Madeira

The island of Madeira was planted with vines by its Portuguese conquerors in the 15th century. The great age of Madeira was the 18th and 19th centuries, when the wine had a huge following in Europe and the USA. Unfortunately, a vine-destroying louse known as phylloxera wiped out a great many of Madeira’s vineyards, and Madeira began to lose its popularity. The most authentic Madeira is that produced from the so-called “noble” grape varieties: