her glass with a shrill little cry, crash tinkle it fell to the floor
When he said "What in heaven!", she made no reply up her mind and a dash for the door.
... something ... she paused to take breath in the cool midnight air.
until the next morning she woke up in bed,
with a smile on her lips and an ache in her head.
AND A BEARD IN HER EARHOLE which tickled and said
"Have some Madeira m'dear!"

Michael Flanders.

Love it! Especially " And when it is open it really won't keep, so please have some more, it will help you to ---sleep " ( Quoted from memory)

[french frank]

she made no reply up her mind and a dash for the door.

Zeugma?

[ardcarp]

Has the word 'sherry' been mentioned yet? Or 'Share' as they pronounce it in some quarters? (As in Air. Dwavsm Share.)

[jean]

Zeugma?

One of the best examples ever recorded!

[Dave2002]

Has the word 'sherry' been mentioned yet? Or 'Share' as they pronounce it in some quarters? (As in Air. Dwavsm Share.)

Decent sherry seems hard to come by nowadays - except from outlets such as the Wine Society. Looking at supermarket shelves now suggests a vast uptake of drinking of wine, plus some spirits, but sherry and port are hardly to be seen. Sherry is often of the sweet variety, and Bristol Cream sometimes still features. Not sure about British Sherry - I think there was such a thing once. As for Marsala and Madeira ...

Commandaria from Cyprus - who ever heard of that?

Specialist outlets will probably still be able to supply some rather splendid drinks of the fortified wine varieties, often much dryer sherries etc., but supermarkets have perhaps decided "there's no call for it ...".

[vinteuil]

... waitrose still has a fair range : I regularly buy their manzanilla and fino, and la gitana if feeling in funds...

http://www.waitrosecellar.com/wine-type/port-sherry-madeira/sherry

[Dave2002]

... waitrose still has a fair range : I regularly buy their manzanilla and fino, and la gitana if feeling in funds...

http://www.waitrosecellar.com/wine-t...madeira/sherry

That's interesting. Online, or do they actually put the bottles on shelves in a store near you?