Madeira production: the estufagem heat technique

Madeira, Portugal

Madeira is the world's most indestructible wine — a consequence of the unique production process that involves deliberate heating of the wine (estufagem) and oxidative aging in casks stored in warm conditions. The estufagem (heating) was initially accidental: fortified wine travelling through the tropics as ballast in sailing ships was discovered to improve from the heat and movement. The technique was then deliberately replicated — first in hot warehouses (armazéns) on the volcanic island of Madeira, then in modern estufas (heated tanks) for commercial production. The heating process and oxidation produce a wine that is virtually immune to further oxidation — an opened bottle of Madeira can remain drinkable for months, sometimes years. The four noble grape varieties — Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malmsey — define a dryness spectrum from bone dry to lusciously sweet.

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