Madeira: The wine that defies time

There’s a good reason that Madeira is nearly synonymous with old-fashioned reliability, said Elin McCoy in Bloomberg.com. Portuguese farmers have been tilling “steep mountain vineyards on the eponymous volcanic island” off Africa’s coast since the 1700s.

To keep their wines from spoiling during long ocean deliveries to Europe or the Americas, they “fortified” them, dosing each batch with brandy during fermentation. The result was a virtually “indestructible” beverage that could keep seemingly forever. For a splurge, here are three bottles that prove Madeira can still taste exquisite decades—even centuries—later. You can find a dealer through Wine-searcher.com.

1825 Leacock Seco ($450)

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This Madeira starts with a nose of hazelnuts and reveals layers of tangy candied fruit.

1912 D’Oliveira Verdelho ($350)

This “toffee-nosed” Madeira reminded me of “ethereal Kenya coffee.”

1922 D’Oliveira Bual ($350)

This powerful Madeira has sweet notes that taste like “essence of fruitcake.”