Madeira

Atlantic island belonging to Portugal, nearly 1,000 km/625 miles from the Portuguese mainland and 750 km/466 miles off the coast of North Africa, now a dop for fortified wines and an igp (Indicação Geográfica Protegida) (see terras madeirenses) for unfortified wines. Of these, the fortified madeira, probably the world’s most resilient and longest living wine, is much the most famous. This volcanic island rising steeply from the ocean is an unlikely place to find such an exciting and individual wine. But Madeira flies in the face of generally accepted winemaking norms.