Development and success (15th–18th centuries)
The roots of Madeira's wine industry date back to the Age of
Exploration, when Madeira was a regular port of call for ships travelling to
the East Indies. By the 16th century, records indicate that a well-established
wine industry on the island supplied these ships with wine for the long voyages
across the sea. The earliest examples of Madeira were unfortified and tended to
spoil before reaching their destination. However, following the example of
port, a small amount of distilled alcohol made from cane sugar was added to
stabilize the wine by boosting the alcohol content. (The modern process of
fortification using brandy did not become widespread until the 18th century.)
The Dutch East India Company became a regular customer, picking up large,
423-litre (112 US gal) casks of wine known as "pipes" for their
voyages to India.
The intense heat in the holds of the ships had a
transforming effect on the wine, as discovered by Madeira producers when one
shipment was returned to the island after a long trip. The customer was found
to prefer the taste of this style of wine, and Madeira labeled as vinho da roda
(wines that have made a round trip) became very popular. Madeira producers
found that aging the wine on long sea voyages was very costly, so they began to
develop methods on the island to produce the same aged and heated style. They
began storing the wines on trestles at the winery or in special rooms known as
estufas, where the heat of the island sun would age the wine.
With the increase of commercial treaties with England such as the Marriage Treaty in 1662, important English merchants settled on the island and, ultimately, controlled the increasingly important island wine trade. The English traders settled in the Funchal as of the seventeenth century, consolidating the markets from North America, the West Indies and England itself. Notable brands include Cossart and Gordon founded in 1745 and Blandy's in 1811.
The eighteenth century was the "golden age" for
Madeira. The wine's popularity extended from the American colonies and Brazil
in the New World to Great Britain, Russia, and Northern Africa. The American
colonies, in particular, were enthusiastic customers, consuming as much as 95%
of all wine produced on the island each year.
Early
American history (17th–18th centuries)
Madeira was a very important wine in the history of the
United States of America. No wine-quality grapes were grown among the thirteen
colonies, so imports were needed, with a great focus on Madeira. One of the
major events on the road to the American Revolution in which Madeira played a
key role was the seizure of John Hancock's sloop Liberty by Boston customs
officials on 9 May 1768. Hancock's boat was seized after he had unloaded a
cargo of 25 pipes (3,150 US gallons (11,900 L)) of Madeira, and a dispute arose
over import duties. The seizure of Liberty caused riots to erupt in Boston.
Madeira was a favorite of
Thomas Jefferson, and it was used to toast the Declaration of Independence
George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams are
also said to have appreciated the qualities of Madeira. The wine was mentioned
in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. On one occasion, Adams wrote to his wife,
Abigail, of the great quantities of Madeira he consumed while a Massachusetts
delegate to the Continental Congress. A bottle of Madeira was used by visiting
Captain James Sever to christen USS Constitution in 1797. Chief Justice John
Marshall was also known to appreciate Madeira, as were his cohorts on the early
U.S. Supreme Court. Madeira and walnuts were often served together as a last
course at dinner parties in Washington in the early decades of the 1800s.
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